The evening times., 1899-08-03
GIRAFFE MARKET SHORT
Religion Has Run the Price Up
to $10,0 900.
A Fortune Awaiting the First Man
Who Brings Troop of the Long
Necked Creatures Cut of the Sou
dan - Meanwhile the Geological
Gardens and Circuses Must Suffer.
CFrom the New York SUM-

Religion is responsible for all sorts of
things, but perhaps the last place in which
one would look for the lasting effects of d
revival is the menagerie tent of circus
OF course ii is possible that the circus life
may be strictly evangelical. but in general
IL does not SO impress the casual observer
who listens to the inspiring addresses of the
boss tent nan to his subordinates wnen
setting the big top. The results of this
particular revival manifest themselves in
the item of giraffes.
Years ago the troop of giraffes was one OF
the most popular show features in the cir
Gus. The hippopotamus got more space in
the stands of fence advertising because of
his proportions. He could be drawn TO
fence height, and that scale allowed him
a great deal of length. There was another
thing that helped to bring the hippo out
strong on the fences, and that was the regu-
lar label, "Behemoth of Holy Writ" which
fetched good many VINO wanted some eX-
cuse of the sort. The giraffe was of little
value on the fences, for even when he was
drawn as high as the fence would allow
his imposing proportions were reduced But
in the street parade and in the march
around with which the show began the gi-
raffes were as popular as the herd of eie-
plants, and possibly shade more taking.
But all that was number OF years ago. 1t
giraffes; in fact, only the largest circuses
have any giraffes at all. This is because
the home Of the giraffes has been closed
to hunters and the power which has closed
it has been a revival of religion. The his
torical and political aspects of this revival
are generally familiar. Gordon was its
martyr. Kitchener its hero. Ell Mahdi its
prophet Mahdism has busted the world for
a score of years in all manner of grave
matters. One of its small incidents is cut
ting off the supply of giraffes.
Il could make my everlasting fortune
if could only bring out just one of the
troops of giraffes which l have brought
down the Nile" said an old animal man
who bears the scars of former tussles with
Wild creatures, but has outgrown the
period when he could venture into the
wilds to take alive their most dangerous
denizens. "Giraffes are quoted now at
SIC, 900 apiece, and the first man to bring
cut a troop will make himself rich. You
might go around now with your 0,000 in
your hand ready to pay it right out and
even then you wouldn't get any giraffes,
for they are not to be had. And you can't
go in where they live and get a new sup
ply, because-I'll tell you why Giraffes
grow on the great grass lands of Central
Africa. All those pictures of them grazing
off the tops of the tall timber are only for
fence purposes. So long as the Arabian
negroes up that way in the Soudan kept
% being no more than ordinary savage
'ascals it was easy enough to get along
sith them. That is to say, if your party
was well armed and you had
enough beads and brass wire
and that sort of small change, and, above
Ill, kept your eye peeled and stood no
-onsense, why then they'd serve in your
caravan all right and fight as well as do
he hard wor.. OF the trip. But all of a
-udden they had revival of their kind
# religion. l had heard them at night
or years talking away about old Muddy,
.ho was going to come and lead them to