The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-10-23
BEASTS MENACE
LIFE IN AFRICA
Former German Territory Over
run With LionS-MiSSion-
aries Clash.

London.-All is not Joy in the life
Of British officials in Tanganylka 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 boldness Is In
credible, and whole villages have been
terrorfzed 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 81 people were killed by lions.
Natives Are Helpless.
Elephants do great damage to crops,
often running whole plantation In
single night, or, entering the villages,
they strip the roofs of grain stores
and scatter or consume the contents.
The native too often assumes 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-
Of
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-
monies, 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
children, and in many cases have pre-
ferred to give them away to strangers.
Rivalry Among Missionaries
When the elders Of the tribe were
addressed on this matter there was
a decided tendency to recognize its
evils and TO adopt more enlightened
ideas, but a few were against the alb
clifton of the custom on the ground
that the destruction of the tribes GER
tainly would follow. According to
these sages, life is altogether too pre-
carious, and the number of acts or
omissions which they can cite as be-
Ing fatal is amazing; even to plant
q tree was pronounced to be equiva-
lent to booming ones self to death.
Another difficulty confronting Brit
Ssh administrators in the territory is
that of rivalry among missionaries. 1T
IS greatly to be regretted that q spirit
Of jealous rivalry has manifested itself |
n certain districts between Christian
Missions of different denominations"
he report declares. 1T arises from a !
very natural and sincere belief in the |
OF that branch of the COM |
non faith which 1t Is their pride and |
heir duty to preach to the heather,
,ut it has often resulted In an undig- ,
lifted competition to extend the scope
Il the mission beyond limits which a
roper degree Of influence and control
would demand, and In attempts to
et up schools In Juxtaposition of those
+ another denomination. This open
display to the pagan of religious DIFF
erences cannot but react to the dam
ge Of the Christian faith.
Natives BewiIdered.
'tChristian missionaries. BY Offering
ne doctrine here another CLOSE BY |
nd still another few miles away, II
lust achieve little more than the COM
lete sbewilderments OF the pagan ma
we, and 1t would be we'll If Christian !,
ocieties would recognize that the
rinciple Of spheres OF influence is :
to the clear advantage of
as a whole, no less, than Il
, that of pagan populations L