Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-30
THE CITY OF KHARTUM
Marvellous Changes That
Have Been Made.
GORDON MEM ORI AL
PRACTICALLY NO MECHANICS IN
THE SUDAN.
Competent Teachers scarce-Attempt to
Suppress the Slave
Trade.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
CAIRO, Egypt, January I, 1904.
The officials of the Egyptian government
have kindly furnished me with much in
teresting material concerning the condition
of affairs in the Sudan. which l have been
allowed to CLEAN from unpublished reports
Of the officers in charge. marvellous
change is taking place on the site of the
old city Of khartum, at the junction of the
two branches of the Nile. which was prac-
tically destroyed by the Mahd. The streets
have been laid out anew upon the modern
approved system of right angles, and the
monotony has been broken by the intro
duction of public squares and circles, like
those at Washington.
Upon the bank of the Blue Nile. which
forms the northern boundary boulevard,
or esplanade, has been laid out, upon which
the public buildings have been erected. The
palace of the sidar or commander-in-chief,
which is the largest and most imposing,
occupies commanding site, with a view
of both rivers and a large, beautiful gar
den has been lad out behind it. The white
walls inclose the spot where Gordon fell.
A substantial structure of brick and taste
full design has been provided for the Of
fees of the government officials; hand
some post Office, custom house. extensive
barracks and military storehouses have
been erected. with ample officers quarters,
and a new hotel with modern accommo-
dationS for sixty guests.
a club building has been erected sur
rounded by vide verandas and shady gar
den, with tennis courts, bowling alley,
reading rooms, dining room and quarters
for half a dozen bachelors, which were
quickly taken up by officers of the army
and the civil service. Two banks have been
started and stand opposite each other upon
the same street. One of them keeps a
young lion in its back yard a pet.
Memorial Of Gordon.
a bronze statue of Gen. Gordon has been
erected opposite the palace gardens in the
NEST conspicuous place in the city, but
far greater honor was conferred upon him
when the British people contributed $780,
600 for the establishment of Gordon College
for the education of the young Sudanese
Oh this sum 100000 has been expended in
the erection of building in the center of
a treeless. sandy Enclosure, which. however
sooner or later will be converted into a
park.
There is scarcely need fer & college in the
Sudan at present, because very few young
men have reached the point of educa tipn
where they could submit successfully to an
ordinary entrance examination in the clas-
sizes or ma thematicS. In the meantime it is
proposed to use the buildings and the fund
for general educational purposes. and be-
fore the winter is over it is expected that
the rooms will be occupied by primary and
secondary schools. 1t is proposed also to
introduce commercial and industrial man
ual training departments, which are very
much needed. This will not be a diversion
of the funds or peryersion of the purpose
of the generous people who failed to COM
prehend conditions. and contributed them
under the mistaken idea that there were
people in the Sudan capable of appreciat-
ing a college education. The situation is
United States in early days. when mission
aries went out from New England into
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and established
Indian schools. which have since grown in
to influential colleges with high standards
of learning and culture.
For the present there are no students
either for classical or scientific institution
in the Sudan, but the imposing building will
still be made useful and the high-sounding
name will still be appropriate. Mr.. Currie,
who is in charge, hopes to have from $50 to
200 Sudanese boys in Gordon College dur.
ing the new year. which began today, study
ing practical branches which will be most
useful to them during .he present Indevel-
oped condition of this country.
An economic museum has already been
started in the college building, which will
occupy considerable space and serve an i'm
portant purpose by illustrating the re-
sources of the country to visitors who come
as far Khartum. What the Soudan most
ly needs is capital for the development of it's
enormous natural riches. IL needs railways,
wagon roads and other rudimentary ele-
ments of civilization. which the government
is furnishing slowly. Working capital,
however, must be provided by private enter
prise. and everybody will agree that per-
| manent exhibition of the agricultural, min
eral and forestry products at khartum
would be the best advertisement that could
be furnished to attract 1t.
The Articles Exported.
Up to this date very little foreign capital
| las been invested in the Sudan. Practically
| nothing has been done there upon modern
lines All of the gum. the lumber the
rubber and other articles for export are
brought out by naked savages. Several
rich Greeks. who are remarkably success
full pioneers. have recently settled at khar-
tuin, and others appearing in other
towns and cities. They are the skirmiSherS
of commerce in the east
Six concessions have been granted to
prosr ect for minerals within a definite area
for limited period. with a guaranty that
if valuable deposits are discovered the
finder shall have a fair lease for the devel-
opment. The Victoria Investment Corpora
ton, the London and Soudan Development
Syndicate and the Egyptian-Sudan Explor-
alton Company, three organizations with
British capital. several OF them managed
| by men who have lived i'll Egypt and are
familiar with the country. have also re-
ceived permits to make explorations and
will be given preference in the development
| of any schemes they may desire to under
| take, aud several amateurs, among them
| two Americans, have plunged into the for
ests to see what tceIe is there. This indi-
| Gates to the minds of the officials the pos
| sibi1ity of inducing foreigners to interest
| themselves in enterprises, and to aid their
| promotion a museum has been established.
| There are unlimited opportunities for cot
! ton and sugar planting. soap factories,
ropemaking. oil presses, tile and pottery
works, -four mills and other industries for
| which power and material in vast quanti-
| ties being wasted. Z
1 There are practically no mechanics in the
| Sudan except discharged soldiers who
have beer taught at the government work
! shops. The natives know how to raise
horses. cattle. sheep and goats. and how
| to cultivate the ground. but 80 per cent
of the population have never seen n ma
chine or tool. and their knowledge of
| iron and steel is limited to rifles and other
| weapons Hence. to meet the future de-
| mand which must soon begin, and in fact
| has already begun 1t is proposed to estab-
| lish an industrial training school in Cor
| don College in order to give simple tech
| Mica! education to such pupils as show
| a taste or aptitude in that line Sir Will
| lam Mather of London has fitted up a COM
plete workshop for purposes of instruction