The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-10-30

of Liberia really had hardly pene-
trated into the interior, and it is even
today one Of the least known parts OF
Africa 1t is known. however. to
possess rubber trees, timber of value,
plenty of iron, some gold and no lit
tie copper and lead. 1t also has fine
healthy highlands. with mountains
rising to 10000 feet, big game OF many
kinds and an interesting fora.
1t was the old story over again; here
was the hustling and curious European
restlessly in search of adventure and
conquest, and Liberia lay between the
French and the English on the coast
with that tempting area bigger than
many European states, and that stra-
tegic coast line. Naturally "delimit-
alton" began. England took the first
slice in the name OF scientific from
tier, and five or six years ago France
found excuse for a new rectification
of boundaries which gives her 1000
square miles Of what was Liberian ter
ritory.
Travellers had already begun to tell
unpleasant tales of Liberia. Burton OF
Arabian Nights fame naturally scorned
it. His young acquaintance. W1nWood
Reade, who died at "a, gave more
cheerful account of the matter. Others
wrote on one SIDE or the other, but
thirty years ago there was in Europe
and America pessimistic feeling
about Liberia AS evidence that the
| the attempt of the blacks at self-gov-
eminent was failure the i'll condition
of LiberiaR finances was adduced. Her
| paper currency was in a pitiful con-
dition, and European traders regular
| ly insisted after they had taken 1t at
| discount upon paying it for customs
| duties of it's face value. Europeans had
obligingly lent Liberia a few hundred
thousand dollars at the pleasant rate
of Z percent, and Liberia neglected to
pay interest until the debt was re
adjusted" as Virginians used to say.
and the rate of interest cut in two. At
last accounts arrears Of interest had
again piled up even at the reduced rate
and to the foreign dept must be added
a domestic debt of about $685. 900 and
a floating debt of 5000, 900. so that in
all the republics obligations are about
$500, 600
Perhaps this does not seem great
debt for country Of 100000 inhabi-
tants and $4,000 square miles, but It
is enough to weigh in the scale along
with other things and the present in
ternal dissensions against the right of
Liberia to live as an independent
state. The truth is that all but about
40 900 of the inhabitants dwelling in
rand are savages utterly unable to de-
velop the natural riches of the country
and unwilling that Liberals civilized
remnant should develop them. AS to
the civilized remnant 1t consists OF
10000 persons Of Afro-American orig
In, and say 10000 Christianized natives
OF indigenous origin. Confessedly thus
far the Afro-Americans have not been
able to cope with the problem Of their
savage brethren plus that of the eager
colonizing European and occasional
domestic political quarrels. Liberals |
army of 700 organized militia, with one
brigadier-general at 345 month and
found" and eight or ten colonies at |
$S8 month and found" cannot ex-
plore that wild hinterland or police the
frontier. France or England could do |
in two or three years what Liberia has |
not done in fifty, ard hence the threat |
to Liberian autonomy.
All things considered, however, Lib
eria has not been a failure from the |
point of view Of civilization. The COL
onists and their descendants have not
stition. AS matter of fact they are
fairly educated, with 100 government
public schools. a government college
and many other schools, elementary
and higher, maintained by several
church organizations They have far
outdone Hayti and Santo Domingo, and
under worse difficulties. A sympa-
thetic English writer who has lived
much in Africa says that Liberian
towns are as well built as those OF
most European colonies in West AZ
RIGA. He finds the Liberians rather
painfully religious. strict Sabbatarians.
New England Puritans of the eigh-
teenth century in their general belief
and practice, sticklers for the proprie-
ties of European costume and prudish-
ly modest in outward manners. He
says that the we'll placed always go
to church and make calls in high hats
and frock coats and that despite a
normal temperature Is to los degrees
in the shade.
The sane author finds the Liberians
fairly skilled in building, not without
mechanical ingenuity, and the mass