The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-10

tween their legs on the march. and were nearly
useless In action. No one. except q cavalry
officer. would ever teach his men to cut. One
point In action was worth a dozen outs.
As to the revolver, they wanted one which
would fire four or six shots as quickly as pos
sible, 60 as to stop the enemy. A to loading
again. 1t was all nonsense-it could not be done
in the scrimmage in which a revolver would be
used. The idea was 10 get OF all the bullets as
quickly as possible. and. II they did not take
effect, to hit the enemy on the nose.
In conclusion, Lord Charles said he regarded
machine gums as equivalent on land TO what
torpedoes were at sea. II successful. they did
an enormous amount Of damage. and II not, the
force using them did not lose much. The ma
chine gun was not a gun at all-it was q cluster
Of ritles-a company Of infantry with no nerves.
1t is we'll known that NJ. Felix Faure, Presi-
dent Of the French Republic, has a mighty
liking for the pomp and circumstance OF roy
atty. The etiquette Of royal courts Is dear to
his heart. How would q sovereign act under
these oircumstancesH" is q question which, re-
port says. he often asks Of some mentor skilled
In the ways OF monarchs. But Of course one
can we'll imagine that N. Faure would like to
draw his inspiration from the fountain-head.
Naturally he would prefer to learn the ways Of
q monarch from the lips OF o monarch. not
merely from some person who has lived near q
monarch. Now this Is difficult. Not often Is a
| European sovereign In the educational market.
so to speak. William. the second to none. of
Germany might take the post. for his Is
q versatile genius. But II Sarah Bernhardt has
declared that her way to Berlin lies through
Alsace-Lorraine, can the President Of the proud
republic be less natriotic7 He must rely upon
royalties he knows. Now. NJ. Faure knows
some royalties: but, alas. they are tres difciles.
Those who know anything Of her character
would shudder at the idea OF her Majesty Of
Great Britain being utilized as a tipster on the
subject Of regal behavior. Nor. again. is
the Prince Of Wales. genial man though
he be, exactly the kind Of person
to be used by the ambitious as a personined
etiquette book. There remains. OF course, the
Gar. The Gar has visited NJ. Faure. NJ.
Faure has visited the Car. The Gear and NJ.
Faurc have sworn eternal friendship. and there
is r~dliance to which to point as a result. But
can the boldest imagination picture NJ. Faure.
who, like Miss Dartle. wants to know" APP
preaching the Autocrat of all the Russias with
a view to a course OF lessons In the art Of con-
Quoting ones self as q monarchy
Alas, again, II Is impossible. NJ. Faure must
find some homelier King. He must sit at the
feet of some sovereign less sophisticated than
those Of stiff-starched Europe. And this brings
me, at long last. to my point. NJ. Felix Faure will
soon have his chance. A King is on the eve OF
| NlSlJlnR dElS. IL UluSG De confessed ne Is not u
great sovereign. One must even acknowledge
that he is a negro. and answers to the some-
what undignined name Of TofHa. But a kings
a king for a that. and a that. And TofYa, King
Of the Eagots, is not one Of the very ~liliputian
potentates who reign in Africa. He has been q
stanch friend Of France for q quarter OF a
century. His kingdom borders Dahomey. His
capital, Porto-Novo. boasts OF $4,000 inhabit-
ants. And in addition to his very respectable
L D1ntNtN ha ana Nhn -~1l rYolffv ~ Afn n
cordial hater Of peJfde Albion.
Those who know 1t tell us that Porto-Novo is
a beautiful town with all the appearance. when
you approach 1t, OF q pretty European city.
bathed In the waters OF the River Oneme and
shaded by lofty trees. There one may find
English. French and German factories and a
general air Of civilization and prosperity.
But perhaps, after all. King Toffa's manners
will hardly themselves to NJ. Felix
Faure. who Is probably too deeply In love with
European courts to turn aside to the ideals Of
Africa.
As late even as 1894 Toffa marked the limit
Of his kingdom by q long row Of stakes, each Of
which was decorated with a human skeleton.
True. the French President begged the
King to remove this odious spectacle, and
his Majesty graciously consented. The
pale, however. is still the punish
ment of criminals among the Nagots.
1t is said to be not much more painful than the
guillotine. But the question can never be set
tied. for no man, az human nature is at present
constituted, can make trial OF both. The method
Of GuillotinIng is we'll known. Implement is
managed in the following manner:
The executioner first Of all makes the culprit
drunk with brandy. and then leads him to the
pale. Crowds Of people gather on the spot. and
laugh and sing as II they were at a feast. Sud-
denly the executioner advances and strikes the
condemned man on the head with a heavy
truncheon. He falls insensible. and the execu-
toner seizes hold OF him and rips him open
with a kind OF carving knife. The body. after
being emptied. is filled with salt. and then
hoisted on to a high pale. that all may see 1t and
take warning thereby.
Whatever he might think OF their method OF
/, public execution. / am somewhat inclined To
, doubt whether NJ. Faure would take kindly to
the domestic habits of the HaRots. The French
President Ia extremely fastidlous. and despite
, his love Of royalty he might shrink from King
!; TofHa's native home habits. The explorer, NJ.
a Paul Mimande. thus describes the Eagot
dwelling place: Every house possesses a
courtyard surrounded by a wall. where the
children grovel In the midst OF cattle and poul-
, try, and where the women. with pipes In theiI
mouths. work, some in crushing almonds and
: others in curing fish. Filth Is to be seen every.
= where. When q member of the family dies the
= body is buried in the house Itself. The grave
! Is dug only half a yard deep. SO that the dead
. are barely separated from the living"
But, now l think OF II. there Is a fatal objec'
. ton TO King Toffa as a royal mentor. He is. al
: one might say. only half a king. Porto-Novo
. In fact. has two Kings-the King who reiRns II
. the day, that Is Tofra. and the King who reignt
, in the night. but whose name Is kept mysteri
a ously secret.
~ Certainly Tofra, the day King. Is the mos
); considered-outwardly. at all events. He 1t Il
= that conducts the administration But he 4
bound to enter his palace at sunset. and Is al
u lowed TO have no latchkey. And then. AM
. not before. the King of the night is allowed t.
90 out. This nameless King is said to attenC
TO the police. and to watch over the inhabitant
In their sleep, The black people dread tn