The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-01
MAN MEAT sTrLL POPULAR.
Plenty of Csanibal Tribes Are Yet Tn Existence.


 Man is still much eaten by his fel- low man. It is estimated that millions of savages on the upper Congo are in- verate cannibals. Millions more per haps have the same taste tn New Guinea and certain groups of the south Sea Islands. notably the Solo mons. the New Hebrides and New Ire- land.
 Why this should be SO Is . mystery that has perplexed the anthropologists. David Livingstone, the first white man to cross the Manyema country. in Gen. fral Africa. was reluctant to believe that cannibaiism was not in some way associated with superstitious rites. But when he saw the esgerness of the ne- tives for what was evidently their fav- orite food he could no longer close his eyes to the simple fact--the Congoman preferred human flesh to any other kind of meat.
 1t has even been asserted that those tribes which do not indulge in this practice are inferior. mentally and physically, to the canuibals. "And yet" said Livingstone. speaking of the Manyema. they are a fine looking race. would back them, to be su- perior in shape of head and general physique to the entire Anthropological Society,"
 For many years travellers generally omitted from their books mention Of eannibalism. Such stories would. they fancied. be considered exaggerated. if not positively unsrue. But of late the explorers of ell nationaIities have stud jed both people and practice with scientific zeal.
 Sir Harry Johnston, Herbert Ward.
 Commandant Guy Burrows, of the Con-
 20 administration: Mir, Parke, Captain | e n. IIfmdA alan m Kfnor V.annnlN'a service,. and many others have spent years among the Congo tribes. and they give in a matter-of-fact way details oi the, habits of the savages which are almost incredible. Tn the Bangais country not only are the bodies of those slain in battle. eaten. but the natives habitually kill men for food. And about this there Is much curtoui system. such az inclfaes students oi anthropology to suspect some hidden origin.
 Thus the prisoner Is not killed out. riRht but is placed chin deep in a pool of water, with his head made fast Co ( l log lest he drown. The victims lifnbf hy the way, have been broken three days previously. On the third day tht poor creature Is taken out and killed ! This procedure, the nercs Bansaia say 1 makes the flesh more tender.
 Tho cannibaIs in ali cases extract the teeth of their human prey foi necklaces and bracelets The hair Il made into fishing lines and nets; ths l skin goes to cover war drums and tht skuIls become fashionable decorationi ] in the homes of tribal chiefs. whose greatest glory Is . long array of these l trophies of the chase.
 Commandant Guy Burrows. lately IT 1 the service of the Congo administra- t A1F "a xrrP4faR a GSIrtGuA gf09F | of the Batake people. a body of whom 1 he led in 6 punitive expedition against ] the Mahode tribes.
 q saw a boy hit in the shoulder bx a ball from an old muzzie-loader. I he said. land yet. although seriously l hurt, he looked entirely uneoncernea | they are utter fatalists. these fellows l His comrades carried him on one sioe away from the rest Of the wounded ana yvhen I saw this remarked: Take 1 that boy up or hen get hit again "At this half a dozen grave elderi came to me expostulating. He is onlJ . ar,alI lad the grumbled. You might fust aa well let us have him for kill inr when the fight is over drove the monsters from me with my cnicotte ol hippo hide whip.
 'aThe boy recovered and served me for years. But those Batake eannihals never forRaya me. They deserted tu diguifled protest. disgusted with me for refusing them such a trifle, after they had horne ehe heat anl burden or the dav. And I know they smarted long
 under a sense of gross injustice" During the same campaign Comman.
 dant Burrows saw another side oi
 this practice. Sitting at his tent dooE
 one evening after camp had been
 nitehed he watched his man setting
 thsir supper ready. The day had been
 narked by forced marches and sharp
 lighting. in which both sides left many
 dead in the thick jungle.
 presently in the gathering dusk c huee savage passed him steaIthily, with a Dis, bundle on hts shoulder wrapped
 in leaves of the wild banana, palm. Challenged by Burrows. the man said ha was only bearing food for his com
 vases--iy.st banana food But in fact
 he and several others had been con
 stan.ly going to and from the scene of tha fight. cutting up the bodies ana
 hrinwiTlw them down in small parcels, ao as not to. attract the white man $ attention as they passed his tent. ! Yet in this very country are tribes
 that would not eat human nesn IT tnef
 were starving; the curious little pyg- mics. for instance. of the Great Forest. . Yet these are infinitely lower in the eocial scale than the cannibais--ltttte hetter than apes. in fact. - . rTheir huts would disgrace an inteli- gent animal. They have no arts. nor do they til the soil. These queer nt- tIa nomads exist by hunting, trapping ana fishing They even pursue the ele- phant. shooting it in the foot witn oned arrows and then tracking 1t until it becomes helpless. when they hnish oft the monster with their spears.
 Turning to the South Sea Islands: the Germans. Dutch and British are striv- ing 10 put down cannibalism in tnelr respective spheres in New Guinea: so
 Far these efforts have met with 'ttt'e suceess. The practice is too deep seat ed to be eradicated in a generation or two. No New Guinea maiden VIII '0ok
 with favor on Q suitor whose nut is not piastered with human skulls as testI- mony to his Prowess as hunter ana gem eral provided for the home.
 Tn the Solomon Islands. New Brit ain and New Ireland. the natives are also cannibaIs from deliberate choice.
 Tn the Fiji Islands as late as 1850 lived cannibals as ruthless as any on earth.
 Thev fattened their victims In wooden cages until they were ready for the
 hrainine stones, which you may see in ovaian to this day, together with notchss on the trees recording the r'''n-
 her of human beings sent to the ovens.
 Here the eating of human flesh was
 full of symbols. poetry and philosophy,
 n thing sanctified by the gods and
 S01nrne8 by intricate rules. 'rd Stannore, O. c. M. G.. formerly High Commissioner of the Fiji Islands, re- cords that the natives reserved spec iaI kind of salad for use at these feasts. ana women were rigidly excluded. But aII that is over now. and no sign of the