The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-03
THE WOMEN OF AFRICA.
Explorer Declares Tint They Are
Superior TO the Men

Superior TO the Men
PHILADELPHIA. Dee Back from
the wiIds Of Africa. with valuable tro-
phies and scientific data. Dr.. 4 Donald
son Smith, Philadelphia explorer, Is
enjoy ing a weil-earned rest at his home
here. He came on the American liner St
Louis which arrived from Southamp-
ION Saturday.
About tao years and half ago Dr..
Smith left Tor his second expedition to
explore the interior regions OF Africa
His first trip occupied the greater part
Of the years 1884 and 1895 After a year
and a half CT preparation for his second
trip. Dr. Smith went direct ID Africa
accompanied by an excellent taxfderm.s St
a native Of Scotland Landing near Ber-
bera. an the ScInaH coast. 8 corps Of
fifty natives vas selected Then began
a slow, tedious march of 3.e0e miles into
the interior. 1,5ee miles of which was
in q straight line from Berbera
The Lake Rudolf region was carefully
traversed, and. as new species were dis
covered. specimens we're carefully PRE-
pared to he returned 70 the lands OF Livi-
lization. Strange birds. animals. and
specimens OF insect life were given 10
the Scotch taxIGermist. and mounted
These included five new varieties CT an
teIope.
Ten months were spent passing through
regions where civilized man had never
trodden- Many strange tribes were IN
countered. Most OF the natives had never
seen any white person before Each dis
riot apparently had . Language of its
own. and owing to the InnumerabIe va
riety Of dialects. conversation With the
natives was exceedingly difficult Speak
ing Of his trip through the interior, Dr.
Smith said:
4 find many strange classes among The
natives Of Africa. Many tribes seem to
have seen scattered away from their IA
tive section This was particularly so in
The case OF the Soudanese. BY reason OF
wars and other circumstances many OF
them have wandered inland and some oi
them were found isolated in new districts
cut of from the main bodies by their OWE
people
Referring TO sections where European
explorations had been made, Dr. Smith
said he found many boundary lines far
from being perfected.
Many OF the boundaries between Brit
ISL and other sections are not yet settled
and much remains 20 be ACCOMPLISHED in
this respect he said. I found the tribes
{
the Nile a high type Of the African.
Along the Nile they certainly are canni-
balistic. The tribes are apparently not
much given to niingliug together, for some
of them are unable to speak the dialect
used in other tribes near them
IN spite OF The falIacy existing in the
minds of persons here that the women CT
Africa are mere slaves, we found them
rather superior to their male companions
in many ways We were compelled to do
most of our trading with them, and We
lost much valuable time in collecting and
trading with the native women They
would sit around for hours and decline to
trade simply - get a bead or two more.
Where we hs=el the men 10 deal with I
found them less shrewd than members OF
the opposite sex. The men seemed tc
realize the superiority of the feminine
mind and left the business transaction TO
them
Some of Dr. Smiths specimens viii he
sent to the British Museum, but Dr. S.is;z
will give the best to the ACADEMY 81
ural Sciences.