The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 6, 1898, Page 18

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, UNDAY, [ARCH 6, 1898. BISHOP TAYLOR'S LIFE WORK AS A MISSIONARY IN AFRICA. MISSIONARY MARY KILDARE | KILLING THE [ B0A CONSTRICTER. i HAVE been fifty-five years in ac- | tinued to labor in ‘ : { tive ministry, without an idle day, with the same earnestness and devo- | congregativ 00 converts, all ‘ i rhic ~harac d h ntire | brought fror very wild, heathen and I n now trying to learn how tion which characterizec is el | > 2 i Re Al AR y R e , * he | country through personal Instru to rest.” So says . the venerable | ministerial career, and even now he| o0, o Bishop William ylor, who has | feels that after a short period o€ \G0e- | .y work has extended from Liberia rned to his home in Oakland, | eSS he Wil re-enter the - in the north to Cape Colony, Transkei, n ¢ in South | 2 3 Natal and into the Transv. he has labored for the ;-two years for the conver- | experiences. heathen. dds, with a touch of | establishment that t present that he ever i it is plain that the man who has >d war against Satan in the midst uncivilized of rors and dangers of sav- & lands and. savage \people’findsiliavesncreased to 50,000, even a brief period of enforced inac- his life, but since then he has con-! 1t is difficult to induce the Bishop to speak of himself or his own personal His Interest in the spiritual side of the missions’ and growth, side of life in that far-off and Z country upon him very slightly. | “When I first in 1866, he said, “the Wesleya a natfve membership of 8000; now they | it was thought that the natives were incapable of becoming ministers, and now more than fifty native preachers, | WORKING THROUGH THE TALL GRASS MILE AFTER MILE. his especial field | and Pa is entirely only companions. nd the : by work from the coast impressed itself the to be through horses of the way v Sy rica went' to South Af otyhe v s had way along, as the grass At that time { the head with a’|a folding affair, which could be set up I have traveled 3000 miles from mission ission on one trip, making the en- | ance on foot, with two natlyes | The missions | inland and the journey from one to the other is zig- , part through jungles and the re tall had. If there were they could not make their s over ten feet high and the only roads are the narrow paths where the grass | are worn out by the naked feet of na- | “One of the natives carried my bed, | in civilized fashion at night, as sleep- ta the health of white | other car being lightly clad we made miles a day comfortably. persons. | ten ‘heard the and heard tale the depredations of lions and other turbed. I put myself in the care of my st | and soundly every night as if I were in my own home in California. ““The ‘villagers are extremely kind to peRsons traveling as we did. gras: roots | wives work it, raising yams and such | things. Then all the men work togeth- | 0o, e o only onas M et A B held | five travelers. These paths are just | er, and clear a tract which they call ago this well beloved mis- | such a posiion. 08 nAME Wee Cop | the width of ome man's track. The | ‘the stranger's farm,’ and this is given et preacher here in San | BO8% SO0 s Ditine myetst ; comfortable wide paths are those | into the charge of the King’s head wife, ) from 1849 to 18i | trip a Zulu Kafir, Pamla by name, 2 found which have been| who is always the one he married first | o Oficial work, as he was | Sp & Zu K eter for seven |made by some elephant forcing his|and the mother of the heir. This queen | settlement. and it was thought that he| months, and finally became a very | W&y through in search of food or | cares for the land, and raises all she as entitled to rest for the remainder | able minister of the gospel. There are water. can upon it, and the produce is re- served for the sp guests. “A stranger ing’ on the ground is very detrimental | brought before the king and strictly in- | The | terrogated as to himself, his home, his | ied a supply of food, and | business and his destination. The re- We carried | gver to the care of the queen, | no arms whatever, and though we of- | lodges him In ‘the stranger's house,” a eopards bark mnear by | house reserved for such as from village people Oli ser\l'es him with three good meals a day a : fierce wild animals, we were never dis- | cga:glgisafng;e(gggsgi S;el;ee:]gh;re ex- | pected. Maker and went to sleep comfortably | Sne;egut in the case of a traveler who | | comes with a large retinue, with goods | | and guns and such things the attitude | of the king is different. It is the | what is asked ‘and paid for, custom in every village for each man | tribute and presents whenever there is to clear a place for cultivation, and his | the slightest possibility of his demands | being complied with. { “The native villages are composed of circular mud huts, with sharply slop- ing thatched roofs, set about irregular- ly, with an open space for ceremonial oceasions reserved in some part of the dwellings for defense is always built a s Te- | high and impenetrable fence composed 1 use of the king’s | of stakes driven Into the ground and | dation, and he speaks with OF THE KING. Son et asking hospitality is | forests. to pull up easily. he, and It is hospitality, pure and sim+ | heathen priests and He gives only nd exacts been changed. effect has been to | more Arcund this collection of | tribes.” | forming a thick wall tied together with the long snakelike vines which are a strong and tough natural rope to be had for the gathering anywhere in the e | i There is only wenty | plies being satisfactory, he is turned | place in this fence, and that is where who | some of the stakes are so arranged as “The