The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-01

1 As it is now the natives of the Sudan 1 are illlterate The mahdi and the khalifa
 discouraged learning of all kinds, because l they knew that the educated people would 1 discredit the doctrines they taught and l Gpon which their government was found-
 ed. The l1halifa ordered that all books l should be destroyed. He had no schools
 worthy of the name, and as it is now not 1 one Sudanese in hundred can read and ] write. The officials say it is useless to l post Up government proclamations unless l they station man beside each one to
 read it out to the passers-by. At the i same time the natives respect learning.
 They think that anything written must be l true, and swindlers sometimes go about
 and eXtort money by showing documents l which they claim are orders to pay is- l sued by the government.
 Common Schools Being Founded. 1 The British are doing all they can to
 change these conditions. They are trying
 to educate the people, and are gradually l establishing higher primary schools. l There are four schools of this kind-one
 in l<hartum, one in Suakfn, one in Halfa 1 and one in Omdurman. In all these
 schools the language taught is Arabic,
 hammedan lines.
 1 l went through the schools at Omdur- l man the other day. In addition to the 1 higher primary schools there are 70 or S0 1 others, and they have altogether about 1 POGO pupils. The most of the schools are
 connected with the mosques and they 1 teach little more than reading and writ 1 ing The other schools give the rudi-
 ments of an education along western lines
 and the higher primary schools teach 1 English mathematics, drawing and other ] branches as well.
 l l went through the higher primary school with the Egyptian governor of Omdurman. It consisted of many one 1 story buildings running around q walled inclosure. Each building is q school
 room. The boys study at desks just like ] those used by our school boys at home, 1 and they have the modern appliances.
 The students are of all ages, from boys of i learning to read to young men of IS or % ready to graduate. 1 heard some of i the latter recite in English and they seemed to me quite fas bright as our 1 boys at home. In one room 1 heard the 1 recitation of scene from William Tell, D i where Gessler makes the Swiss hero
 shoot the apple from his boys head. Four
 black boys took part in the dialogue.
 They acclaimed in English, and although ! they had an Arabic accent they recitod with wonderful feeling and with full ap-
 precation of the sentiment involved in the story. In another building l met some of the sons of the sheil1s and pho- l tographed them out in the open. The pupils of all the schools are polite, and their natural ability is far above that of the African natives who live farther south.
 Founded by an American.
 Returning to the Gordon college, one of the most interesting institutions connect ed with it is the Welcome laboratory. This was founded and is supported by Mir. Henry S. Welcome, a wealthy Philadel- phian. who is one of the well known firm of Burroughs x Welcome, manufacture ing chemists and druggists of London. This firm has made a special study of tropical diseases and tropical medicines, and a part of it's business is 10 supply missionaries and exploring parties. It has furnished Henry M. Stanley and others with medical outfits for travel throughout the world. It was probably through the
 study of such matters that Mir. Welcome became interested in the Sudan and in it's development along health and other l lines, and was thereby induced to furnish, l equip and sustain this great laboratory. ! The objects of the institution are to pro- | mote the study of tropical disorders and l especially diseases of man and beast pe- 1 cular to the Sudan, and also to render
 assistance to the health officers and the ] civil and military hospitals The labora- ] tories are carrying on experimental n- I vestigations as to the poisons used by | the natives, as to the chemical and bac- sociological condition of the waters and