The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-10-29

Of the great mining centres. Or 10 may
prefer the shorter land route from tue
east coast, aud DO carried by the Beira
railroad to the very edge Of tho Rurilu'
rous plateau. lu his mining camp
near Fort Salisbury, which a few years
ago wal practically inaccessible 70 the
white man, no readd the London papers
only five weoks old. Tho Hindu msr'
chant seeking his %fortunein the British
Central Africa Professionals 10 trans
ierrOd from tho Bombay steamer NJ tho
mouth OF the ZAnbesi to n OF the
ileut Of tue African LAkes Company's
steamers, which, with the hundred
mi,ss carry around the Shire rapids,
lands him on the shore Of Lake Nyasa.
II from thence lao travels three hundred
miles westward TO the Tsmoto Lake
Mweru, where LivlngStouo's wander.
ings ceRisd. even hero the postman will
bring him letters from his home in lar
oil India.
Rapid trauslt into the interior has not
made so great progress on tho east
coast Only some thirty miles OF tho
German railway from Tanga to the VIC
toria Nyanza arc completed, and tho
money for tho parallel English road to
Uganda has Just been appropriated.
iho Italians haYe built twenty miles OF
projected line from MasSowah ON the
Red river to Kassala OH the northwest
orn frontier Of their colony OF ETitraR.
The grasp Of the MAhdists on the mid
die Nile has been loosened, aud any day
wu may hear that the water route from
Egypt to tho great lakes has been re-
opened. The other open routes from
the Mediterranean portal Into iheSoudan,
arc still closed to white mOni but tho
trans-Saharan railroad by which II iI
proposed to connect the Algerian sys'
tenn with the French limos pushing east.
ward from Senegal and northwArd from
the Guinea coast, has almost passed out
OF tho roalm Of mere visionary schemes
into that Of possibilities.
The advance Of civilization, then, into
Africa 10 from evSry quarter, and IN
many places the goal IL already reached.
At the present rate OF progress, in a
few years tho whole continent will offer
no moro difficulties TO the traveller than
India does now. II ia not inconCsiv.
abls-nay, more, 1t iI prnbAbls-that in
1905 tho Cook tourist on tho Nile will
not DO Obliged 10 turn back, as now, at
the second cataract, but NAV keep up
the river to Lake Albert, and thence by
alternate rail and water to tue mouth
OF the Zambesi or TO Cape Town. Then
the traveller around the world will not
ho confined to the suez Canal
or tho passage round tue Cape.
but will have tho choice Of several
routes across tho continent. HO may.
take tho African lakes route from
Chinde 10 NyaSR, and cross by coach or
rail the British pTotectotAte, connect
lug at the Portuguese frontier with tho
trains on the Companhia Real for the
Atlantic seaboard. Or he may choose
either Of lhrne roads to tho Congo
tho German Central, now being sur.
yeyed, from D"Rros.Salaam, opposite
Zanzibar, to Lake ~ranganyika, tho Ger.
man Northern to Lake Victoria, or the
British Uganda railway past the mag.
n~ifcont snoW.Clad Ruwenznri range. At
Stanley Pool he will DO ablo to take the
cara Of tho STATE road TO tho head Of
navigation ut Matadi, OF, ii no pr6for,
tho all.rail route through French Congo
to the port Of LoNnge.
In other words, the barrier Of desert
and teyor.haunted coaat belt which has
separated central Africa from tho rest
Of tho world since creation, has been
finally and permanently broken down.
And Just as tho water brought in arti.
lcial channels from tho eternal SHOWS
OF tho Alalau mountains Is translorn-
ing the arid desert OF Turkcstan into n
region OF smiling villages and cultivated
folds linOd with shnde aud ifuii'tree',
40 these Wagon.rOads, steamboats, aud
rnilWays arc Just 80 many irrlgaiing
streams which will fortilizO tho mental
and moral Wilderness III which tho
negro lives. For that which has kept
him In a state but n remove above tho
wild beasts who Share with him his
forests aud grasHv plHlns, has bson
chiefly his Isolation. With tho thrush
OF tho white man into his Soli'
tndes, intent on gain though lie DO, and
bringing with him the countless evils
Of civilization, but at tho same limo
tLoir anlidolOs, q now ora has opened
for Africa aud tho African. Tho full
import to tho world Of this great fact II
IL impossiblo TO grasp This, however,
may bo said with condolences II hm In.
cfca,ol tho available C%ultivablO land Of
lhsglobo by Il fifth, aud doubled tho
area within tho tropics. That 10, tho
sources from which man can draw hin
food supplies In tho future have been
almost indefinitely extended. 10 what
oxtonl this will add to his mineral
wealth Ia still n matter Oi conjecture,
but that tho African Highlands contain
tho precious aud useful metals In
abundance oyery traveller tostinc.
OF greater importance, however than
these material advantages IL tue Tact
that thO sum Of human happiness VII
DO lmmoasnr ably lnctOnscd. Those fali'
WAYS, with tho stable government which
la tho essential condition Of tllolr oxis'
tonCb, moan tho absolute suppfoa5ion.
oi tie greatest curse which has ever
blirhlcd mans growth, tho sIavo'tfado.
1Iloy mOaI tho nlHihg NJ tho standard
Of living, tho cfontion Of n knowledge OF
tho fighH Of properly, Oi tho ptOila'
Llnnoas Of labor, tho dignity and value
NJ human lifU ~ ntly millions Of
our fellow. boinpA They mean tho
binding together by common In.
tofoals nations, tribes, and Villages now
mutually hostile. 1hOy moan tho In
dgnnltu multiplication oil such oa,os
(oycn now happily humorous In the