Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-24
What Savage Critics Say

NSOAeAhoC0 AAOAA ~ III bUch-l
make life more troublesome to live. These
people make toys of their inventions and
enslave themselves to them until they
think there is nothing greater in earth or
heaven than the work of their hands.
I'VE need nothing of theirs" he con-
cluded gTimly, save their marvellous can
non-that We may be able to keep out the
rest of their civilization"
Ras Makonnen. the right hand man of
King Meneik OF Abyssinia, gathered a
poor opinion of civilization when he visited
Europe to attend King Edwards corona
ton. He was indiscreet enough to wear
his Abyssinian costume in the streets of
London, and the small boys shouted rude
remarks when he passed by.
cit is a land without manners or
decency," he said Indignantly. we in
Abyssinia courteously receive European
travellers in their strange garb, and any,
body who Knocked them would be severely
punished by the Negus. But when 1 told
an English prince that his own soldiers
had laughed at me-, his guest, he only
said, oh, you must not mind that; 1t Is a
way they have 1t seems that the princess
have no power in this land. The common
peopIe-sons OF dogs with the habits of
pigs-are kings"
The courtiers told of by King Edward
to look after the Ras tried TO eface the
the memory OF his humiliation by giving
him a good time. they showed him
arsenals, ~dockyards, theaters, cathedrals
and everything they thought would i'm
press him. 1t was of no use. He asked
the question most barbarians ask, do
these things make you happier OF better
men?"
The theaters and music halls shocked
him terribly.
How can you go to these places to
see women dance shamelessly, half
clothed" he exclaimed. And not only so,
but take your wives and children! You
make a puppet show of vice. and then you
call us uncivilized. II this is civilization,
IL the drunken men h swarm riotously
in your streets at night are produced by
civilization, we Abyssinians had better re-
main barbarians."
Ras Makonnen's disapproval of the
soubrette is shared by most barbarians,
especially If they are good Mafrommedans.
A Moorish visitor in Marseilles was even
more shocked than the worthy Abyssinian.
1T seems horrible to me-" he said, that
your European women walk with uncov-
cred faces in the streets and talk to me
openly and shamelessly as they choose,
even cOntra0lctfnB their own nuSDdnuS-
But the women on the stages Of your
theaters-well, 1 cannot think of them
without shame"
This same Moor was taken to n ball in
Paris by a French friend. In silent horror
he watched men and women dancing to-
gether and at last cOnfded to his friend
that in a truly civilized country like Nor
Deco such women would be deservedly
strangled. His hostess, taking pity on his
loneliness, asked whether he would care to
dance with her, but he sternIy refused to
have anything to do with proceedings
which he considered utterly depraved.
In an Italian hamlet in Venezuela lives
a Well-educated Guaraguanes Indian who
had paid a visit to New York. Asked by
a traveller what he thought of hat city,
he replied:
at is a wonderful place, truly; and full
of marvellous things of which 1 had not
even dreamed. But the men who rive
there must verify be accursed Of God and
the Saints. How can there be any happi-
ness in their lives? They are always rush
ing to and fro madly, as II a jaguar pur-
sued them. Better the trees of the forest
than those tall buildings which shut out
the sun.
why do men-wealthy men. I am told
imprison themselves in those buildings all
day long? Is that the way they were
meant to live? Are they not wasting their
lives in a vain pursuit OF gold which win
do them no real good?'
Turkish WOman'S Life