The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-24

is the belle of some that if they eat the
! flesh of big war man." his strength
and valor are transmitted to the
feaster- have had boys in my
mission who have confessed to me
that they had eaten human flesh AS a
general thing. however, they would prefer
not TO be thought ca nibals. The hands,
| they said, were a choice morsel. They
further told me, what was afterward con-
firmed by others, after they knew that I
was aware of the ia t. that the flesh was cut
up and dried to preserve it for further uso =,
| and they explained the method, which,
| however, would hardly be interesting to
civilized readers. These people, l think,
were cannibals, because they were hungry
| for flesh" and esteemed it as a delicacy.
The Iboes on the river Niger are quite
addicted to cannibalism. They are a tall,
well-formed, brave but cruel race. | do
/ not think the fact of their eating human
flesh has any thing to do with their fine
! physique more than that all the fiesh-eating
nations are people physically stronger,
more courageous and more enterprislng
than Others. There are. of course, excep-
tions even to this rule. But the custom Of
cannibalism among the native heathen of
| Africa is gradually passing away,
in this wonderful period of transi-
most wonderful land-a land Of inland
seas beautiful lakes, majestic rivers, with
| hundreds of miles navigable, Handicapped,
| snow-covered mountains, lovely valleys,
brilliant with flowers of varied hues and
songfuI with birds of brightest plumage;
while over all are clear, azure skies, rival
| ing those of Italy. Yet this vast country,
stretching through more than sixty degrees
of longitude and latitude, crossed by both
| tropics and by the equator; SO large that all
| Europe is contending for a slice, has been
| for ages the scene of bloody tribal wars, a
place of plumber for the slave catcher and
| of rapine and murder.
Everywhere among the African natives,
who have not come under the influence of
civilization, polygamy prevails. 1t is the
universal custom. Men have as many
| wives as they can bay. A girl baby is
usually spoken for" Immediately after
birth, very often by an old man, who
wishes to add to the number of his spouses
| de pays for her on the installment plan,
and he dresses her meanwhile; that is he
| furnishes her earrings, brass anklets and
armlets, beads and leopard's teeth
| common practice is to take the
child and put her in training under
| the head wife of her future hus-
band. Ordinarily, when the last payment
| ls made, she becomes the wife of the buyer
without further ceremony; but there are
different customs among some of the tribes
| After being bought. the wife is subject to
her lord and master and is virtually his
slave In those places where the gospel is
| preached this state of matters has been
| changed, however, and woman's status i'm
| proved. She is then treated more as an
| equal. Still, even where this Improvement
exists, she does most of the work; she bar
| gains, trades. labors on the farm, or over
| sees the other laborers.
| This, as we'll as all other things, varies
among different tribes. At Bathurst, on
| the Gambia, | saw the women loading the
boats, their babies tied on their backs with
the bare little heads of the infants exposed
to the fierce heat of the tropic sun. The
women we're divided into gangs. with a
| man acting as an overseer or driver.
Housekeeping is a very primitive affair
| among these children of nature. There is
| very little of it to do The houses, as a
rule, are made Of plated bamboo, matched
with leaves, with clay floor, and are built
in one end of the house. The smoke to a
white person is insufferable and the general
arrangements repugnant in the extreme.
| The railroads up the Congo and in North
| and South Africa develop the industries and
resources of the country, and bring in civ
| ilization with it's benefits and Its attendant
vices. Some of the African railroads, it is
| but fair to state, are rather mythical read
in publication recently that there were
over 800 miles of railroad in Liberia
whereas the fact is there is none yet even
|
/ ment of some wonderfully wise explo rers
| who tell us that there are no Kong noun
tains. Such statements simply mislead the
| map-makers, and it Is not to be wondered
at that they are busy readiusting their
| maps after every new exploration.
| All over Africa the plea for missionaries
| is heard. Those pioneers who have gone
| out, as have done, to native towns where
| no white foot has ever pen etrated before,
| have heard the appeal: 1--WE all be in de
dark all desc long gone years. We no want
| we children to live in de night, all same as
we. We time done pass no more, our pick
aninny mus not go de same path" Their
| broken English is always introduced by mo
more" These and other like expressions
are frequently used and it is odd to remark
that the motives are sometimes as mixed as
the language.
1--WE want books abee and God palaver, VI
| rightly interpreted often means 1--WE want
| the white man; he will give prestige to our
| town and bring trade" Nevertheless, it is
an open door and the missionary enters
thankfully; but many are neglected for
| want of missionaries.
| One of the most picturesque figures in my
| African experience was King Oko Jumbo.
| Several years ago, when at Bonny, where we
| had sailed to pay him a visit, | had the
| pleas ure of meeting Oko. His royal barge
a canoe of forty-two paddlers and three
| musicians-came out to greet us.
The three men who played on the tom-tom
| in most distracting manner were
helped in their din by the crew, who
shouted wild jargon, keeping time with
their paddles meanwhile. We invited the
king on board our little steamer. He came.
His robe consisted of a coarse, country
made cloth, which he bad wrapped about
him and the draping Of which hung to his
bare feet Over this be wore large, white
flannel shirt. King Oko bTeakfasted with
us aud amused us greatly by firmly declin-
ing to have Ills plate changed for the differ
enJ dishes, saying, with true savage phil
| osophy:
mo; him all going seme path. put him
| all on same plate"
AS he became more communicative
asked him about the great "Ju-Ju House, "
a temple built entirely of human skulls be-
longing to prisoners taken in war. many
of whom had served to make feast.
Nobody go dere uOw," said the willy
monarch. 1--WE all 60 church house to hear
God palaver."
l saw that tee temple was fast going to
decay. Not far from it now stands neat.
commodious church.
One of the chief obstacle 80 civilizing and
missionary Influences is polYgamy. Every
where mans standing is valued according
to the number of his wives. When he
has TO part vita them he is, as one man
nv Nl.,,w. 81 49, - han hn