Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-01

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strangling, unrelenting grip, sits
on the throne of Abyssinia today and
dreams of leading his people out Of the
throes of lethargy and barbariSm.
He dreams of dams by which the
headWaters of the Blue Nile may be
spread regularly over thousands OF arid
acres of his land in Northeast Africa.
He dreams Of broad highways radiating
in every direction from Adds Ababa, his
empires capital. He dreams OF fleets
of motor trucks that will speed along
these highways, bringing raw materials
to the capital and returning through
the verdant hills and valleys laden with
modern goods the like of which his sub
jects have never yet seen or heard OF.
He dreams Of passenger planes flying on
regular schedule from the capital to
the sea. In short, he dreams Of a ma
ton that can lift itself by its boot
straps to place on the economic level
Of the great powers of modern Europe.
Emperor Ras Taffari, king Of Kings
Of Abyssinia, Conquering Lion OF Judah
and the Elect of God" who dreams
these dreams Is a practical dreamer.
For years now he has been carrying on
an amending war upon the Middle Ages
"a war fought literally with lances and
spears and swords and shields by the
descendants of King Solomon and the
Queen Of Sheba. Minor victories
crowned his banners, but 1t was only
two months ago that the forces Of the
Middle Ages we're crumpled back upon
themselves in a devastating defeat that
seems to have swept all serious oppo-
sition away and to have set Ras Taffari
securely upon his throne.
The story OF his long war and its
swift denouement two months ago In
series of some of the most dramatic
events that have ever been caught on
the pages of history seems almost TOO
fantastic to be true.
Story of BIoodshed.
It is a story of revolution and blood
shed-of deposed emperor guarded by
three rings OF soldiers, each group set
TO spy upon the other; of an empress
and her regent, and their struggle for
mastery; of the triumph of the regent
and his coronation as king while the
Jealous empress, with most OF her power
gone, still sat upon her throne.
It, is a story Of intrigued the en-
press plotting with her divorced hus-
band against her government and
against the man who had seized her
power; of arms being shipped from her
palace armory to aid the rebel cause.
1t Is a story of anachronism-of
reDel hOSC OF meoleVal WarrlorS, armed
| with spears, swords and shields, march
ing in revolt upon the capital; Of air.
plane machine gunners and bombers
swooping down to spray death upon
| them.
But more than all Is it a story of the
rise to power Of Ras Taffari and Of his
war upon the Middle Ages-and 1t Is the
story of his visions for the future of his
medieval land.
The story had its beginning back in
| 1915. when Ras Taffari made the first
| important move in his campaign. The
revolution of that year had deposed
the emperor, Lii Yaser. Zauditu, daugh-
| ter of former emperor, Menelik, was
chosen as empress after she had d.
vorced her fourth and last husband,
Ras Guksa. The divorce was the result
of political pressure-Ras Guksa, not
being of royal blood, could not become
emperor. This situation necessitated
the appointment of a regent-And here
Ras Taffari granddaughter Of the same
Menelik, saw his chance. He arranged
to have himself named. That was his
first trump card
Te~"~''9 mower grew through the