Evening star., 1935-08-18

material for French. German, Italian
and English literature on the subject
There are also many reports by re-
ligious missionaries and societies
against slavery. An interesting book
rich in Recommendation. is that recently
published by Lady Simon, with an
enlightening preface by Sir John
Simon, former British foreign min
ister.
Conditions OF slavery have caused
England to make a formal protest to
the League Of Nations. Indeed, the
truth of facts cannot be doubted, as
any one may discover by looking into
the pile of existing publications bear
ing the signatures of scientists, poll
ticians, missionaries of all nationali-
ties, who have Travelled in Ethiopia
and have been eye-witnesses to most
of the instances they describe.
Ethiopia is losing blood from every
pore A fertile territory which re-
quires only systematic work and
some legislative discipline to become
one of the most productive in the
world, it is having its population, al
ready sparse in outlying districts, daily
decimated by the slave trade. The
Ethiopians rule the empire from the
upper tableland, while the people of
Sonali, of Dankali, of Gala, of Kaffa
ito which coffee owes its name) live In
servitude.
Arabs, Negroes, Christians, Mussul-
mans once ranging into millions are
now reduced to a few hundred thou
sand, owing to the periodical raids
made upon them by order Of the native
chiefs, who sell the human booty in
the interior or smuggle it across the
sea to Arabia. Slaves are a tragic
sight to behold. Often, when they
get near a white man, murmur
escapes them: Have mercy, white
man! Have mercy upon us in the
name of God!"
Slave trading may surely be defined
as the most cruel and perfdious enter
prise ever planned by the human
mind. Every year, every month. al
most every day hordes of Savages as
sault entire populations, burning, slay-
ing, kidnapping men, women, girls and
children. They bind them in chains,
beat them, torment them, drag them
naked to the infamous market places
where they are sold like animals.
Bad Treatment Charged.
Sometimes they are put through
such tortures on the endless Journeys
that many die on the way, and others
are SO exhausted by hunger, scourging
and fatigue that they fall and are
left to die.
Slavery in Ethiopia is q disgrace to
the twentieth century. Under Meme
lik the Ethiopian government received
such pressure from societies for the
abolition Of slavery all over the world
that proclamations were issued to re-
press it. But they had no effect, as
one gathers from the ban issued by
the Empress Zauditu upon her acces-
sion to the throne, which ran as fol-
lows:
1.-THE Conquering Lion of Judah, the
Empress Zauditu, daughter of the EN-
peror Menelik, elect Of God, and Ras
Taffari, heir to the throne: The EN-
peror Menelik proclaimed that the
people should not buy or sell slaves,
an order which has often been re-
peated. We wish to confirm it again
herewith. If slaves we're captured in
the past, this was a form of indemnity
for expenses supported in the various
military expeditions provoked by their
rebellions, and to help the work Of
civilization by forcing. them to live
with the Christians. But at present
slaves are being stolen and sold sur
reptitiously whenever possible, and
those who refuse to submit to this i'm
position and be docile are killed. Who
soever shall be caught committing
similar deeds in the future shall be
sentenced to DEATH"
Like the previous ones, this procla-
nation remained q dead letter. Travel
ers have often remarked, however,
that the emancipation of slaves would
be impossible in the present economic,
social and political conditions In
Ethiopia. Local chiefs would have to
CONTINUED onsEighth Page.)