Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08
Titled Visitor Takes Audience
on Trip Ahead of Roosevelt.
HUNTING WILDS DESCRIBED
Presidents Probable Route Sketched
in illustrated Lecture.
WONDERS OF DARK COUNTRY
Geographic Society Members Hear
Stories Of Strange Things
Seen There.


The route that President Roosevelt will
nave to follow in his coming African
hunting trip was sketchily outlined tc
the guests of the National Geographic
Society In lecture by Sir. Harry John
ston at the New Masonic Temple last
night. 1t was the beginning of the winter
course of the society's lectures The
lecture was interesting as dealing with the
probable scene of the Roosevelt hunt. but
1t was more remarkable in the glimpses
1t gave Of darkest Africa and the entirely
casual way that the lecturer touched on
his own very remarkable experiences
The Geographic Society has secured fol
this winters lecture quarters the Auditor
ium of the new temple. The big, well
lighted and artistically nodded hoom has
much more generous seating accommoda-
tions than the old Rifles Armory, where
the lectures formerly were given. but the
Auditorium was crowded last night with d
distinguished audience ready TO hear
something, perhaps not much, of interior
Africa by a man who was chiefly iden-
titled in the mind OF the public as the
discoverer of a new beast, the okapi,
somewhere in the wilds of Uganda.
Willis Moore, the president of the So
ciety. introduced the speaker and told
them that Sir Harry was perhaps the
greatest living authority on Central Afri-
can exploration. that he had been the
governor general of Uganda. and had been
knighted by Queen Victoria in 1895 for his
services in opening up the country. This
was good enough Endorsement. but 1t
is hardly probable that any one in the au-
dience was prepared for such realistic
walk through the mazes of Central Afri-
ca told by a man who had opened up the
country and who was as matter OF
fact and impersonal about the remark
able pictures he was showing as though
they were chance views he had happened
to pick UP on the Strand in London or
somewhere on Pennsylvania avenue In
Washington.
Lecture Charmingly Illustrated.
There were some score of quite wonder
full pictures of pigmies. elephants, strange
animals and wild native tribes. high
waterfalls, almost impenetrable tropical
forests and snow-clad mountains under
the equator. In almost an apologize way
Sir Harry told of picking up these strange
views and interlined his descriptions with
a word or a sentence here and there, SIM
pie enough almost for nursery entertain
ment. and yet showing more than work
ing knowledge Of ceramics. ethnology. an
thropology, geology. botany and zoology
and the modern problems of the mixed
African tribes
The lecturer smilingly disclaimed any
authority to speak for the President as
to where his African wanderings would
lead but showed a possible route inland
to the hunting grounds from Mombasa
that Mr. Roosevelt would almost certain
ly have to take II he wanted to get the
real thing in the way of African expert
ences. Likewise II the President gets
over the ground shown in Sir Harry's
pictures he will be going some and seeing
some more.
The distinguished speaker last evening
in conventional evening dress did not
look like hero Of exploration and prac-
teal authority on new geography He Is
little, rounded man with a brown mus
tache and a mild voice. One would not
associate him at sight with anything more
strenuous than an armchair and an cleo
trio cab. but before he was through with
his talk his auditors had forgotten every
thing except that they were having a
corner OF the curtain lifted from central
Africa by one of the pioneer actors in
that great continental awakening.
The Strange Lemon Tribe.
landed at Mombasa he would find himself
among the members of the Lamou tribe
an interesting people who probably were
the descendants of the early Persian emf
grants to that country. They were black
as were the other tribes of Africa. but
many of them had almost Caucasian fea-
lures. He spoke of the porcelain and pot
terry decoration imbedded in the earthwork
of he he coil hot
remnants of Chinese porcelain and even
Chinese coins showing commerce with the
far east that must have dated back three
thousand years.
One OF the pictures showed tower
built on the coast by Vasco de Cana
when the country was first opened up
by the Portuguese. and other pictures
of the old Portuguese fort and other
buildings showed how industrious and
powerful these settlers must have been
during their period OF occupation.
There were pictures of Somali war
rors. warriors and madens in Salome-
like costumes. and some remarkable
photographs of the Gullas. whose dis
dress with a pocket in it like the pouch
OF the kangaroo. where the blue FLOODED
Gulla keeps his snuff box his flint and
steel and other treasured possessions. as
he mas no clothes In which to have
pockets where he may bestow these
things
Several very interesting views were
shown of the Riff valley and its remark
able chain of lakes. Sir Harry explained
the probable geologic fault which account
ed for this great depression and said
that probably Madagascar was split off
from the African continent by similar
but more pronounced settling of the
earth.
The trail of the explorer in this re-
gion led inward through IA rough grass
country with remarkable anthills, look
poles The speaker said that so far as
he knew this was the only region in
the world where these peculiar struc-
lures We're found. There were pictures
taken farther inland of the Massi tribe
that gentle tribe of murderers TO whom
kipling refers as 1.-The giddy Massi'
The lecturer explained how one section
of this bloodthirsty race had COM
pietely wiped out its less warlike mem
all the blOodthirsty history of Africa
the negro had no enemy SO merciless as
his fellow negro.
Fond of Large Ears.
One of the striking pictures of a
wholly unknown tribe was that of the
Mundee. a people whose idea of deco
ration consisted solely in charging the
lobes of their ears until they tapped
down to their shoulders They begin
when they are children by piercing the
ear and inserting a small stick ,hey
increase the size Of this stick until
gradually the lower end of their ear
is simply loop of skin that flaps in