native religion is not idolatrous, as they have no real idols, but they do have symbols which they revere and are under the control of ‘devil Christianized natives were formerly so persecuted by their tribes s the custom to receive them at the issions and allow them to make their | homes there, but of late years this has | A “There are still instances of perse- | might have o A Som "C‘;;‘f,‘er'zgsd‘;‘;ee:‘;h"“shl best to | Bishop, laughing at the remembrance. | selves more than formerly and remain with their own people, and the general secure onsideration and respect in the | sixteenth, a volume of 800 pages, con- RESCUING A NATIVE WOMAH FROM THE "DEVIL DOCTORS. praise of Miss Mary Kildare, who i the founder and present superintendent | of a mission at the mouth of the Congo. | This lady has been in her chosen work | for years and has done much good, | both spiritually and materially, among the natives. She is a large, strong wo- | man and afraid of nothing, going alone into the settlements and rescuing vic- tims of the *“devil doctors” even after artistic chalk lines to be followed by the swordsman in the pleasing process of carving them alive have been marked on their helpless bodles, and fighting an enormous boa constrictor single-handed with an ax and coming off victor. ./ “The boa constrictor was in her hen ouse swallowing a hen and had not | got it comfortably down or else there been trouble,” says the one entrance strictly doctors.” eople that it upon them- | “pegides traveling and preaching and attending to the muitifarious duties of his position, Bishop Taylor has written them | ang” published fifteen books and the for | taining the story of his lite, has just Of his fellow-missionaries the Bishop | made its appearance and bids fair to has only words of the highest commen- | be the most popular of his literary especial ' works. L HOUGHTFUL people all over the West, and par- rt of California, are discuss- f the State’s future prospects. problem, for it affects the welfare of all who w reside within its borders, particu- larly the condition of the rising generation. Here are the opinions of some of the leading ed- itors of the State on the questions: ey ticular ing the It is a inevery r question The greatest need of the State to-day is the subdivi- sion of the large land hold- ings within its borders and the settlement thereon of everal thousand families ym the Eastern States. in my opinion, rs nearly, if not ich is the need of busi- y taking a more dctive to and controlling the all parties, and by so rowding out the ward héelers, the convicts and E: nent who have under the man- £ ipt bosses controlled the politics of ; the detriment of its people. ds that might be mentioned that would advance the best interests of the f men of more energy and public s of the State. The mneed of ss yellow journalism in our met- The need of less taxation and a more The need oA McCRANEY, | £ greatest s great Other tend to L State a -n and less sales typewriters; the need of more tisans, less lawyers, doctors and professional men. . PO To the Editor of The Call: The greatest need of the | state to-day is an intelli- | gent development of her agricultural resources. | These resources are practi- _ | cany umimited. The State can be made to furnish food and clothing in great abundance for the entire present population of the United States, with enough to sell to bring in all the foreign luxuries the wildest fancy could desire. to farmers and realize $1000 an acre. WILL S. GREEN, Editor COLUSA SUN. knocked it all over. Now the first great, crying need of California is a system of irrigation. We have great varteys of mag- nificent land, with climate unexcelled in the world, and these valleys are bordered around with mountains adown whose sides flow the life-giving water. An in- significant amount of labor will put the land and the flimsy pretex water together, with a result more astounding than , any Arabian tale; and all that is wanted is intelli- gence enough to make a system. Is it in California? s i s “What is California’s =% i greatest need at present?” H. H. RICHMOND, Cheap transportation, which can only be accomplished by Editor | the opening of competitive | AUBURN ARGUS. | lines of transportation. I | make no fight against the = = Southern Pacific Company. It is very natural for that corporation to control transportation as long as it Is possible to do so. California should have been at the very front in any plan that will secure the early completion of the Nicaragua Canal. San Franc b, of all cities under the sun, is the most interested In its completion. Her competitors are awake, and every opportunity for di- verting trade to Puget Sound and Victoria are being She should remember that these great compa- nies have the strongest naval power of the world to back them. San Francisco, by assuming the aggres. sive In the completion of the canal, assures to herself a monopoly of the trade that. would inevitably result from its completion. As to California itself, she should not rest till a union of the Sarta Fe system with the San Joaquin WValley and San Francisco Railroad Company gives her an active competitive line of transportation. Every new line by the very nature of things builds up addi- tional feeders. The Vanderbilt combination, by the late purchase of the Union Pacific Railroad and the pontrol of the northwestern branch, now has a through line to the coast, but that combination will probably not rest till it has control ¢f a through line to San Francisco. S I speak of these things not as an enemy of the present transportation lines. On the contrary, I have always been friendly to them, but the destiny of the State should always stand foremost in the mind of its