The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-30
STANLEY'S NEW ANECDOTE
TFrom New York SUM-

From New Y Ork sun
1t is tWenty-one years since Henry M.
Stanley's celebrated book, Through the
Dark Continent was printed. 1t told
the thrilling story of his journey
boat survey of Victoria Nyanza and
followed the Congo from its upper wa
tiers to the sea. A new edition of the
book is about to appear and Stanley
has written long preface for it in
which he tells of the remarkable changes
that have taken place in the regions de-
scribed in the book. He has sent the
preface to the geOgrapher Wauters of
Brussels, and the first installment of it
has appeared in LIE Movement GeOgra-
phique in advance of the appearance of
the book. A few extracts from this part
of the preface are reproduced here. OBJ
ViOusly, My Stanley'S exact language
cannot be given, as the extracts are
translated from the French:
LAS a striking instance of the general
indifference in Great Britain to all I
had written about Africa in the year
1873, (when his book appeared) 1 re-
member an interview between two
members of the Council of the Royal
Geographical Society and myself The
gentlemen were calling on me, and one
of them. observing my manuscript map
of the Congo hanging on the wall and
the annexation 1 had made along the
rivers course, turned to me with the re-
mark:
How long do you think it will be
before a white man sees Stanley Falls
again?'
. Perhaps two or three years. 1 re-
piled.
Two or three years!' he exclaimed
why, 1 expected to hear you say fifty
years at least
Fifty years!' said I. I am ready
to wager that within twenty years there
will be no part of the continent a hun
dred miles square that will not have
been explored
I accept the wager and will make
the sum of $50, if agreeable to you,' said
my caller
The bet was made, the twenty years
have at last expired. and though 1 do
not pretend to say that 1 have won the
bet, I do assert that my prediction has
been almost completely confirmed by the
facts.
The same year Sir Rutherford AL
cock, president of the Royal Geographic
al Society, remarked in his annual ad-
dress that I had expressed the opinion
to him that if sufficient money were eX-
pended Africa would not only be ex
plOred but also pacified and civilized. I
did not think there was anything sur
prising in the statement, but Sir Ruth
erford must have thought it worthy of
reproduction or he would not have men
toned it. I speak of the matter only to
show the prevailing ignorance in all cir
cles at that time of matters relating to
Africa.
Seven years later I was introduced
by a canon of Westminster to a we'll
known bishop, and as L was talking to
him about the Congo he smilingly re-
marked:
8 This is all very interesting, but to
tell the truth, I do not know that L
should be able to find the Congo on the
map
You may imagine my surprise. All
the newspapers of the country had been
printing every day for a year news of
one sort or another about the Berlin
conference and its results, and 1 GER
tainly supposed that a prince of the
church would know something about it.
But his Indifference to the large events
that were passing in Africa was so
great that he did not even know the
name of the COngO!'