The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-31
CANN|BAL PIGMIES
 IN GREAT JUNGLE Some Recent Facts About the
 Inhuman Practices FEW LIVE TO GROW OLD Prof. Frederick Starr Of the UniVersl. ty of Chicago Tells of Savage
 Inhabitants of the Congo
 Free State.
FEW LIVE TO GROW OLD
From tbe PhllndeIphla Ledger.

From the Rnladelplld LeuSel-
 More light is cast on Darkest Africa by Prof. Frederick Starr of the Univer- sity of Chicago who has returned after d year spent in stl.Iy of the savage tribes of the Congo Free State. He tells of the cannibal pygmies who live in the heart of the tropical jungles. Although he de- elines to discuss the political situation in Africa, he relates many details which show the present conditions in that vast equatorial empire, 'hich has aroused the cupidity of nations. caused serious charges to be made against King Leopold of Belgium, developed complications in which the United States may be in- volved and offered an outlet for Amer jean capital Not the least interesting feature of Professor Starr's interview with reporter of the Public Ledger was his description of game resembling .'cat's cradlep which he found in general use among the African savages.
 Professor Starr occupies the chair of Anthropology at the University of Chi oago. He sailed from New York on Sep 1emoer IS, 1905 to investigate the pygmies of Central Africa, and trayeled 22,Ooo miles in all, accompanied only by Man. u Reaching the Congo river he iourneyed up the stream a distance of 1900 miles. Twenty eight savage tribes were visited, chiefly in the Batua and Kasai districts, where the smallest of the pysmies are found.
 Pygmy Race the Older
 Many misleading statements have been made about the height of the pygmies,e Professor Starr said. '"fherc are a mum
 .l.a wary in size. l should say the average height is 1 feet. Many are smaller, some taller We must also distinguish between the pygmics and the more familiar type or African negro. The two are not only distinct, but belong to different peoples. The pygmy is somewhat lighter than the larger negro. The dwarfs live by hunt ing; the larger negroes by agriculture. The pygmY race is much the older of the two. They represent a survival in the face of encroachments by the savages of the other type"
 Could a comparison of the two peoples be made by citing the Mound Builders of this country side by side with the Amer ican lndian?"
 If a comparison were possible" re- piled Professor Starr T should say that fife pygmies bear the same relation to the larger African savage as the American Indian of the plains type-say the Iro- quois-does to the white man.
 Cannibalism Still Practiced
 Although cannibalsm has been forbid- den by the Belgian government in the Congo Free State and has been largely suppressed ill the regions dominated by the white man, continued the explorer. the practice was evident among the more remote pygmy peoples. Professor Starr's friends had not heard from him during the last six months of his explorations. and it was feared that he had fallen q victim of the inhuman practice He said, however. that while he had faced serious situations among the pygnnies, he had not been in grave danger.
 Some of the reports of the practices of the cannibals, in his opinion, had been misconstrued There was the story, for example, that parents eat their children and children may eat their parents.
 T would not put it in that way" re- marked Professor Starr. ''When children or old people die, the survivors eat their flesh. Cannibalism in times of famine is not peculiar to the African savage, but is found among many peoples. On the other hand. the African pygmy does not seem to hasten or cause the death of a child to gratfy his inhuman taste"
 Survival of the Fittest.
 Explorers have remarked that they have found few old people among the Ar rican pygmies. and the inference has been drawn that the aged fall victims of the stronger among their fellows. Pro- these cannibal peoples may thus be all these oannlbal peoples may thus be an example of the survival of the fittest"
 Professor Starr explored many of the tributaries of the Congo river. He was the second white man to ascend one of these-the Oiku river. The extent of his travels suggested the question: How far has civilization actually advanced on the great plateau of the Congo? Steamboats ply the navigable waters of the stream to the very heart of the continent. Rail- roads encircle the miles of rapids and cascades The growth of the country, as described in the statistics, has been amaz- Ing.
 On the other hand Professor Starr de- scribed the scenery of the upper Congo long vitas of tropical forest, broken occasionally by a trading post of the white men In HOO miles Of watercourse he found 150 Europeans. Several usually live together in of the settlements, surrounded by thousands of black men. Hippopotami and leopards are numerous. Herds of wild elephants are encountered, but gradually being decimated. The nerds of today are composed of young