The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-10-27
BEASTS MENACE
LIFE IN AFRICA
Former German Territory Over
run With LionS-MiSSion-
aries Clash.


of British officials in Tanganyika ter
ritory, formerly German East Africa.
Lions, leopards and elephants menace
the population; missionary jealousy
bewilders the pagan natives, and
witchcraft, practiced by the wild Wa
pare Of the Moshi district, causes many
helpless infants to be put to death
annually.
Aspects Of life In this new British
territory are described in the 1922
report OF the country. Big game
multiplied rapidly In Tanganyika dur
ing the war. Lions frequently satisfy
their taste for human flesh at the ex-
pense of life. Their holiness Is In
credible, and whole villages have been
terrorized by their presence. In the
first half Of the year rewards were
paid for the destruction of 300 lions
and 800 leopards. In Tabora district
alone CT people were killed by lions.
Natives Are Helpless.
Elephants do great damage to crops,
often running whole plantation in a
single night, or, entering the villages,
they strip the roofs of grain stores
anu SCGlttI VI cOlSulue llle contents.
The native too often assumes a fatal
istic attitude in the presence of dis
aster, and becomes unwilling or I'M
able to help himself.
In Tanganyika witchcraft has as
fatal effects on infants rs wild beasts
have On adult natives. To the inf1u-
ence of the medicine men, says the
report, may be attributed the bar
barous practice of infanticide which
prevails among the Wapare in the
Moshi district. Children born with
some abnormality, or the offspring of
parents who have failed to undergo
initiation into certain tribal cere-
are done to death by DELHI !
crate starvation and neglect, or by |
exposure to the unhealthy climate of |
The low country. Often parents would |
not of their own accord abandon such
and in many cases have pre-
erred to give them away to strangers.
Rivalry Among Missionaries.
When the elders Of the tribe were
addressed on this matter, there was
| decided tendency to recognize it's
wills and to adopt more enlightened
IDEAS, but a few were against the abb
lition of the custom on the ground
hat the destruction Of the tribes GER
ainly would follow. According to
hese sages, life is altogether too pre-
arious, and the number of acts or
missions which they can cite as be-
1g fatal is amazing; even to plant
tree was pronounced to be equiva-
ant t0 dOOnoinO GOLF - !
Another difficulty confronting Brit
III administrators in the territory Is
nat of rivalry among missionaries. at
greatly to be regretted that spirit J
f Jealous rivalry has manifested itself
/ certain districts between Christian
lissions Of different denominations"
he report declares. ut arises from q
cry natural and sincere belief in the
lperiority of that branch OF the COM
ION faith which 1t Is their pride and
lefr duty to preach to the heather,
ut 1t has often resulted in an dndig-
fled competition to extend the scope
the mission beyond limits which a
roper degree of influence and control :
ould demand, and in attempts to
It up schools in juxtaposition Of those
another denomination. This open
splay to the pagan Of religious diff
renees cannot but react to the dam
re Of the Christian faith.
Natives BewiIdered.
christian missionaries, by offering
e doctrine here, another close by,
ID still another a few miles away,
1st achieve little more than the COM
etc bewilderment Of the pagan ma
re, and it would be well If Christian
cieties would recognize that the
inciple Of spheres of influence is
.imately to the clear advantage of
ristianity as whole, no less than
that of Dapan Nominations"