Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-06-07

Language and possibly another native
language at ones command he may
make himself understood quite readily
yes, there L cannibals there, ant
we met a number OF them. Last veal
l walked 500 miles across the wilds OF
Africa, accompanied only by my secre'
ltary, a white man.
Camera Machine of Magic"
Although we have been among
natives whom we We're told. were very
dangerous, and the circumstances were
threatening some times, we never SUI.
|fered bodily harm. My ame and a
smile would generally win Indulgence.
The camer gave me a wonderful power
over them and they stood in awe Of me
on that account, considering it a ma
chine of. magic.
"The people of Africa are not as isO-
lated as they were before the war
Many served and most Of the villagers
done their BIT Natives who had some
education and to whom the war was ex
plained;; Went forth to fight, gladly and
Willingly, and by the thousands, to
serve in France and Flanders.
witch Doctors" Dominate.
african natives have a crude sys-
TEN of ethics, but they know no organ
lied religion in their native state They
believe. in Spirits and live in abject
fear Of what the spirits can do to
them. Every misfortune is looked up
on as a revenge Of some spirit they
have offended. Usually a tribe has a
S,,yS%nh RI a.<Nrs xxy1,n 1nc ocrua,s fnrnr tho
superstitious people. Old people in
some of the tribes are forsaken. In
other tribes they are well taken care of
in fear that after death their spirit
might return to take revenge for neglect
and abuse Of its former body.
"Natives have their own system of
wireless t~elegrapl,y,' which they have
worked out with drums, and drum
beats carry news from village to vii
lage.
Native music is peculiar, and the
songs are haunting and weird. There
is a native piano, made with heavy
keys with the regular chromatic scale,
and it is played by striking the keys
with sticks on the, ends of which are
balls made of native rubber. Natives
sing when they greet you, ;. impr0vise
songs and music in honor of their
chiefs and brave men, and songs in
regular chorus style. Some of their
songs would make fine college yells.
They are also very fond Of dancing, and
dance to the music Of the native piano
and drums, which they make by
stretching skins over hollow logs.
Natives "Beautify" Bodies.
Compilations in Africa vary from
that of the coal black negro to the
reddish copper colored tribes. In their
native state they wear very little, be-
ing content with, the covering of the
skin of some animal or a string or
which a few beads are hung. The dec
Grafton of their bodies is sometimes
frightful. The women have the skin
of their necks, faces and arms scarified
by a very painful process, putting char
coal or ash under the skin until it
stands out, in Jumps III geometrical. de-
Men stick pieces of wood
through their noses, cut the lObes OF
their ears in long Sits and otherwise
disligure themselves for the sake Of
what they consider beauty. Some of
the tribes have learned to smoke and
have found Il new use for, the slit in
the lobe of thei: elongated ears. When
not smoking they stick their cigar,
roughly made of native tobacco, into
the slit in their ear, where it remains
until they desire to smoke again. 1t Is
their delightful custom, to reverse the
white mans method of smoking by
holding the lighted end Of the cigar
in their mouth.
"Inter-tribal wars have been stopped
under the European government con-
troll. Our missionary work is mostly