real friends. I have so many times seen our leading fruit-growers paying actual freight balances for the privilege of sending fruits to Eastern markets that the thing is becoming monotonou: There is not a city of the size of San Francisco in used. the United States or in Europe that has not all the way from two to twenty competitive lines of trans- portation centering in them, and why should our me- tropolis be an exception? Let us have a little of Chicago’s energy. She never hesitates in giving room for terminal facilities, and the Bay City actually disputed the original right of the Scuthern Pacific Company for such facilities. California’s greatest nresent mecessity is competi- tive lines of transportstion and, the resulting cheap rates. « v “What is the Greatest Need of the State To-day?” In E. P. CLARKE, one word, MONEY. I do not Editor mean by this the free coinage i 3 of 16 to 1 silver dollars, but | RIVERSIDE DAILY PRESS. | tha influx of capital for the development of our resources. Half a century ago Cali- fornia was the golden El Dorado, the land of promise, whither the poor might come and pick up gold. What we needed then was men; the money was here for those who would brave the hardships of the trip across the plains or around the cape. But those days are no more, and our need to-day is not for poor men who come here to make fortunes, but for rich men wvho come here to spend fortunes. Perhaps that may be putting the case too strongly, but in my judgment the immigration we should bid for is that of people who have some capital. We do not need pioneers to take up raw land and set out fruit trees—there is danger of overproduction now. We need settlers, not rich necessarily, but with sufficient means to buy one of the orchards already planted and give it a more intensive cultivation. We do not need more fruit farms as much as we need better treat- ment of those we have, and a more skillful handling of their products. We need a greater diversification of our influstries, such as capital would make possible; more dairy farms, more beet farms, more sugar factories, more development of our latent mineral resources, moreelec- tric power plants that will furnish cheap power for manufacturing, and link our towns with electric roads; a railrcad from Southern California to Utah—a mul- titude of things that capital alone can bring us. To the secker after a home in our matchless cli- mate and a place to invest the money he has earned in a harsher clime, we reach out the glad hand; and it is full of good opportunities for lucrative and le- gitimate investment. ST The greatest need of Cali- | fornia to-day is hearty, intel- W. A. CROW, | ligent co-operation of its peo- ' Editor | ple. Possessing, as it does, every natural advantage, ‘REDWQOD CITY DEMOCRAT | there is no reason why it | | sheuld not occupy the front RT3 rank among States in all that lends to render habitation desirable if Californians will but direct their energies in an united effort to promote gnd upbuild its wonderful rescurces and magnificent institutions. There is nothing the matter with California but dry rot and the proneness of sections to decry enterprise and progressive action on the part of other localities. With mineral possibilities unlimited and bank vaults filled with idle capital, gold seekers are leaving in large numbers for a clime fraught with discomfort, hardships and danger, when a judicious application of such capital would cause California’s Mother Lode to vield her vast treasures and furnish employment to thousands in a climate where life is rendered worth living. Tt séenis as if the capftalists of California are not only lacking in judgment, but also in patriotism. 'The State is still practically a virgin field for investment, and it is inexplicable that our men of money do not seem to realize it. The energetic, industrious, broad- minded, enterprising men of the Staté are, unfortu- nately, handicapped by the lack of means, the posses- sion of which would enable them to accomplish won- ders for the State. California has the capital; she has-the men. What a pity that they cannot unite in the common cause! S I The greatest need of the State to-day is- more manu- factories, to convert into mer- chandise the raw material grown here, much of which is now shipped out of the State to return to it a finished prod- Editor ' G. M. FRANCIS, | NAPA REGISTER. uct. This need satisfied, the 1,500,00"f population of our State would be many times multiplied, large land-hold- ings would be the exception rather than the rule, and a higher state of soil tillage would prevail. An increased acreage of sugar beets and a more general cultivation of flax would give direct employ- NEEDS OF CALIFORNIA. By CALIFORNIA EDITORS ment to a large agricultural as well as manufactur- ing population, and a multiplication of the mills now filled with workers in woolen goods, gloves, footwear, etc, would promote thrift, swell the great army of money-earning consumers, and insure to the farmer a nearer and better market for his produce. For the fabrics of our factories there is a constantly widening market. With the riches of Alaska uncov- ered and the gold fields of the Northwgst Territory open tc the world, the demand for mprq);xhhneslh fornia becomes more imperative- MucH of the wealth taken the next few years out of the Klondike this State may have and hold, if her people will put a proper estimate upon and make right use of their nat- ural advantages. I have been speaking of material things. Were I to hint at the State’s greatest need from a literary and moral standpoint, I would say it needs less of “yellow” in its metropolitan journalism. o The greatest need of Cali- fornia to-day is a broader spirit among