Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-10-04

In the capital Of the sultan OF Mus
cat there is established firm Of trad
ers-the only one of It's knd-whose
chief business is dealing in idols. These
strange gods are made OF ivory.
BRASS wood, iron and cork, The firm
has agents scattered throughout east
Africa from the Natal coast right away
10 Delagoa; but 1t is in the north Of
this particular territory whore fetish
ism Is most popular and It Is there
that the Hanguebar firm transaCts the
greater part Of It's gOd-dealing busl-
ness lt has also a branch in the Sene-
glmbian part Of Africa, which en-
llaCes COomasse, Abomey. Benin, Lo-
ungo. Conga, Angelo and Benguela,
places where the natives, mostly saw
ages. carry on extensively the worship
ing OF sticks ana stones for gods, says
London Answers,
Now, various sorts Of savages have
various kinds Of gods, ana chiefly their
idols are crude images, fashioned by
crude hands. But a spirit of modern
enterprise has developed even In the
savage breast, and the custom Of the
savage making his own fetish or god,
which has been observed from time I'M
memorial is now giving place TO The
newer method of buying idols in the
cheapest market; hence the reason for
the Zanguobar idol-dealing firm coming
into existence.
NO CREDIT Is GIVEN.
They are ready to supply 10 the saw
aye tribes gods great and small, loving
or warlike, made of paper, wood or
ivory or the most precious metal on
terms which pay them and please their
dusky customers. And no credit Is given
and no risk IL run in worthless checks
or base coin for the bin is paid In the
local territorial currency, namely, IN
vans, bananas, rice, palms, maiZ B,
dolma, nuts and beans, or In god
metal, palm oil, ivory, gums and cow
ries, or I'm cattle or slaves. This mer-
chaudise Is converted into money in the
capitals.
Some Of the idols are dreams Of
hrst.cla workmanship, for the Fan.
guebarians have imported Workmer
from various parts of the world whose
whole labors are expended on the mon.
sters upon which the poor sayages look
with eyes OF tenderness and veneration.
Ivory and certain kinds Of wooden gods
are principally made on African terri
tory-those OF the cheaper kinds-but
the more pretentious and expensive
gods are made In France, Germany and
England, In factories, the existence OF
which nobody on this side Of the world
has hardly ever dreamed
In the heart Of the metropolis Of the
iadlands is the English factory; thecn
is another at Mines, France, and ona
a. Griez, in Germany. The orders a,e
sent direct to these establishments from
Zanguebar, so that there is need for no
surprise II their existence Is unknown
The business is unique since Il has
no competitors and nobody travelling
about Europe for orders.
The very best Of the idols come from
thu English factory, since It is situated
In the worlds center for hardware and
nickel stun, and where gold and silve,
articles are made every week by The
thousands, and where the greater bulk
OF the worlds metallic production u
consigned.
The tribes Of the senegambian dis
trict of Africa believe that every mis-
fortune proceeds from and can only be
averted by their gods. so that in order
20 propltiate them the poor misguided
souls have their fletlshes or idols made
In rich metals; that is the general
practice chief will readily pay boJ
barrels Of palm oil for the native fetish,
which may consist Of a gold-cased mon
s'ar In the shape OF a iiendish head
with light eyes, or serpent with three
t1ads fixed to long pole OF ivory.
COMMAND GOOD PRICES.
The solomon Island tribes DO not
usually erect their idols In the open;
they are placed inside the houses ard
are monstrosities Of the more sober
sort than OF most Of the tribes. The
gods are fishes, snakes and birds The
natives are good customers OF the god
merchants, who received from them for
an ornamental fetish fish, the outlines
OK which are foreign 10 the naturalist,
perhaps two or three crocodiles, either
Parcel being worth about 1925, while
for carved ivory bird. which resem-
blcd more a dog than a bird, diamonds
and gold nuggets to the value OF Sl,2a1