The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-08-04
STANIEY'S NEW ANECDOTES
lie illustrates the ignorance About
Africa 81 Years Ago.

II Is twenty-one years since Henry M.
SANKEY'S celebrated book Through
the Dark Continent" was printed. It
toId the thrilling story of his Journey
through Africa, in which he made His
boat survey of Victoria Nyanza and fol-
ioWed the Congo from its upper waters
10 the sea. A new edition of the book
- ABOUT 10 appear and Stanley has
written long preface for it, in which
he tells OF the remarkable changes that
nave taken place in the regions de-
scrlbed IN the book. He has sent the
preface to the geographer. Wauters. OF
brussels, and the first installment of it
mas appeared in LIE Movement Geo.
graphlque in advance of the appear
ance of the book. A few extracts from
TINS part of the preface are reproduced
mere. Obviously, Mr.. Stanley's exact
language cannot be given, as the ex-
tracts are translated from the French.
AS striking instance of the general
indifference in Great Britain to all I
had written about Africa in the year
1913 (When this book appeared | 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 IN the wall and
the annexation l had made along the
rivers course, turned to me with the
remark,
"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, | expected to hear you say fifty
years at least
Fifty years.! said l. 4 am ready
to wager that within twenty years
there will be no part of the continent
100 miles square that will not have
been explored
l accept the wager. and will make
the sum $50, if agreeable to you.' said
my caller.
The bet was made, the twenty years
have at last expired, and, though ] do
not pretend to say that have won the
bet. | do assert that my prediction has
been almost completely confirmed by
the facts.
cock, president of the Royal Geograph-
lcal society, remarked in his annual
address that l had expressed the opin-
ion to him that if sufficient money were
expended Africa could not only be eX-
plored but also pacified and civilized.
| did not think there was anything sur
prlsing in the statement, but Sir Ruth
erford must have thought it worthy of
reproduction or he would not have
mentioned it. l speak of the matter
only to show the prevailing ignorance
in all circles at that time of matters
relating to Africa.
Seven years later | was introduced
by canon of Westn' pster to a well
known bishop, and a 7 was talking
to him about the Congo he smilingly
remarked:
This is all very interesting, but, to
tell the truth, l do not know that
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
l certainly supposed that a prince of
the church would know something
about it. But his Indifference to the
large events that were passing in Afri-
ca was so great that he did not even
know the name of the Congo!"-New
York Sun.