Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-25
THE LIBRARY TABLE

Julian Huxley, writer on scientific
subjects, and editor with H. G. Wells oil
the new popular compendium Of SCI
ence. 1.-THE Science Of Life" is also Q
lecturer in experimental zoology in the
sent by the Colonial once Advisory
Committee on Native Education of the
British Empire to East Africa TO In
vestigate and report on certain aspects
OF native education. The result was, oil
course, his report to the committee,
which does not concern the genera
reading public, but also q book on Africa,
which Is interesting enough reading for
any one. Africa View" Is an account
of Is weeks of travel In East Africa
with observations on native education
ton to the merely interesting things
which any traveller might notice. He
landed in Tanganyika territory early In
September and into the next four
months "crammed whole cargoes OF
vital experience" Bewildered by the
vastness Of 1t all, he writes: "I have
marveled at her variety and the va
riety of her peoples; I have had prob
lem after problem thrust forcibly upon
my attention, from witchcraft to the
latest refinements Of applied science
from prehistoric archaeology to modern
politics" The four territories of Eas,
Africa are Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika
and Zanzibar, and Mr.. Huxley visited
them ALL with even a dash into the
easternmost part of the Belgian Congo
Some parts of Africa View" are OF
specifically British interest. as the dis
cussion Of indirect, or native, rule, but
most OF the chapters appeal to any one
of international interests. There are
many good bits of description in the
chapters THE Journey" "Kilimanjaro -
THE Great Lake, and White Estate;
THE Forests Of Kenya Mountain" "A
Kikuyu Market" and volcanoes and
Flamingoes." The Kikuyu Market al
Karatina, Kenya Colony, was o scene
OF picturesque native activity, for the
Kikuyus have the bargaining tempera-
ment and love to haggle. Markets are
held at number Of places In the Re
serve once or twice q week, and crowds
swarm to these places. The market
place is merely an open space, either in
the open country or close to q settle
ment. There are no stalls, and the
goods are exposed on the bare ground
or hung on strings between posts Each
kind Of goods has its own section, and
the vendors squat near their wares.
Here is the flrewood section, for the
wealthy, for firewood Is scarce since the
wasteful deforestation practiced by the
Kikuyus in shifting their areas of cul-
tivation frequently. The salt depart
ment Is nearby, where a soda-salt from
the salt lakes is sold. Then there Is the
tobacco quarter-very popular-where
snuff is especially In demand and is
measured on q small coin piece. The
goat section introduces q hint Of the
cattle fair. The sections for foodstuffs
(millet, maize, beans, peas, sweet pota-
toes, taro and sugar cane predominate)
cloth and personal adornments, such as
beads, rings, belts, forehead straps, ear
rings and coils of wire for winding
around the legs, are patronized chiefly
by the women. what strikes one most
at a Kikuyu market is its wonderful
orderliness. The market-place is as ac-
tive as an ant-hill; 1t seethes with ku-
mainly, coffee-coloured human beings
talking, laughing, bargaining, picking
their way through squatting forms and
over heaps Of grain and vegetables
There were no Europeans about. and ]
could not see any native policemen
and yet there was no quarrelling, not
even sQuabble or an unseemIy rails
ing OF voices, in any OF the three mar
kets saw"
y
Scientific research in connection
with tropical diseases and the educa-
ton of the natives in hygiene and med
ical care especially interested Mr.. Hulk
ley. In the chapter on 1.-The Tsetse
Fly" he describes the various methods
being used to eliminate this vicious
insect, which Is one of the greatest
curses Of East Africa. Luckily. the
tsetse will not ny far aheld on his
own, and he Will not breed in country
tivation: 30 there are two main ways
of attack open. You can clear infested
bush, settle It with natives and take
certain precautions to insure that bush
land therefore fly) shall not reinvade
the, cleared area. Or you can destroy
the fly In a certain area, without neces-
sarily destroying the bush, and between
fiy-free and hy-infested regions put In
O barrier that will prevent the insect
from getting across again. To accom-
plish these effectively you must know
as much as possible about the habits
of your fly; you must know as much
as possible about the habits OF your
bush, and you must be able TO control
the habits Of your natives" This does
not sound easy and in experience 1t Is
not easy. Some of the things which
influence the problem seem to the UNI
informed very remote-for example, the
methods Of the natives in collecting
the honey of bees. How one method
helps to preserve the tSetse and an
other helps In his humiliation Is O
story in itself. who would have
thought that sleeping sickness control
involved the improvement OF native
bee-keeping?" Medical, veterinary,
agricultural, geological, forestry and
administrative officers in East Africa
and themselves performing all sorts of
duties not at all In their fields. be-
cause in the fight against tropical
diseases everything is interlocking.
y y
The vikings are supposed to have
played part, perhaps only mytncai'
in our American history. During the
period extending from the eighth into
the eleventh century, the vikings, some
times called Danes, sometimes Morse
men, raided almost every coast within
the reach of their picturesque ships.
Sometimes they established colonies,
as in England and Normandy; some
times their incursions were merely LOT
booty. A history of this period OF the
Vikings, which also describes the origin
and growth of the type of civilization
which prevailed, is viking Civilization"
by Axel Dirk, revised after the authors
death by Hans Ellekilde. The interac-
ton of Viking and Celtic civilizations
in ireland, where q Danish kingdom was
established, is described in an interest
ing chapter.
Henry James, son of william James
and nephew of, the novelist Henry
James has written the biography OF
"Charles w. Eliot, President of Harvard
University, l869-19O9" One OF the
most interesting anecdotes in the biog-
raphy is connected with the early days
of the young president In office. The
Harvard Medical School was good for its
time. but President Eliot thought that 1t
was not good enough and began imme-
diately planning changes, which OF
course the old faculty resented. One of