Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1895-12-20
WITH THE GORILLAS.
PROFESSOR GARNER STARTS OUT
AGAIN TO STUDY MONKEYS.

fGFilF ~ . ODI mOlNNGt D
II Successful, Says the Hesults win BE
Surprising -- Going 90 the Interior Of
Darkest Africa-wnl Return Some Time
Next Spring.
am now on the edge Of civilization,
about to plunge into the depths of the
African forest These ure tvs last words
shall send before l disappear. Where
and when ] shall come out l do not
know.
l am now writing ct A,nh- @, An
COLA, and il is the 10th Of Oc,l cr. 1t is
unlikely that anything will be heard
from me for some months is, Of
course, possible that ! may r@vcr again
reach civilization, and that his manu-
script will be my last
But if my journey Is as successful as
I expect it to be it tli 10 surprising in
its results and rapid in execution. l in
/ tend now to strike out for the Bolumbo
country and into the interior Of darkest
| Africa.
Here l shall again resume my expert
menls with the native gOrillas and
hope to complete the alp ct Of the ma
/ tive language Of the ap. hich / was
compelled to abandon during my first
visit hers year ago.
7 hope 20 cross Esyria TO the Rembo
Nkuni and via Fernan Vaz lake into the
lake Izanga country, where 1 shall
mako for the coast. No time can be
stated fer this hazardous journey, as
NEST Of it is afOot Or by canoe. But l
hope to lie back in New York early in
the new year, or, at any rate, before the
summer is well advanced.
arr well equipped for this journey
. and FIR my experiments
Iiy previous experience in Africa will
be Of the utmost value.
Ny knowledge Of the country and Of
tho native languages has already been
Of the greatest assistance.
Standing here on the brink where civ
ilization and barbarism meet, am con
fldent that the journey which is before
me will bring them both closer together.
/ am bringing some of the finest me-
Chanical productions Of civilization into
the heart Of the jungle. l shall bring
out Of the primeval forest specimens
bearing on anthropology and testimony
to the antiquity Of language that will
be absolutely new.
There are things in this African jun
gle which comes down here to where ]
stand that bear directly on the history
of our race and speech. Here are found
races that have not advanced in TO- 00O
years, races that seem indeed never ia
have advanced and TO occupy today q
lower place in the social scale than
many animals.
1 do not doubt that there are members
Of the monkey family possessing q
higher intelligence and greater fueucy
Of language than many natives Of Afri.
ca, whom they 20 closely resemble.
have known Of the same words being
used to express the same things in the
language Of both. These are some of the
facts my present journey will throw
light upon.
/ am heading now for the greatest
monkey country in the world, the great
original breeding place Of our race, a!
some believe. Here are to be founC
races of lken the like of which can bt
seen nowhere else on earth.
Here are TO be found men so peculiar
that hundreds Of thousands, if not mil
lions, Of years must have elapsed since
they branched off from the rest of thu
great human family. They are today
either the sole remaining specimens o.
primeval man or men who have SLOWLY
by interbroeding developed unique lido
syncrasies which differentiate then
from all others.
In this great African jungle which
the light of civilization has never pene
trated, where time has stood still
which is today identical with what i
was 10, 600 years ago, an animal civil
zation has sprung up that has advanced
quicker than the civilization Of its hu
man inhabitants. The skull Of monkey,
in this great heart of Africa has growi
faster than the skull of men.
Here are found the largest monkey
, and the smallest men. Not far from
where ! am sitting tonight writing t,
The Sunday World the chimpanzees havt
musical instruments around which the,
hold dance, while there are tribes o
savages so low and brutal as never t.
have invented a musical instrument.
Monkey tribes, gorilla tribes ant
chimpanzee tribes are organized. The,
have leaders and governors. They seen
to have a rude system of government c
the forest.
Each appears to have special coun
try Of its own into which the other
rarely penetrate. They have mysteriou
: calls, periodical conventions and regula
times for joyful gatherings.
This is the greatest place for scientifi
inquiry on earth-first, because it is tn
oldest known field of human occupancy
aud, secondly, because it has been Who'll
ly neglected. This is virgin forest an,
a virgin field for explora ion and dis
, covCry.
There is more to be learned in Afric
, Oh tho remote history Of our race thai
in all the rest of the world together. -
, r. L. Garner in New York World.