San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-26
THE PEARL OF AFRICA,
Flight of Mwanga from His King.
dom of Uganda.

Flight of Mwanga from His King.
dom of Uganda.
The brief announcement was recently
made that Mwanga, the king of Uganda,
had fled from his capital and surren-
dered himself to the authorities of
German East Africa. No further de-
tails were given, but the bare fact was
full of interest. For that scapegrace
king is one of the best-known charac-
tiers lin all the Dark Continent, and
Uganda, the pearl of Africa" is a
country upon which the attention of
the world has been much centered. 1t
is region of geographical interest and
of great political Importance, and it
has been the scene of some of the
most romantic adventures and most
earnest missionary efforts in all the
Dark Continent. The full story of
Mwanga's abdication and fight and the
subsequent development of affairs will,
therefore, be awaited with peculiar
eagerness in America, as well as in the
three countries which have for years
been contending for the possession of
that equatorial kingdom.
The immediate predecessor of
Mwanga was Mtesa, who will be re-
membered as a gentle savage" who
was most hospitable to the explorer
Stanley and under whose benign sway
Uganda was first brought to the! at
tention of the civilized world. There
was once hope that Mwanga would fol-
low in his footsteps, but it has never
been Appropriated in realization. He
has, on the contrary, proved to be one
of the worst specimens of African bar
barism.
In religion he has been pagan, Roman
Catholic and Protestant by turns, with
interludes of unique deviltry. He was
tbe murderer of Bishop Harrington
md the fomenter of strife between the
French Roman Catholic and British
Protestant missionaries. He has played
fast and loose with Great Britain, with
France and with Germany, and indeed
has shown himself consistent only in
weakness, cowardice, treachery and
cruelty. Uganda is well rid of him,
and If the Germans will keep him from
ever returning they wall promote the
cause of civilization and justice
Uganda is now recognized as part
of the British empire. twill, however,
still have king of its own. The Brit
fish will put Mwanga's son upon the
throne, with a council of regency. Thus
a stable government will be assured
and the work of civilization will go on.
For Uganda is really becoming o civ
ilized country. Its people are indolent
and unambitious, but they are docile
and intelligent, and take readily to civ
ilized ways. Agriculture and manufac-
lures have made much progress among
them. The gospel of good roads has
been preached and bicycles are not
unknown. Huts are being abandoned
for houses. European furniture and
clothing are used, and there is talk Of
u trolley line. When the steam rail-
road from the coast is finished, as it
soon will be, there will be more rapid
progress, and the "Pearl of Africa" will
doubtless become the seat of genuine
and by no means rudimentary civiliZa-
tion, to which end Mwanga, by his
timely departure, has materially con-
tributed.-N. Y. Tribune.
i "A rich Parisinn lost all his wealth
except $4,000, and died of excessive
grief. His pauper brother proved to
be his heir, and when he heard of his
inheritance. he died of excessive jey.
Here is one of the questions which
candidates for appointment as school
teachers in Abilene, Kan, were re-
oulred to answer: "Why does a horse
walk backward while eating grass, and
COW walk forward?"
4 "A stout gentleman in Holton, Kan,
who weighs 800 pounds, has for the past
six weeks been trying to reduce his
avoirdupois by long and frequent rides
on horseback. Up to date, it is only the
horse that has lost flesh.
!. Henry Russell, the composer, was
once singing in public his song There's
q Good Time Coming" when he was
staggered by a gentleman arising in
the audience and gravely asking:
won't you oblige us with the date2"