Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-07-30

black monarch Of Africa. has beef
making history again by opposing Eu
ropean arms or customs. Then ht
launches into = stream OF criticism O
savage and harbaric races that, 10 say
the least, is not fatteTing. There is an
other side to the stoTy-the savage's
OPINION Of HIS critic. On the whole
he disapproved Of his critic as much
as the latter disapproves of him. II
is a mistake TO suppose that the aver
age barbarian who visits big city like
New York or London Is overwhelmed
by what he sees. As a rule he is dis
gusted. He goes back TO his skin tent
in the desert or his hut in the forest
fully convinced that his way Of living
is the best. and that "he that increas-
eth knowledge increaseth sorrow"
One of the most acute critics of civ
iliZation who ever visited in London
was a Bedouia sheikh named Nicola
Eyoub Tams. He was born and brought
up in the Sahara. and the fierce, free
life OF the desert was bred in his
bones. But as youth he was taken
to Cairo and educated at a Mohamme-
dan college there, afterward spending
five years at the universities of eHidle-
burg and Oxford He spoke Arabic,
Turkish, Greek, German, French, Eng
fish. Spanish and Persian fluently, and
nowhere could a cleverer or more yer.
satile man be found. Knowing civil
ization and barbarism thoroughly, he
chose the later and returned to his
tribe to spend his life in the Sahara in
preference to European cities.
At dinner in London one evening lust
before he returned to Africa, he was
asked:
What do you think of European civil
lization?"
81 would rather not say" he replied.
Il am eating your salt and dwelling
in your tents. 1t would be discour-
teous to criticise you"
But he was urged to speak.
"Oh, so ahead, old fellow" said his
hosts. Tell us of our faults. Don't
mind being candid"
well, then" he began, Il came to
Europe with an open mind. expecting
to see much to admire. have been
bitterly disappointed. Your system of
life is all wrong. In my eyes"
"How's that?" he was asked and he
answered:
Once. according to the legends of
my tribe. there was wealthy sheikh
who said, L will not live in a tent like
my fathers, will build me a mighty
palace that all men shall see and ad-
mire. So he spent his life gathering
marble and stone with vast toll and
cost, and built his palace in the mid
die of the desert. II was the work Of
his whole life, and. in order to finish
It. he had to sell his slaves and his
camels and waste ali his treasure.
AT last II was frished. and he, a de-
crepit old man. sad, Now will dwell
fherein' aud all men shall do me honor
But Allah caused the sirocco to blow.
ma in the twirkling Of an eye the man
and hts palace were buried forever be-
meath TIC sands of the desert.
THAT is your civilization" proceeded
hte sheik. after a pause. "You toll
and strive and worry and struggle and
lose all the joy and beauty of life
dwelling in smoky cites-for what?
That you may become wealthy or IA
nous, Usually you fail. II you sue
eeed you find your success worth
nothing, You are too old to enjoy: you
have wasted all your power of enjoy.
ment
your civilization Is marvel of in.
genuity | admit. but II is also a monu-
ment Of wasted effort. You do NOT
make a machine because it win be a
wonderful piece Of mechanism: YOU
make It to do something. Il Is made
70 rum a purpose. and its mechanical
ingenuity is merely incidental.
But your greatest machine-ciyil.
ization--is different. Its processes
are wonderful no doubt. hut It serves
no useful purpose 1t is a colossal
waste OF effort and cleYerness-as II !
were to build a steamship in the mid.
die of the Sahara The only iustifca
ton of civilization would he that Il
made mankind happier. 1t does not
So far as l can judge, the Bedouin IS
far happier man than the Londoner
What can man know Of happines.
when he lives In tiny gerret toll.
all day in stuffy Office or a filthy
workshop, and is afraid to strike bul
lying foreman lest he should lose hi
job? Civilization has made YOU al
slaves TO one another. and therefor,
civilization is failure. II You are no
slaves to an employer. you are chalne,
to telephone or a telegraph wire. o
stock exchange ticket.
Yesterday | was asked TO speak a
meeting of the anti.slavery society
called to protest against slavery in Al
rica. l could not help laughing. Slay
cry in Africa The meanest slav,
there is freer than your business man
in London. II you want TO see slavery
don't go to BARBARIAN lands. Ipol
around you in your own cities. AL
the institutions OF civilization ar,
nothing but chains and letters. 10 yor
har fbs, IN. ~