The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-10-19

III geological park OF a little
fellow from Africa named
Ota Benga. a pygmy Of the tribe
known as Bachichi, meaning bush
men. He is the only specimen of the
African pygmieS at present in the
United States. though six little black
people from the same part of Africa
were part of the exhibit in ethnology
at the st Louis worlds fair. But the
fact that little Ota is here all by him
self and is rare specimen of the hu.
man race does not account altogether
for the interest taken in him.
Ota Benga was brought to this coun-
try by DIR. Samuel p Werner. the ex-
plorer and ethnologiSt who had charge
OF the pygmieS at St Louis. After re.
storing the latter to their homes in the
African wilds DR.. Werner came across
Ota Benga on one Of the southern trib.
utaries of the Kongo, where he was a
captive in the hands of a cannibal
tribe Knowing that he was liable to be
eaten by his captors Dr. Werner res.
cued the little man and tried to send
him back to his tribeSmen. This prov.
ing impracticable. Ota begged to be
taken to the United States.
On arrival here the explorer tried to
put him in an orphan asylum, but was
unsuccessful 1t thus happened that be
was placed under the care of Director
William T. HOrnaday at the New York
Geological park. Here he was quar-.
tered in Il room vacated for him by a
keeper containing a bed and running
water He took Il bath every morning
and was allowed to run about the
park, but in the afternoons to allow
people to see him was placed in a big
open air cage, there being no platform
ported himself. made nets and ham
mOcks and arrows counted his money
and played with a chimpanzee 1t was
This latter feature which proved obiec
UOuable 1t was nOiSed abroad that q
man was being exhibited in a cage
With a monkey to show the supposed
close conf actiou between the two spe
cies OF beinAs. and this led TO protest,
particularly OF the part Of the colored
people of New York. who regarded the
matter in the light eff a special Insult
to them. The director Of the park de
MED that the pygmy was placed OIL
view with any such dea.
The incident raises many interesting
. l,n .
development of different branches of
the human race and the time man as a
human being. suppOsing he was ever
anything else. has been on the earth
Though there are interesting and curl
Gus points Of resemblance between q
member of the simian tribe and any
member of the human race. black or
white, red or yellow. it is yet a far cry
from Ota Benga. the pygmy. to the
chimpanzee with whom he plays Ota
Benga is twenty-three years old and
four feet eleven inches in height. 1t
might be supposed that he and his,
tribesmen, being so small. are more
nearly related to the apes. granting
that any relationship between the hui
man and simian species exists than
men of races which attain larger size
But Ota Benga is not a representative
of the lowest order of savage, There
are larger tribes which are less devel.
Oped than he and his tribesmen. He is
bright and has mastered a good many
English words already and is skillful
at manual work. How long the pyg.
mics have lived in Africa. where they
came from and how they came to be
smaller than the tribes around them
are questions the scientists have not
yet been able to answer.