El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-05
;: An African Beau Brummel
He Shows His Culture in tn Way lie Wears His Hair
nY GARRETT P. sERvIss.


7 TOW powerfully the old Greek ad-
age. as rendered by Pope. tine
proper study of mankind is man."
/ appeals 10 one who looks at the ac-
! companying photograph OF an African
warrior, dwelling in the valley Of the
kafue river, in the center Of the south
ern half Of the great dark continent"
and on the line Of the proposed Cape
to Cairo railroad, near the 18th degree
Of south latitude
He is one OF our contemporaries on
the earth. From his point OF view he
has just as good a claim TO be consid-
cred up to date" as we have. While
sharing with US the general character
lstics OF a human being. he has a gem
uine belief in the superiority OF his
own kind OF culture, or civilization.
which we call savagery
The fact that the white man has
many inventions which puzzle him and
make him afraid does not convince him
that he ought to abandon the ways and
ideas OF his fathers and live like the
pale faced Wearers OF superfluous
clothes and bearers OF fire spouUng
weapons. He does not admire them.
They look as ridiculous to him with
their trousers and hats as h does to
them with his powerful, bare legs and
hOrnshaped topknot. consisting OF plait-
ed hair and bark strings stiffened with
clay. polished with grease and pointed
with an antelOpe's horn scraped down /
to a tip OF almost needle sharpness. /
He knows that his dress and his man /
ners. his person and his deeds. are !
pleasing 10 the bellies OF his tribe. And /
what more could he wish2
The fact is that as we look over this I
world we are altogether too seIfcen- !
tered in our thoughts about IL. We 4
have got a deep seated prejudice in 4
favor OF our own ways and ideas. Be
cause we can OutWit and overcome the ]
less civilized or savage races. and be- /
cause they have manners and customs /
repugnant TO US. we are too apt to
think they have no right to be either
what they are or where they are. We
eXaggerate all their bad qualities and
ignore their good ones. 4
There are too few Of US who see the
other side OF the medal How many
readers OF these lines, looking at the (
picture of this African man in the (
midst Of his native fields and woods,
stops to think, with establishment and
shame, that for unnumbered centuries
the self-called superior races have made
Africa hunting ground for slaves,
and that even vet slave caravans ira
verse its highlands. its forests and its
rivers, carrying off its inhabitants as
II they were wild animals, to be turned
into beasts Of burden?
With all its forbidding historical fea-
lures, Africa is a land Of fascinating
romance, not less so now than in the !
lays OF Bruce, Of Livingston and Of
Stanley. The vast central plateau, /
stretching thousands Of miles in all di-
rections' with It's picturesque woods, I
broad, grassy plains, tree shaded riv-
srs. waterfalls. rocky hills. winding (
paths and trails, lakes. mountains. ( ]
primitive villages, strange. beautiful 7
md terrible animals-hippopota ze- {
bras, CRATES. elephants. lions. buffa- !
oes, apes gOrillas-and its curious
ribes Of men, is almost like a separate I
world Z
Everything about Africa bears
Itamp Of originality The cloud Of mys- {
cry that rests upon it has not yet been
feared away. Thousands OF square s