Evening star., 1902-03-01
PYGMIEs OF TO-DAY.
Their Existence Suggests the Origin Of
Certain Legends.

From the London Standard.
Writing ''The Pygmies and Ape-like
Men of the Uganda Borderiand,'' Sir Harry
Johnston gives indirect support to an idea
which lately has been occasionally mooted
among students of folklore. Have the sto-
ries often SO curiously circumstantial, and
told In so many languages, about gnomes
and kobbolds, gOblns, elves and brownies,
any substantial foundation? May not these
beings-sometimes mans help, sometimes
his plague-be the legendary survivals Of
an almost eXterminated old-world race?
There is some significance in the frequent
association of such tales with the wilder
and less accessible regions-wth the noun
tain district of Wales and the Highlands:
with rocky moorlands, like Cornwall and
Brittany; with insulated lands such as Ire
land; or with forest-clad hills, like many
parts of central Germany. Little is known
of the earliest inhabitants of Europe-the
Oldest race of the second influx. But
though the first of the people who used
weapons Of smoothed stone were certainly
| rather small in stature, they would be giants
compared with the gnome or the brownie
They were not the first corners, however,
and they may have had predecessors of
still more elfsh race. Many rock shelter
has proved to be a home of primeval men,
who, as Aeshylus tells u.s. "dwelt like tiny
ants in sunless hooks Of caves" To these
the stronger invaders would at first show
no pity.
There is mo good Injun but dead Injun
is a principle of wide application but things
might ultimately settle down. and sort
of liberation spring up-as happened in GER
tain parts of Europe-so long as the weaker
party behaved itself fairly well. These
pygmies and ape-like men, whom Sir Harry
Johnston had good opportunities of studying,
exhibit some characteristics which curious
ly recall the creatures of fairy legends The
vast Congo forest region is naturally fitted
to be refuge for the remnants of an an
c1ent race-those who, elsewhere sheltered
In wastes or rocks, would find shelter in it's
almost impenetrab!e recesses, like the an
thropold apes and the Okapi. Sir Harry
Johnston thinks these pygmies represent
the first type of the negro-a similar dwarf
race of which can be traced to other cOun-
tries-and one of it's offshoots, perhaps the
hghter-colored one, may even have over
spread Europe in far distant age. The
lowest type Of the Congo pygmies have
deep-set eyes. overhanging broWs, progna-
thous jaws, and weak chins The body is
covered-and this is common feature among
the pygmies-with fine down, like the first
hair on babys head. Other types are less
simian in aspect. They build rude huts
with branches, and make bows and arrows
When by themselves they often go stark
naked. and have apparently borrowed even
their rudimentary covering, as they have
adapted their language, from the neighbOr
ing native tribes; indeed. such elements of
civilization as they possess appear not to be
indigenous.
They singularly elf-like in their
full. and as cunning in hiding themselves as
| many wild animals. In the forest they
may be all sides of the traveller, but,
unless they choose to show themselves. not
a glimpse of them will be obtained. When
he gets to know them he will find more than
one type among them; but all delight in
singing and quaint dances. Whether they
make good or bad neighbors to the ordi-
nary black people depends, we are told, en-
tirely on how they treated. The ba-
mana groves and pots of maize or tobacco
tempt them as the apple orchard does the
schoOlboy; but if their pilferngs
doned. and, still more, if small gifts of food
are exposed near their haunts, they will
leave behind in their nightly visitations
gifts from their hunting, such meat,
skins ivory. The native tribes accuse
them of occasionally stealing children to
bring up among themselves and of leaving
their own ape-ike brats in exchange. Some
mixture of the two races certainly seems
to have occasionally occurred, and the
dwarf women sometimes marry ful-siZed
husbands. Certainly these ancient tribes
offer many points of resemblance to the
more homely class of elves of fairyland,
and We must not forget that the Industrious
brownie often went naked.