Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-01-23

(Prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington, d. c.
AbysSinias application for member
ship in the League of Nations has been
tabled by that body because slavery
with all its horrors is practiced as fla
grantly today in this native, independ-
ent, Christian state as it was 100 years
ago on the west coast of Africa.
Slavery is only one phase Of the gar
ish life of this topsy-turvy nation Of
100000 black-skinned people, who
are as obtuse and unusual as those in
Alice's Wonderland. In Atyssinia Gus
toms identical with those of the pre-
historic lake-dwellers, a Christian
faith established before the German
and British barbarians were converted
10y missionaries, and a feudal govern
ment exist side by side, though not
always in peace, while "a European
traveller reports that upon entering
the thatched-roof palace in Ads
Abeba he found the Woodworking
Abyssinian prince of Wales" Ras Ia
fari, eagerly studying a recent work
on bOlshevism.
Liberia, Egypt and Abyssinia are the
only three Independent native states in
Africa. Liberia owes it's independence
to the protection of the United States,
Egypt to an agreement with England.
while Abyssinia owes it's freedom from
control to its own fighting men, and
geography
The two continents in the southern
hemisphere are twins by virtue of their
general outline If Abyssinia were
Aifted out of the Dark Continent and
dropped in relatively the same posi-
7tion in South America, it would form
ia great cape jutting off the northeast
sextremity of Brazil. Although the
southern limits of this African state
ARE within 800 miles of the equator
and its capital is in the same latitude
as the Canal zone, its climate is not
tropical but similar to the American
or English summer season.
Kniehthood in Abyssina.
Cervantes poked fun at the dying
feudal system with ali it's trappings of
knighthood in his great work Don
Quixote." Abyssinia today awaits
Cervantes to write a story of its feu-
dial customs, that may easily possess
all the humor of don Quixote."
Let us sit by the side of the road
while an Abyssinian knight marches
on to battle. Here he comes, a big,
broad-shouldered black native, whose
features are more Semitic than ne
groid. He struts down the trail, and
well he may, for he carries nothing.
"a Scant piece of dirty calico about his
waist and thighs is his campaign coat.
His wolly hair shines like that of
freshly barbered beau of an American
town, but his tonsorial aids are not so
attractive to the nose, for the ETH
opian fighting man rubs rancid butter
on his head to make his hair glisten
and protect him from the sun. Behind
him comes his Sancho Panza, a black
negro squire who does not even gain
the state of Don QuiXote's able assist
ant because he is a slave But this
slave is more than a squire; he is a
walking arsenal. In submissive silence
he carries the heavy matchbox rifle of
his lord and knight. And around his
waist ammunition belts, fortunately
without many cartridges. He also
bends under a load of knives, a spear,
a shield, perhaps a primitive sling,
and pack containing native bread
and other food for the noble knight
They pass and disappear down the
trail behind a wild coffee BUSH Thus
the black Don Quixote and his trusted
squire enter the lists of battle, for
knighthood of fashion still flourishes
in Abyssinia.
One traveller through the country
said that he believed there were more
slaves in its capital, Ads Abeba, than
there were freemen. Servants of Eu-
ropeans living in the country have
their own slaves, and sometimes 1t is
impossible for Americans or other for
eigners to keep from owning slaves,