The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-18

ton of monopoly OF trade ia officially
denied, although by official action con-
ditons are established which are tanta-
mount TO monopoly.
As stated by Sir CHARLES dixie, the
acts of occasional, perhaps frequent,
individual violence and cruelty toward
the natives are officially admitted.
But this condition is duplicated under
other Governments in Africa, such as the
French, German, Portuguese and English
But it is declared that due effort is made
TO prevent and to restrain such acts
and that offenders have been caught,
tried and punished. II is declared, fur
Their, that Europeans are serving long
term sentences in the prisons of the
State for their breaches of the penal
laws which protect the rights and the
lives of the native people.
Fairness demands consideration Of
both sides in the matter of cruelty and
wrong Acts of individual violence are
admitted, but it is claimed with truth
that such are the inevitable attendants of
all such conditions; and it is claimed,
probably with some measure of truth,
that effort is made under duly provided
laws to prevent their occurrence and
to punish those who break the laws
There ia also another feature in the con-
sideration, and that lies in the point of
the sum total OF progress and general
welfare.
In the September number of the Mis-
sionary Review OF the World, a magazine
published by Messrs. FUNK and WAC
MALLS Of New York. there appeared an
article written by the Rev. W. H. LESLIE,
a missionary of the American Baptist
Missionary Union, stationed in the Congo.
In that article Mr.. LESLIE refers to the
exceeding degradation of the Congo
people twenty years ago. He states that,
naturally not little evil remains that
immortality and various heather prac-
tees are still prevalent. But he speaks
with much enthusiasm of the social and
moral uplifting and the industrial devel-
opment within that twenty years He
says that the people are learning to work,
are learning to read and write, are cloth
ing themselves, and are building better
houses. In other words, they are grad
ually adopting the manners and GUS
toms OF civilization.
1t is officially admitted that in some of
the more remote districts cannibalism,
fetichism, and other customs Of the
country in its earlier days are still prac-
tised; but these are being stamped out by
the various influences which are making
for the social and industrial redemption
Of the land Slavery and the slave trade
no longer exist. Compulsory military
service is no more slavery than is con-
scription in Europe Peonage in some
form may exist. as ii still exists in Mexico
and elsewhere, 1t is one of the pract-
cally unavoidable steps in the develop
ment of inferior races by those of higher
type.
In any country whore few white men
exercise influence and control over mil
lions of blacks emerging from the dark
ness of the deepest of heather barbarism
into the light OF modern civilization-as
1850 whites do over 10000, 900 native
Bantus in the Congo battle-ground for
charges of cruelty, wrong and oppression
is inevitable. 1t has been so in the past
and will be so in the future, until there are
no more heather. The Bantus are among
the last of them. But the experience is
not to be measured by individual cases.
The Belgian government in the Congo
Free State may be faulty, and crimes and
cruelty may be practised by white men
within the territory; but the world is the
better for that government. Between a
Belgian government at its worst and II
government by the Congo equivalents
of a DlNGAAN, aTCHAKA, a LoBENGULA
or a CETEwAYo, there is no room for
doubt as to which is the better.
The Belgians have laid the foundation
for a new life for 10000, 900 people. A
semi official reply to the charges brought
against the Congo Government closes
with these words: They were Belgians,
those men who marked with their bones
that ancient caravan route which has be-
come to-day railroad; they were Bel
gians, those men who fought, in the
heart Of Africa, the slave trade and the
man hunters; they were Belgians, those
men who for years past have given their
lives to spread civilization and COM
MERGE in the Congo
The experience OF the Congo is the his
tory of nations.