The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-04
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
ospecia1 to the Farmer)


 Washington September 4.-The Ma tionaI Geographic Society since the be ginning of the war in Europe has been putting out a series of highly inter esting statements throwing geograp h1- cal sidelights on the nations now at war. Nowadays it is a common thing to hear people say that the war makes them realize they have forgotten most of the geography they learned in school. The statements of the Soci- ety not only bring this geographical information up to date, but they add many interesting facts that are not in the geograpFies.
 For instance, how many Americans now that the African possessions of the nations at war are in area more than three times as large as the United States, and three times as large as the European territory of the belllger- ent countries, of Afrfca's 11s513 900 square miles, 9,667.531 are owned by European notions.
 France is the largest holder. pos- sessing 3.s12, 900 square miles. Little Belgium holds the Belgium Congo. controls 3,61s,2 245 square miles and Germany 1, O35, Os6 square miles Near Iy fifty million Africans are British slrbjeets; forty million are French subjects; fifteen million who owe feaI- ty to Belgium; and twelve million to Germany.
 F The present war is likely to change the map of Africa, even more drastic ally than it changes that of Europe. It is almost certain that the ultimate eonqueror will take from the conquer ed the richest of the African posses sions.
 The Belgian Congo is one of the strangest of lands. It's bloody but TO- mantle history of Ivory is fairly well known throughout the earth. Little however, is known about the teeming Congo population.
 The Geographic Society says that strange contrasts are to be found in Belgian Congo. Here there will be endless fields of miIIet and other grains raised by the industrious native population which has been civilized. l A few miles away from this scene of peace the country will be g howline wilderness Inhabited by savage canni- bals and man eating beasts.
 The faercest of the wild tribes is the Bankatus, incorrfgfbIe cannfbles. Their victims are always their slaves Slaves are never allowed to die naturally, ! but are always killed and eaten, since | the native superstition holds that il a slave were buried it's ghost would l kill the living master.
 The Bankatus are the only tribe which has successfully resisted the white man. They are wonderful woodsrnen, defending their villages by poisoned spikes hidden by leaves, and vanishing into the jungle if pursued l A favorite ambush for a white man is a poisoned bow-and arrow trap se' with a live baby as bait The white man is depended upon to pick up the Ilbasby found ajbandoGe in the jungle l but this act of Kindness is his death I for an arrow tipped with absolutely deadly poison, penetrates his skin as 4 |, d fea f14y
 The Society comm ents adrniringly on the military prowess of Servia- ri the United States were to call to the lcolors as many men in proportion tc the population as Servia has. read g bulletin, it would mean an army oi upwards of eight million men; in pro- portion to the adult male population lit would mean am army of twelve I million. The Servian army is a fight ing force that is conceded to have
 every quality of strength that a mill
 tary machine may possess.