New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-11
>-rr CTTILIZING AGENT

,r, ,.......I ,,ovonont OF civilization las been
comparcd 70 the march Of an army oo"'
this comparison fails. and clFlHza'ioh i''' -
be sail 10 be rushing onward iiNe ~,
clearing bitches and hedges nj single poui"''
o,.on e,op,;ng for apparently impossible streams
rho rrosent mov be rightly put down aS cue VI
,hoso timcs and we may add that CIVILIZATION i'''
;,et successfully taken an eiSht-raii renee al"
doy is bounding away on the other slde' Ni0A''o
hocls in the air and covering twenty iee' a,
cyery Jump To the youthful reader WE 49, ,'
say that You ought to be thankful 'hu' W" '
in this age Of progress . ro
These 1--WE hope pertinent remarks Vi 0r,' .,.
oo,Iod ont by the great invention Of renoi
.. occcr rcnortcd in a Paris dispatch prlnt,"
iatoI,. in The Tribune This is rifle ior s'iooV-
n, vitriol It will, we are told, project STREAM
=, ,.it,ioI for n distance Of seventy metres in"'
h . ,yeapon used on everybody woula NOV
d.or,o tho carlse of civilization Is piain' p"'
-, certain MINIMIZING Influence Is maze e"oe"'
ho, II is added that it is proposed 10 use ohc
now arm only against savages TO prevent ''o'i'
making frcnzied PUSHES We welcome o"e ne"s
onn in the name of civilization. Frehzed ru'he'
Of savages have been ono OF the most ui''icuiV
things which civilization has had TO zeal "i'"'
Heretofore we have had nothing but the uhioro"'
rcpcatinQ rife and the weak ana Vaci'iaoine
Calling gun with which to stay these nhreasona"i1
PUSHES We have not been able TO 90 much lot
the savage with these, but with the INTRODUCTION
OF this new weapon he may reasonably eApe'e
much more When we remember that the irelHneu
rush OF the savage is almost invariably IN delehce
of his home property, wife, children ana so lor'h'
the epormity of his offence becomes more evil
dent.
Rut We cannot believe that the vitriol-thrower
GpaI hp
straining the savages absurd frenzied PUSHES.
I,s value as a general cvzcr and ChristanHcr
j. Zoo evident We estimate that eight hardened
sayagcs can he civilized for every gallon Of vitriol
cxpendcd. and hasty computation seems to show
that one good vitrlol engine throwing four-lnch
stream can Christarizc more natives IN gwen
time than a hundred missionaries. NItrioI seems so
far ahead of the machinc-Sun, or even OF rum
for use in Africa and other dark corners OF thc
Globe. that it is absurd to mention them at all.
Let us suppose that il Is deemed desirable 10
Christianize given African village. Instead OF
spending thousands Of dollars in sending mission
aries and rum 10 the village and then after all
having 10 finish the work slowly and laboriously
with the brecclloading rifle, We forward steam
vtriol engine TO the ground at once. We move
into the centre of the village the nrst dark
night and prepare for earnest action Steam IL
got up two or three lines of hose are lad. ana
mon are stationed on tho outskirts with Vltrloi
pabcock extinguishcrs and hand-grenries just
before sunrise "A friendly native sends IN a sui
alarm the hose is manned, bell rung. ana as
the uncivili7ed wretches run out OF their nuts
perhaps contemplating one Of their unspeaKapie
frepzied PUSHES they are instantly and easily
civilized II any Of them in their bigoted ana
MANN clTorts N cecape being civilized crawl up
x.,ill lao
,bc humanitarian work extended into the highest
branches. The Babcock and hand-Grenade men
Will pick OF any unreasonable stragglers. row
bcautifnl vet how simple If n system OF Vltrioi
works could be established in Africa WIN 'i"!Hs
throltthonu the inrkcso portion, and VSriol
hvdrants at all of the crossroads IL Would gieauy
facilitate the good work This would he very
o~norsivc but ought we 10 consider expense
when the civilization OF great continent is a'
stake? The answer is too obvious.
Rpt oven if the new weapon is never used 10 "
drect Outstanding force. but is confined simply
- rchul;ing the uncttercd savage for his par
h,rous nracticc Of making frenzed rushes III
doscncc Of his home we nevertheless gadly wei
cor,c IL The indirect effect even in TINS case
,no, +hc soyarr mind cannot fail 70 ne marked
THO cnnobling influence OF civilization VIII pe
broucht home 10 him. lie Will see the striking
JiGen,ncc between civilization and haroariV'
r. ,bc MAST rum and repeating rifles have done
n,,,oh - imnress this upon him. but rum ana
rifles will bc nowhere by the sIde ol '"e"
~ GOOD fresh vtriol coming ont OF iourihon
nozzle M n six hundred-pound pressure
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