, 1890-05-15
AusrnALIAN oANNInALs.
Experience of Man who Lived
Among Them.

esting books we have read for n long
time Il Mr.. Carl Lumholtz's ac-
count of his life among the canni-
balls of Australia II is curious and
interesting not only for the novel
matter of IL, but for the manner too
which IL to the last degree simple
and informal. Whatever 1t may
have been in the original Norwegian,
the narrative IL quite without what
we call "style" In it- English; but
we do not mean by this that II is
without charm, In fact 1t has a
very great charm, which seems to
reside in the authors wish to realize
without literary parade Of any sort
the facts of an experience almost
unique. In n field that offered un-
rivaled opportunities for pictori-
ality he has been con
tent to give his advea.
lures and record his discoveries with
the accurate drawing and faithful
coloring of scientific illustration;
they have in this way value that
they could have won In no other;
and they reflect with admirable
distinctness the training and tenn
permanent of the author. AZ mem
ber of the Royal Academy Of
Science he went ont to Australia,
partly ut the cost of the University
of Chrlstiana, for the purpose of
studying the native life, and max
ing collections for the geological
museum of that institution. He
found two new marsupials, one a
trec-dwclling kangaroo, md he
made other important contributions
to natural history; but to the gem
cral reader the attraction of the book
will he the close-at-hand investiga-
tions of the savage habits and Gus
toms which Mr., Lumholtz could
not have helped carrying on In the
pursuit of his scienti hc inquiries.
Upon the whole, life among the
Mort hern Australians could hardly
be desirable on any terms, and OH
their own 1t seems not acceptable.
Their religion Is II fear, their exist
ence Il series Of escapes from starva-
tion and homicide, their morality IA
mere tribal obligation to the most
elementary fealtics, their polity an
ultimation of the principle that
might makes right Within the tribe
Us well as without; II despOtism OF
the strong hand tempered by cum
ming. In the society of these chill
dren Of nature certain persons
skilled in devil-devil, as they call
the invocation, OF their supreme de-
mon, aud certain old ladies accom-
| plished in catering to their simple
appetite for human liesh, are the
ruling influences, They are all can
nibals, rs opportunity offers; and In
default of enemies To eat they will
eat their friends; they will even eat
their children, though this il eNcep-
tional. Otherwise, they live mostl Y
upon poisonous roots, which have
to be carefully prepared;
upon worms and grubs; upon
snakes and lizards; and upon such
birds and beasts rs they can kill,
though they are not good hunters
and are poorly weapOncd for the
chase. They 90 naked and almost
houseless; u shelter of boughs Is
their conception of house. After
four years among them and the be-
stowal of luestimable benefits in
tobacco, Mr.. Lumholtz could not
fiatter himself that he had ever sue
ceeded in appealing to any senti-
lnent but fear IN them; they did not
kill him because they imagined him
an adept in Devil-devil, aud because
they We're afraid of the Baby of the
Gun, ~ they called his revolver;
but they would not have eaten him,
because they had found that, upon
| the whole, white men did not agree
with them. In spite OF their fears
they had acccsses of treachery in
which they longed so much to
| kill him that IL was never safe
to let them get behind him; and
apparently no Kindness could win
them to affection. On such con-
ditions life began to he for him ut
moments the poor possession that IL
seemed to them; and he expert
cnced IA deep dependency, mixed
with indifference, from which he
had to pull him together with n
strong effort OF the will ut last, In
order to escape from the physical
miasm of their most miserable OK
istencc. They were children, aud
bad chiltiren, with no lovable traits
that he could discover, and cruel
and filthy In their ignorance. In
spite of their nboniinablc customs
and their squalid conditions, the
life of the open air and OF the woods
and hills IL so wholesome tina fine
physical types are not rare; and in
this fact there might he some hope
for the race, Ii IL met the
least Justice In contact with the
whites. But on the frontiers, says
Mr.. Lumholtz, ''any savage dis
covered by white man runs the
risk of being shot. Poison WAS laid
in the way OF the blacks once when
l was in Queensland. a squatter
shot all the men on his run because
they were cattle-killers, the women
because they gave birth to cattle
killers, and the children because
| they would in time become cattle
killers.n Tho blacks show the
curious readiness of our own Indians
to merge the tribal feulty in an
allegiance To government when en-
ployed as police, and are murder
ously destructive when used against
their own race, Us they commonly
are In Australia. Mr. Lumholiz
feels that their complete extinction
is only question OF time; and little
as he could like them he denounccs
with abhorrence the atroclous In.
Justice with which they are treated
by the English law us well Us the
English lawlcssncss.
THE TENTS MUST CO..
As Fast as They Become Vacant They
Must Come Down.
At u session of the city council