New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
WEST AFRICAN WOMEN,
A NOTED EXPLORER CALLS ihH"
CHEERFUL AND INFLUEN-
TIAL PERSONS.
TIAL PERSONS.

do not desire to say anything uncivil about
any lady but | sincerely wish that the African
woman had not imposed upon the mind OF the
African explorer the idea that she was down
trodden worm, because by so DONG she mas
made it almost impossible for any one TO write
about her calmly without coming TO be resaTueu
as unfeeling Now if | tell you that the Att
can lady is a very cheerful parsonage that she
has a temper of her N. and so on, what "ouiu
you think? Most likely that | am unfeeling
or being a woman spiteful-and you would be
wrong and | should unintentionally nave lea
you astray: for. truth to tell | do not thlnK
any one is fonder of African women than am
and | am sure no one esteems more highly
their Kindness shrewdness and sound judgment
But | cannot weep over them as worms III
had a tear for their affairs. ] would drop IL Tor
the man who reused the anger or the African
woman.
remember two minor tragedies that think
Justify me Once upon a time down in IA
Kongo there anxiety in the hearts or some
friends Of mine white men-traders. | need not
say-who had acquired from the Government a
large tract OF land and left ii as 1t was, unused
The Government, intent either on progress or
acquiring money-the things are so mixed in
West Africa that it is ditfiCult TO decide WHICH,
determined TO levy a tax upon all land that
their tax paper were smitten with an ardor for
agriculture impossible adequately to describe
in brief but your trader never recklessly
plunges into wild expenditure. Sufficient is
enough" and the head agent decided that ma
nioc just dotted about the property sufficiently
far apart to allow Of each plant having chance
neighbor would be the best form OF agriculture
to meet the case.
Now when the head agent Of a factory thinks
a thing il Is like captain thinking. The
thing in question is done and unless Fate in
terferes-there are ifs or butts about it, So
gang of professional agriculturists were hired
to plant that manioc. Ladies are agriculturists
in West Africa The under junior assistant in
a well-conducted factory has to do everything
he is told, whether he likes it or not.
AN AGRICULTURAL DIFFICULTY.
Well if | remember rightly it was on Mon
day morning about II O'Clock. when the powers
that be were calmly attending to their duty to
the firm in beach and counting house and shop.
Strange sounds came from the agricultural as
trict sounds Of strife and discord and the Eng.
lish word Help" That word never fell on dear
ears with my friends. 50 head agent, sub-agent,
storekeeper and bOOkkeeper flew as one man IN
the direction Of that appeal, and saw sort OF
black haycock of considerable size IN the MO
die Of the field. From the heart Of that hay
cock came English wOrdS-gredt strong WORDS
The awesome presence Of the powers scattered
the haycock and the employer OF the English
language in question got up and continued his
remarks to the accompaniment OF Get along,
white man" Suppose you dandy boy, head
big too much" Yah, Chef Hell" You dirty
water-prce bundle" II spectacle married wo~
man" Boom Dios" and much more in African.
The head agent commanded calm. and all end
cd happily. It seems that the under junior as
sistant desiring to carry out orders. found great
difficulty in doing 80. owing t. the ladies' VINO
were planting maniOc gathering INTO groups
and placing the slips too close together WINE
they carried on conversation. OF course this
would not end in a sufficient area being brought
under cultivation. so he had striven. all through
a long hot morning. to break up the groups.
The ladies' obeyed. up to point; but when II
came 10 the OF swear words to the enect
that they must plant "one. one namely: far
apart and out of convenient conversational
range with each other they would not stand II.
and they went for" him. Those women who
titled the soil not worms.
Tragedy number two took place under our
own Government There a beautiful young
black Government official in uniform complete,
and Fate ordained one day that he should be
told off TO superntend the coaiihg OF It !
yunboat. The coaling was being done by ladies'.
He full Of zeal and DESTROYS of demonstrating
T. shouted. talked and gave directions to those
ladies'. he stood. uniform and all. under the
Government flag on the Government quay
They went on with their work merry. and paid
no attention to him. Presently other Govern
ment officials being about he. still desirous or
demonstrating zeal cuhed one OF the ladies'
and said something disagreeable They turned
upon him. threw him into the thin black batter
that goes for water in that part OF Her MaJes-
tvs dOminions. and went on with their work
A scker chicken than that man when he re-
turned TO society you never saw: his uniform
you could not for mud. and the other Gov
eminent officials behaved in an unfeeling way
They roared with laughter.
80 much" as old Peter Heylin would say
for the working class African woman. The
African aristocrat woman | will tell you about
some day if you desire 1t. In conclusion,
must draw your attention to the fact that there
was one African explorer who understood Afri-
can women, ne no less than the man who first
discovered the outfalls Of the Niger River Rich
ard Lander. | beg to give you his own words:
KINDNESS TO STRANGERS
81 take this opportunity Of expressing my
high admiration Of the amiable conduct of the
African females toward me. In sickness and in
health. in prosperity and adversely. their kind
ness and affection ever the same. They
have danced and sung with in health.
grieved with in sorrow and shed tears of