The Coolidge examiner., 1935-08-16

Ethiopian Army Captain
Prepared b. National Geographic Society.
wash.aEtsn. u. -W$u Service
7 THlOrlA. n familiar name In
+ the headlines these days,
L. boasts a long and Imposing
history. The kings Of this ancient
empire are traced from OrI Of 4iTs
y. e. 20 Halle Srlas,Ie the First of
A. u. i935-with time out, natural
ly. from the date Of the Deluge un-
ul the fall OF the Tower of Babel
According 10 tradition the queen Of
Sheba was an Ethiopian. She may
possibly have lived 10 what we now
call Ethiopia. and certainly she In
cludcd Il In her extended domain.
Modern Ethiopia Includes more
than 10000 square miles of the
rich and productive northeastern
African plateau II Is mainly
mountainous region, much broken
by deep valleys Arid. semi-desert
country surrounds Il on every side
II does not touch the sea. although
some Ethiopian feudal chleftains
Ike 10 grasp a marine telescope rs
they pose for n formal photograph.
In the population there are. per
haps. 100000 Christians Of the
true Ethiopian UIamitlc- Semltlc)
type. They are the lnherItors of an
ancient civilization under whose
feudal form ot government are IS.
tlmated 90 De 100000 Moslems and
pugnns. The latter are mainly ne
groes.
The country Is surrounded by AZ
ricau colonial possessions OF Great
Britain, France and Italy. As the
Ethiopia Of Solomon's time. II prob
ably Included all of these adjacent
territories. with an Egyptian from
tier. and that part Of southwestern
Arabia known today as the Yemen
and Iiadhramaut.
There Is IN Ethiopia a very evil
dent mixture OF Asia and Africa.
Some Of the blood came from an.
cient Palestine. some from Arabia,
and some from the shores OF the
Caspian. Authorities do not agree
as 10 the elements In this African
melting pot OF races. But the Ethl-
oplan claims with pride strong
relation 20 the Semltes.
Getting Into Ethiopia.
The front door entrance and port
10 Ethiopia Is DjIboutl. French
Somalland. The French are com
mendably responsible for Djlboud.
Il Is the base OF their 900 mile rail-
way from the coast directly inland
70 Adds Ababa. the Ethiopian cap
ifal This railway Is EthIopla's
only modern connection with the
outside world. DJIboutl IS. there
fore. very important 20 Ethiopia.
II is headquarters for an Ethiopian
consul who gives intending visitors
their yisas.
There are two kinds OF trains
now on the efficient but expensive
little FRANCO Ethiopian railway on
Sunday and Wednesday mornings
train leaves DHbouti to arrive
three days later In Adds Ababa.
Each Tuesday evening departs the
through express" which does the
500 miles in 80 hours. Passengers
can sleep on this fast" train. not
in pullmans, but in adjustable
seats. on the three-day trains
sleeping Is done at little wayslde
hotels the two nights en- route.
The first day Of this railway jour
ney ends usually at six In the aft
ernoon, at Dlredawa, the first town
OF Importance after the train en-
ters Ethiopia. II Is on the fringe
Of a plateau 1000 feet above sea
level aud 200-mlle climb from the
coast. An interesting side trip
from Diredawa Is the old Moham-
medan walled town Of Harar. four
hours away by rough motor trip or
a whole day by muleback. Camels,
horses. or mules are available as a
means OF transportation, but the
mule Is considered the most appro-
pirate for one OF actual or apparent
high station In life.
The second night OF the three-day
train journey is passed on the banks
OF the Awash river, one of the pc
culiar streams Of the world At this
point II Is a swiftly flowing river
in a deep canyon. Rising on the
Ethiopian plateau. II turns north
eastward toward the Red sea, but
loses itself in the Danakil lowlands
short OF its natural destination.
Awash consists mainly Of a small
railway yard, a one-story brick
building housing hotel under
quasi Hellenic management, a scat
tering of native shacks, and many
cats. Food and accommodations
are simple and the most essential
thing is a good mosquito net.
Adds Ababa, the Capital.
The train gets under way again
The next morning at dawn and rolls
through lovely grass and forest
lands, where gallOp many herds Of