The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-05-10

the 9th Of February. AZ years later.
The successors of thoas Baker saw
were 1oiteripg about ffe Woodipg Sta
ton one Of them o man, blocking
and emaciated, over s-Wp feet in
In height-stark.nabed with a long
spear In hia hand-clad all In innc'
cencel .,........... ...............
Finally, as to conclusions. During
nine weeks passed in Africa, the onl,
really suggestive experience was tina
obtained above the junction Of thf
two Niles. A Astrong reflected iigh
vas thrown on our most psrple1inf
home problem-the Africansin Amer
lea. It gave much food for though
first, az respects Africa; second q
respects the Negro.
>AFR1cA's TIME IS AT HAND.
Plainly, no matter what Is coming
to the African, Africa's time Is COM
ing. The Nile problem is In process
Of speedy solution; that Of centra
and interior Africa will certainly TO-
low hard upon it or the country bf
yond the White Nile, whether Abyss
inBa or that about the NvaHsas, ]
yknow nothing; of the Eila basin !
know snnething-not much, l sdmi
but o little; and the country beyont
Is a corollary to 1t. south Of Khar-
tum-that is up the Nile-there is
very considerable, not a5 such thing
90, o vast region, which II draine
and then irrigated, would product
largely of cotton, sugar, rice and tc-
bacco. 1t is mere question OF wat
or In q country Of unsyenly distribu'
ted rainfsn-whsre there Is any rail
fall at ali-lying uDder o tropical BUD
But it iB not q country suitable TO
the Caucasian-it Is q country to bs
exploited and developed, not one t.
occupied and peopled.i. That it vii
now, ,be, 1deVeloped., admits OF littl'
question. The construction Of: tht
Assuan 2barrags, following hard o.
the scientific occupation of the Sud
an, settles the question. Tnere Il
money in it and big money! So th'
work Will hence forth 60 right alonf
the waters of the Nile will be econ 0
mtzad at their. sources, whether IL
Abyssinla or at the outlet OF the NY
snzas. The gradual reclaiming ane
systematic irrigation OF . very consic :
erable part Of the Nile basin north cI
Lake No will follow and even the SUI
that wretohed, heart:rending NOR
ress- may, not impoysibly he drained
by degrees, and made habitable'
Now vast papyrus wilderness, II
would then prove q great rice swamp
and sugar field. So far as the native
are corcerned-what will follow
Clearly, this: The African will a.
last flpd bis place in civilization, what
ever that place may prove to be. Il
the Oudan and nile bssin,F he will moi
be brought. as In our Southern State
into industrial conflict With!the white
man. II he meets with any competi-
tion it will be the impo1ted Asistic-
the As,atio purposely imported to d.
what tho African will not do or can
not 90 well do. The natiye' African
Of the Nile basin is now . savage-h'
herds cattle and cultivates the soil tt
| q limited extent. He iB distinguish
ed from the brute creation only b,
I the fact of articulate speech, the usf
of tools and weapons Of the mos
primitive kind, and . knowledge OF
the propritles Of fire: In such mat
tiers as clothes, food or sanitation be
Is in no essential respects better than
various kinds or animals. A savage,
be asmits, like nearly all known ne
gro savages, of an initiative domeSti'
cation. Thus, in Africa. the simple
question is how far he can be develop.
ed by external Influences, and under
altered conditions; for Is yet he has
evinced no self. elevating capacity. l
.Africs proper Is now to be developed
and if the labori6g white man will
not, because he cannot, make home
In 1t, the field Is open to the native
Can he occupy that field, and Ill IT;
or must he, free from forced, regulas
cd labor, langulsh and die out like
the American and the Australian.
A large question, it is as interest.
ing as its answer is obscure-as yet
Fortunately, its solution is In the
best of hands-those Of the British
Aststic experience thus throws light
on the African problem; and again,
the problem working out In Africa is
full Of suggestion as respects America.
One thing seems clear, without be-
ing reduced to servitude, the inferior
race must be- recognized as such. and,
In some way, 80 dealt with. Facts
are facts; and only confusion result
when things essentially not equal ar
dealt with on the basis OF natura
equality. The world has now flr
some time been pondering the Afri-
can pr rablem, ,-pondering it In Ameri
ca az we'll as In the place OF its oriRir;
1T has been laying up a store OF eI-
perienoes bearing upon it,-exper'-
ences stretching Though at least 2
900 years. The discovery Of the MIL
source was delayed to our time; In it,
turn that discovery now bids fair to
involve the future Of the negro. The
wild animals Of Africa are to 60; will
the negro go with them? The alter
native Is domestication. That he
will not 20 with the wild animal ou'
experience shows. That be is imita'