Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-12-15
NEW-CENHURY CLUB

man gave an abstract Of Bryce's Nm
,Tessions Of South Africa the most l
imnortant book on this subject that
has appe;lred within the past year,
although the others are Poultney BigeA
Lows 1White Mans Africa and q coi-
lection o. articles writte,, by leading
man in each province md edited bty I
Henry M. Stanley. Although the |
southern extremity OF Afrlcn was dis,
covered about tho. Same tint. flitt
Columbus discovered America " wah |
rot oxpIoretl. until tho present rantnry
and uijtiI the past s2pisr 10 yospA was |
land of rnystovy whose CLIMATE was
supposed to be deadly 10 Europeans.
Even Stanley told only Of journeys
through unknown wiiderne3sea, and
now olif latest buokAsphak OF thouHandk |
az miles III railway AMI asaerG that |
hefege another decade there viii be an |
unhpoken line af railroad from Aleyar-
fria 10 tho Cane Of Good Hope, From.
Cairo to the Cape" Is Ike rnetta Of
British colonial enthusiasts, IN the
last century the civilized world was
engaged In stealing Africans frem
Africa; now it is stealing Africa FROM
The Africans;'' nearly every European
the end England will probably have
hans in view of such nh event that
James Bryce snatehed the time from
his cares Of state and Of authorship 70
make Thorough survey Of the aountry
and has treated his subject in his
usual exhaustive manner, although he
modestly only claims impressions Of its
PRESENT condition and gives q slfotch Of
Its past history, which is that of the
threa aboriginal tribes; the Bnshmen,
now utmost extinct, wore very low IN
the human scale and wero dispossessed
by, the Hottentots, one grade higher,
SINCE they had herds of cattle, but 20
knowledge Of agriculture; these were,
10 their turn, destroyed by the hanps
who are becoming gradually civilized
by contact with Europeans, but con-
trary 10 the usual rule when mn in
ferior race comes in contact with
superior one, are increasing at so,
alarming a rate as to present even
greater problem to the English than Is
our race question in tho Southern
0. Miss Bowman gave an interesting
sketch Of the struggles for mastery be.
tween the different European races and
Of how the English gradually elhowedi
out tho sturdy Beers, but considered
this their least prosperous colony until
Inc QlhEOYhTy VI ING utufllputt hflh5 III
1869 caused wild rush to them, and
all are familiar with the, attempt Of
Cecil Rhodes to annex the whole region
TO tho British crown. Mr.. Bigelow's
book is interesting but more sketchy
in style.
Miss Taylor described the confusion
of France over tho Fashoda affair.
Since the war Of 1870 she has imagined
Germany to be her only enemy. hut
considered IL safe to quarrel with Eng
land. After the Franco Russian ALI
ance she felt secure even against Ger
many and thought she had free hand
in her colonial policy SO turned her at
tention towards increasing her African
possessions and was surprised ut being
bluffed by England, 'tSince the
Crimean war; say the French, tour
relations have been so close that any
difference between us seemed like b
fashions, read English books, drink
tea, have Jockeys and race horses, an
English quarter and restaurants In
Paris, and even Anglo Manincs who
send their linen to London to be laun-
oered.f 9 M Nd
France did not suspect that the
Franco-Russian alliance was frowned
on by England, who was not accus-
toned to heing left out IN the cold,
yet now found she belonged to neither
II the two new European constella-
tiens, but was automatically expelled
from Europe. Her opportunity came
in the new combination Of forces that
took place when the United States en-
tered on the scene. While all the con
tineatal powers sided with Spain. Eng
land without an hours hesitation took
sides with us she no longer feals
isolated but that her hands are free.
An unavoidably belated paper on
Christmas shopping was read by Mrs.
Berlin. Sho said o comparison Is often
made between men and women as shop
pers, the latter being accused of being
penuripus, but when a man does buy
anything he has only himself to con.
slider, 10 buys what he likes and asks
few questions. A woman Inns to Golnt
up how many her sum has to b,
divided among, her house, her chill
dren, her church, her charities so sbt
watches for what she wants npd CON
sitlers we'll before buying IT.. She ma,
find 1t, but tho price may be Deyont
her, so she Is foreea TO watch hel
chance at bargain counters
''Go curly and avoid the rush, Is ;
good motto for the Christmas shopper
buy my presents through the yea
and label them with the recipients
hume. "But how do you know you vii
live till Christmas?n exclaimed 1
friend. "If do not then they will nc
as beqnests to my friends aud they vii
surely appreciate them.n There Is |
growing habit of handkerchief givinl
AT Christmas, They are always &C
equitable. and it's such relief whel
you cant find anything else TO thinl
you can always fall back ON a handker
chief; this thought must often haE
warded off brain fever and nervou
prostratlop,
Avoid bargain counters; things ar
not sold for less than cost withou
there's some good reason for 1T, Know
ing the attraction supposed bargai
has shopkeepers sometimes cnt off end
Of ribbon in the morning to put on th
hargsin counter, when the buyer Nigh
buy the same fresh at the reg,ila
counter for the same price and main
tain her self respect. 10 conclude, q
not buy y Christmas present for you
husband and leave the bill for it to b
sent to him on New YEARS. Day.
Mrs. Berlin said timely word abou
Christmas trees; the idea, adopted froi
tho Germans, Of using trees In this wa
is pretty ono, but the amount {
plant life destroyed Is yesy srea,
A L.. - -.