Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-17

liars they are!' Since then he has never
| believed a word the French ENJOYS have
| told him. and he always speaks of them
with contempt.
His Fine Qualities.
Menelk is truthful, straightforward.
| daring monarch. and he likes men Of his
| own type. His fine qualities were shown in
| the dispute which preciptated his war with
| Italy and in the war itself
Count Antonelli. an Italian envoy. wanted
| him to sign a treaty giving Italy Il protec-
| torate over his country. For hours the
count sat in conference with Menelik, pro-
| posing clause after clause of that treity,
! only to have each one rejected in turn. At
| last, In despair. he said, VIII you propose
| something, them"
Queen Taitu, Menelik's consort, who had
| sat silently by his side during the negOt1a-
! lions. replied:
| Yes, there Is only one treaty which the
! Emperor of Ethiopia will make, and 1t
| needs only one clause. He will bind him
| self to the King of Italy never to give one
! inch of his territory to any foreign nation,
| and never to grant protectorate to Italy,
| or any other European nation
| That means war;" said the Italian.
Il know it," replied Menelik but the
| queen has SPOKEN my mind. Go back to
| your king and tell him l am ready for the
| worst he can do
The sorry of the war that followed is well
| known. All the world is aware that Mene-
| lik proved himself a capable general and a
| born leader of men. but few people know
of the humanity which he displayed at the
! great battle of Adua, in which the Italians
! We're utterly routed. With immense labor
| he organized rough field hospitals and sur
| gical help for the wounded of beth sides.
| He went personally into the thick of the
/ battle and brought IN many wounded men
under fire. Tie Italian prisoners, of whom
| he took great numbers, had no cause to
/ complain of their treatment. He even gave
! them Eocket money to spend while they
| We're parole in his capital
| That war established Me1elik's right to
/ be regarded as a civilized monarch. at all
| events for the purposes of warfare, and in
| recognition of his humanity .Abyssinia was
| admitted as party to the Geneva con-
| vention, with the cordial consent of Italy.
| Since then Abyssin!an troops have fought
| side by side with British soldiers against
! common foe-the Mad Mullah-and the
| British officers have had nothing except
| praise for their courage and discipline.
A Very Decent Fellow.
Menelik's character commands admiration,
and nearly all the Europeans who have
visited him speak of him with enthusiastic
praise. Even the European merchants who
have gone to his country 10 invest their
| money and have been put out of business by
| his practical monopoly are constrained to
admit that personally he is an extremely de-
| cent fellow Among his own people he is as
| popular as any king could be. He rules them
despot, but he is the most benevolent
of desrots.
Years ago there was long and terrible
famine in Abyssnia. A pest killed off the
cattle, on which the Abyssinians mainly de-
! pend for food they are the greatest meat
eaters on earth. For three years, while the
! famine lasted. Menelfk would eat no meat.
Why should 1 enjoy plenty he said.
| while my people are starving?"
He formed large camps of his soldiers in
| the districts worst afflicted by the famine,
| and made the soldiers till the soil to provide
| food for the starving people. At first the
| soldiers scorned the work. but the emperor
| went around to the camps and sowed and
! plowed with his own hands until he taught
| them the nobility of the task.
! In the days of his youth Menelik was a
great fighter. He won his kingdom by the
sword. and his title of "Conquering Lion
| is no idle boast. Since he became Negus
Nagasu he has put down many formidable
| risings on the part of the Raises, or feudal
| chiefs. and has defeated besides the ItaI-
| ians, the Egyptians, the Calais, the Mahd-
I lists. the Mad Mullah and many other for
! midable foes.
AS the result of a stormy career he has
welded a set of quarrelsome tribes into n
| strong. united nation. Now he wishes moth
| ing better than to rule in peace and set his
| peoples feet in the path Of progress.
! Not Afraid Of Work.
| Menelik is a wonderfully active man. He
| never seems to tire of hard work. No de-
, tail of administration is too small for his
attention If he thinks 1t will tend to the
! benefit of his people.
He rises at every morning, and goes at
! once to service in his chapel for he is de-
| vout Christian. He belongs to the Abys-
| sinian branch of the Coptic Church, and is
we'll informed on theological subjects. New
| ertheless. he will not submit to priestly
| domination. and he has materially curbed
| the power of the priests. to the great adj
| vantage of his country. If sermon Is too
! long for his fancy he tells the preacher to
| stop. like Prince Ferdinand OF Bulgaria
AT q am he receives his secretaries and
! starts work. After he has transacted gov
/ ernment business he becomes a Judge and
hears any plants which may be brought
| before him. He is accessible at all times
| to his people to listen to their grievances
| and redress their wrongs. His judgments
| are full of keen insight. HE is as good a
| judge as his ancestor, King Solomon" an
| Englishman once declared enthusiastically.
| Menclik is fond of going about among his
| people in disguise, as the Caliph Haroun-al-
| Raschid did. &c find out their real condition,
| their needs and heir grievances and to see
| whether his officials are doing their duty.
! Many stories told of his adventures in
| this character. and of the swift. picturesque
| justice that he has dent out to the on
| pressed and the oppressor.
Deals Out Swift Justice.
| Once he found high official mercilessly
! beating n slave. He Snatched away the
| whip and flogged the master until the lat
| ter tainted with pain. Next day he decreed
! that for year the official should be the
| slave of his slave The sentence was
+, duly carried out. At the end of the wear
| Menelik made inquiries and found that the
| slave had not abused his power over his
| former tyrant. Thereupon he set the slave
| free and gave him a high position in the
| government service.
/ Europeans who visit Menehk are sur
| prised to find that he knows all about
| them and their affairs and motives before
| they tell him anything. That is due to the
| elaborate system OF espionage which he
maintains throughout his country and at
| the adjacent seapOrts through which tray-
| elers have to pass.
| An Englishman came to him once to seex
| Tor concessions Menelik knew what he
| wanted. but asked, courteously:
| What Is the motive of your visit? Why
! have you come so many thousands of
| miles from your country"
| thinking he would be diplomatic the En-
| gI1Shm;n replied that he wanted To rooaf .,