Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-12
STRANGE AFRICAN RACES
Paul Du Ohaillu Tells of Bis Adventures
on the Dark Continent.
GOrillas, Pigmies and Cannibals-
Startling Lack of Costume Mt
Public Function.

Public Function.
The public hall Of the builders exchange,
on 18th street between and H streets, Is
a good-sized room. but 1t was not nearly
large enough to accommodate the crowd
that went there last night at the invitation
of the National Geographic Society to hear
Mr.. Paul B. Du Chaillu tell Of his discover
les in the interior of Africa. People sat in
the aisles and in the corridor opening into
the hall. and many others. unable to find
seats. stood wherever they could find room.
In the words of one Of the members Of the
society, 1T was the best attended meeting
they had ever held" Mr.. Gardiner G. Hub
bard. president Of the society, made a short
opening address. in which he took occasion
to pay a high tribute to the great work ac-
complished by Mr.. Du Chaillu. whose dis
coveries, he said. were SO remarkable that
his reports Of them were discredited until
they were substantiated by other travellers,
who subsequently visited the hitherto un-
explored interior Of the dark continent.
Mr.. Du Chaillu was scheduled to lecture on
THE Dwarfs and Forests of Central AZ
rcia," but, as a matter of fact 1t was more
Of a talk than lecture. and included many
interesting incidents altogether outside OF
his chosen subject. He spoke entirely with
out notes. and enlivened his remarkable
story covered incidents of his visits to the
unknown regions Of the Ashangoland, in the
equatorial regions Of Africa. during the years
1851. 1883 and 1859. He was the first white
man who had ever penetrated the wilds Of
that country. and his experiences were thrill
ing and unique He assured the natives that
his purposes wore peaceful and friendly,
and by liberal distribution Of beads, look
Ing glasses and other gewgaws secured the
good graces ana friendly cooperation of the
various tribes with whom it was his lot to
come in contact. All regarded him as a SUI
pernatural spirit and treated him with the
greatest Difference and respect. His fire.
arms and an electric battery with which he
often shocked the natives contributed much
towards this delusion. He was called the
spirit Of the moon, and was believed to
have almost supreme power for good or
evil. His expert use of his rifle led to the
general belief that he carried thunder and
lightning in his hands.
Abbreviated Costumes.
He gave an interesting account Of his re-
ception on the west coast of Africa on his
first voyage. He went there after wild
beasts. strange birds and insects, and 1t
took considerable argument and tact to
convince the natives that he was not q
slave trader. They came out into the ocean
to meet him They sat astride canoes and
propelled them skillfully with only their
hands as paddles. When he landed he was
received In great state. The king wore
swallow-tail coat, with one tail missing, and
nothing else; the prime minister wore only
plug hat and the queens attire consisted
OF red umbrella. His visit occasioned
meeting in the Talking House." which the
lecturer said reminded him strongly Of Con-
gress. The men were all statesmen. They
could talk for hours without coming to the
point. They treated him with great consid-
GRAFTON, however. and afforded him every
facility in his researches. They passed
laws that he should not be molested. and
that the Inhabitants of each country should
assist him In reaching the next beyond
The lecturer told how he acquired the dia-
iects OF the different tribes visited and how
he conquered the miasmatic influences of
the country by the extensive consumption
OF quinine and arsenic.
Immense Forests.
He also gave a description of the vast
forests. extending from shore to shore with
their 1ungles. savage Inhabitants. such as
tigers, leopards. elephants. gorillas, mon
Keys, snakes. white ants, sc. These SEEM
ingly impenetrable wilds, he said were in
tersected with innumerable paths. known
| only to the natives. 1t was possible to 60
through the forests In any direction. that is,
| provided You had q guide. but not other
wise. There were two seasons-wet and dry.
In the mountain districts, however, the W ct
season lasted twelve months in each year
During his visit he could not enter a village
| In the day on account Of the heat. In the
| open the thermometer averaged IDS degrees
Farenheit. In the forests 1t ranged between
~ and 30 Therefore he remained in the
| starvation in his trip through the forests
He had eaten what the monkeys ate-nuts
| and berries-and at one time, not finding
| even these, he had eaten monkeys.
Wives Were Plenty.
The curse Of the country he said, is hu-
man sacrifice. Very few Of the people are
allowed to die natural death. They are
killed of according to ceremony. All events
are celebrated by the taking Of human life
| A man can have any number Of wives and
| Is never too old to marry. The older they
are. however, the younger the wives they
| select. He had seen men over ninety years
of age get married. During his sojourn In
Africa he was regarded a great catch
| and each tribe he visited endeavored to
persuade him to marry one of their number.
| At one time he was offered $50 wives in
| bunch, and he only escaped their accept
| ance by the rarest good luck. Altogether
during his three years soJourn in Africa he
| had been offered 22,OOO wives, a record, he
| was confident, that had not been beaten In
| the history of the world
| Most of the lecture was devoted to an ac-
| count of his experience with the cannibals
| and dwarfs dwelling in the wild interior of
Africa and Of his adventurous search for
| gorillas, elephants tigers. etc. His descrip-
| ton of his first encounter with a gorilla
| known to the natives as the wild man Of
! the forests" was specially thrilling. The
cannibals were described giants living in
| villages. the principal ornaments of which
were skulls of the victims they had de-
voured. The African pigmies, averaging
| four feet in height, were described as the
lowest type of humanity. The cannibals do
not bury their dead. They eat them, pre-
| serving only the skulls. The pigmies live in
| huts like bee hives, and never remain any,
where more than two weeks at time and
do no labor whatever, not even planting
| The lecture was illustrated by many lantern
| olt