Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-02-25
RENE MARIAN RECEIVES
CONTINUED from First Page.)

or primitive love and hate. The value
Of tho book seems to be in it's accessory
qualities in picturing the native life Of
Central Africa.
"Therc is description OF greet
1tut1vc dance which reveals Rene Mar
an not only as one with q remarkable
fund OF original first-hand knowledge
Of the Negroes of whom he writes, but
also rs Il writer with Zolaesquc capac
fly for parading details of filth and do
graduation and brutality. His realism
IS unboundcd; at times he goes TO
langths before which even the most eS
trome of modern French writer's might
hesitate. On the other hand, he draws
pictures Of the African Wilderness, ere
altos IN atmosphere Of vast spaces and
silence and mystery which recall w. H.
hudson at his best. And always, oven
when his Africans are dancing and f.
yelling at their maddest, he succeeds in
suggesting the unhappiness that besets
them, the sword Of Damocles which
the white ma nholds suspended over
sQuatted in the darkness about him, Ba
touala exclaims:
'"Thirty moons ago we used to be
rubber. Then, suddenly, without tho
shadow Of an explanation. all We got
for the same quantity Of 'banga' was
three-Quarters Of one franc! And that
was exactly the moment chosen by the
Governor for raising our tax from five
to scvnn and hon TO ten francs!
awe are nothing but flesh out OF
which taxes may be ground. We are
~ 1t l. .CN 40 40
Not even that The white man will
feed dog and care for a horse. But We
We are less than these animals. we are
ldwer than the lowest. Tho white mon
are killing us slowly
And, amid the murmurs Of assent
from those sluntting AROUND thoir
cheiftain, the cynical old father Of Ba-
touala cries: Let us whine less and
drink morc!' He calls loudly for absin-
the-there is small stock of it, SGT
aside for Datouala and his principal
followers 1t is not long before Batou.
ala and his father md the other prlnci
pal men have drunk themselves into
forgetfulness OH the white mans bower
age, while tho rest Of tho tribesmen arc
staggering about under tho influence
of the native brew Of millet and fer.
menteu corn. The night ends in har'
barous and bestial orgy.
'Maran eXhorts the literary men Of
France to help him in an effort to bet.
ter tho lot Of the blacks in French
Africa. He intends to undertake regu
lar campaign in behalf OF tho colored
race, he announces. Moro works with
this end in view are soon to come from
his pen; THE Novel Of the Negro is
tho title chosen by him for ono OF
these.
Readers Of the preface to 'Batouala'
Will harbor no doubts as to whether M.
Maran will be fearless Of conventions
and unsparing in accusations whom he
launches the campaign which no con-
templates. In that preface he writes:
"Civilization. civilization--prido of
the Europeans and their charnci-
house Of innoccnts!- RHaGndrapata
Tasorc, the Hindu poet, told ono day
at Tokyo, what you really we're!
"You build your kingdom on corps
cs. Whatever you may wish, whatever
you may do, you move amide lies. At
sight OF you, tears spring up, paiI
cries out. You arc tho force which
downs right. You arc not torch, bat
n conflaaration. Whatever you tdut1,,
you consumed!