The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-10
CONQUEST OF A8YSSINIA.
LAND OF ANCIENT HISTORY ABOUT
TO FALL UNDER THE SWAY
OF ITALY.
Bruce As Its DiscOVerer-EVery Va
riety of Climate i'm This Favored
Country. But Its Inhabitants Not
Good AcrfeuIfurfSfs

From the St Louis Globe-Democrat.
The news that the Italian army in East
Africa has begun active operations for
the conquest of Abyssinia viii be of de-
cided interest wherever the name of this
ancient land has become known and its
curious and varied history has been read.
That success will ultimately crown the
efforts Of the Italian arms cannot be
doubted, for the clumsy swords and spears
Of the Abyssinians viii stand no show in
a contest with the rifle ana revolver. and
the shield of the African warrior fur
nishes no protection against the bullets
of the machine gun. The natural de-
fenses of the country. strong as they are.
win not long resist the skin Of "A civil
liked invader, and although the progress
of the Italians may not be rapid. no doubt
can be felt that in the course of three
or four campaigns they Will effect a com
plete subjugation of one of the most in
teresting peoples of the Dark Continent.
The new subjects Of Italy have "A his
tory running back at least TO the time OF
Solomon, thousand years before Christ,
for the antiquarians are agreed that the
Queen of Sheba, who made the visit to
Jerusalem in order to cement the friend
ship between the two nations, was none
other that a monarch of Ahyssinia, which
then, and perhaps long before. was rich,
populous and powerful state. For ages
it continued TO be the one civilized eOun-
try in Africa, aside from Egypt, then the
torrent Of Mohammedan invasion sur
rounded il on all sides. and, though the
tide of Islam was stayed in the rocky
passes of the Abyssnian mountains, the
country was for centuries cut on from
int d
known only by stradition. So dim be-
came the recollection OF a nation that
was Christianized in the fourth century
that even its existence was sometimes
doubted and the intelligence brought from
II by an occasional traveller or African
merchant, who had succeeded IN pepetra-
ting it's frontiers, was treated as an Inn
agfnatiye tale Of one ready and willing
to play on the credulity of mankind; SO
for a thousand years Abyssinia renamed
unknown and human progress Wlthlu us
limits stood still.
Then came a period of better knowledge
with the Investigations made OF the eoun-
try by the Portuguese. and in ITO. Bruce
Travelled through Abyssina, atterward
writing an account of his visit, winch no
body believed, but which has since, in
many important particulars, been shown
to be exactly true. Our knowledge of the
country dates from the time OF Bruce,
though no material use was made OF the
information gained unu! me mlddle OF
this century, when a British consul was
appointed to reside in Abyssinta, ana from
the desire of the ruling monarch, the un-
fortunate King Theodore in lsbb 70 BRING
about more intimate relations with Great
Britain came the Imprisonment OF all the
British subjects, the war with Great
Britain, during which British army pen
etrated the interior OF the country, storm
ed Magdaa in 1868, and Theodore, resolv-
ed not TO be taken, blew out MS brains
with a pistol.
cred history Abyssinia is famed for, ac-
cording TO the prevailing traditions OF the
Abyssinians themselves, the hrst mission
airy to that country was the chamberlain
of the Queen Candace, a narrative Of
whose baptism is given in the Book OF
Acts. The land was then known as EMO
pia a name which a large portion of II
still bears a striking illustration OF the
persistence with which proper name VIII
linger among an ilnter0te and even say
age people. The Ethiopian or Abyssinlan
church was organized In the beginning of
the fourth century and II Is remarkable
fact, known to few, that through the
missionary labors OF this body Nubia ana
perhaps also large part OF the Soudan
were Christianized, and remained so dur
ing the several centuries and until the
fifteenth, when the gradual spread or Mo-
hammedansm to the south and center of
Africa crushed out the Christian faith
and supplanted 1t with that Of Islam.
As a source of possible wealth Abyssinla
will prove a valuable acquisition TO Italy
or any other country. Although situated
under the tropics, this Favored land mas
almost every climate except that OF the
extreme polar regions, since within It's
limits lies land of every altitude from the
level of the sea to 10000 feet above. SO
great a variety naturally gives an i'm
mense range of productions, and within
100 miles the traveller passes from the
sand storms and date palms of Masso-
wah, one of the hottest places on the
globe, to the cool uplands, and river vail
leys of the interior, and little higher, to
the barley and rye that are the favorte
grains in the cultivated regions of the
extreme north. While much of the coun-
try consists of elevated table lands and
rugged highlands, the river plains are
often of extreme fertility, and under prop
er cultivation are capable of supporting
a very dense population. That, with the
lazy and irregular attention they receive,
they keep the millions of Abyssinia in
comparative comfort is a tribute OF no
mean significance to their value, as well
as an indication of what they are capable
of under proper cultivation. But the
men, or rather their wives for in this, as
in most other parts Of Africa, the women
do all the work. are not good farmers so
they put in the seed at the proper sea-
son, and If II pleases ProYldence to make
it grow, well and good; if not, they rest
contented with the dispensatiOns Of for
tune, and consider that they are not to
blame for their own poverty and occa-
sonal suffering, having done their best.
Although nominally Christian and
once civilized people, the Abyssinian
methods of life do not materially differ
from those of the nations by whom they
are surrounded The temperate character
of their climate renders elaborate archi-
able to undertake it. Their houses vary
in construction with the locality and
climatic conditions. In the loWlands,
where the heat is almost uncomfortable all
the year round a circular hut of sticks
and bamboo, with a matched roof, an
swers every requirement Of Abyssinian
society, while on the uplands a house Of
stone, with a roof of poles covered with
mud is residence fit for the nobility.
He who enters the country with view of
studying the Inhabitants should, however
have a nese without conscience, for the
Abyssianians among their other numer-
Gus faults and shortcomings, have con-
stitutional antipathy to bathing, and the
consequences of this little popularity are
often painfully conspicuous to the edu-
Gated nasal apparatus. Besides carrying
their system of manual, pedal and bodily
uncleanliness to the last possible point
they are fond of elaborate headdresses
and these are prepared by drawing the
natural allowance of hair Up to the top
of the Uranium and fixing ii there with
a liberal allowance of beeswax and NUT
ton suet. OF course, under a tropical
sun, the wax and suet melt and run down
over the face and neck of the wearer Of
the couture, but a .native-born Abyssin-
ian does not mind a trifie like a stream of
grease running over his forehead but
wipes it off as well as he can with the
corner of his large square of cotton cloth
that serves him as a tunic, and goes
about his business He has his head