her citizens, which would lead to a keener appreciation of her material necessities and natural ad- vantages, and a more wide- spread desire to work togeth- W. A. BEARD, Editor OROVILLE MERCURY. er for the common good. The varied resources of the Golden State lead to a wide variety of industries, each one of which is prone to consider its own special need as the great need of the whole. There are also differences of opinion within the ranks of those interested in the same lines of industry, and while differences of opinion are to be welcomed they are more profitable when the opin- fons are not held so tenaclously as to become preju- dices. Other elements of discord are the cry in the State of the south against the north and vice versa, and the clash between city and country, especially between San Francisco and the interior. The interests of the separate industries and of the different communities lie closer together than the majority of people are aware, and when our people become broad enough in their ideas to grasp this fact the material needs of Cali- fornia will quickly be supplied and her wealth of nat- ural resources reach the highest stage of development. e s et It is doubtfu! if our best conjurers and most tal- ented tricksters can, in their marvelous performances, excel scme of the Hindu tricks, which show the remarkable skill of these ma- These Chinamen used both irrigation and fertilization—in other words, intel- ligence. The State is nearly all arid or semi-arid, and needs an intelligent use of water for irrigation. We have no system of irrigation, and that fact is a libel on our intelligence as a peo- le. DVVhen water was first diverted from streams for this purpose there were those who applied to the courts for the enforcement of what 1s known as ri- parian rights—which means that the man at the mouth of the river has a right to see all the water go by him undiminished In quantity and unpol- luted in quality. This conflict went on for years, and millions of property rights were built on no better foundation than the suf- france of the man down the stream, or at best on shotgun law. Men from one end ¢f the State to the other worried over this condition and met in conven- ) devise a way out of the diffi- and finally it was agreed to ask the Legislature to create districts with the powers of a public corporation, 8o as to bring every claimant into court and have his damages assessed. From 1884 to 1887 this phase of the problem was discussed more than all other questions combined. In 1885 a commit- tee appointed by a convention held in Fresno prepared with great care a dis- trict bill that passed the Assembly, but it was defeated by the use of money In the Senate. Other conventions were held an extra session of the Legis- lature was culled, but the proper amount of intelligence or patriotism or honesty was lacking and it came to naught. Public opinion. however, has crystal- Jized in favor of theg district system, and at the session of 1887 there was no opposition to a district bill. Tt was most unfortunate that the same bill was not passed, but one was passed which, though very crude, was correct in principle. But it was not destined to go into operation without the old enemy ap- pearing against it. The large land- owners, who wanted to oi.n the water as well, had the ear of the banks and the money power. Thé bonds were at- tacked before issued.and thoughtless men everywhere Wwere urged to oppose it. The courts at first sustained the system, but finally, on the most ILOTI has made his appearance in America unclalmed by the press agent or unheralded by reputation. ingthingsabout him is that his hair, about which there is positively noth- ing remarkable, is trimmed in the con- ventional way regularly every two weeks. There are, however, many striking phy- sical charaeteristics which are real in- dications of power. as a matter of fact few people know just what the physical requirements of a great musical genlus really are. SILOTI'S WARVELOUS REACH OF TWELVE AND A HALF KEYS. European One of the most strik- and four and a half notes. musician is very well able to strike a full octave. ‘This and hence his rapidity and ease. strike notes so fast, in runnii for instance, that it is impossil ear to distinguish them. the han It is probable that This artist's hand is so formed that it can spread itself over a greater num- ber of keys on the piano than any hand ever seen in the country. Siloti can reach fwelve and a half notes, or an octave The average satisfied to be extraordinary reach of makes it possible for Siloti to strike a remarkable range and variety of octaves, He can \the scale e for the of The fingers of seans s d are remarkably long and the hand is an exceedingly powerful one. And, In spite of its great u?:ngm and size, it is as flexible and soft as a baby’s. One of the most interesting c. the tests made was the measurement of the strength of the muscles of tne inner hand. It s the strength of these muscles which gives cleanness and decision to the touch, as well as rapidity and ease. Great pian- ists always have very powerful hands. It is said that Paderewski could crush an ordin hand_in his grasp and other feats which would discredit most so-called strong men. e exact strength 's hand was determined by means of an anthropometric instrument. by which the exact pressure exerted is course hand. recorded on a dial with perfect accuracy. The instrument used in this case had been employed for the shortly before in testing the strength of applicants for the police force. In these tests the average pressure of the hand was from sixty to sevent; pressed the liftle mechanism till it regis- tered ninety-five pounds without appar- ently exerting more force, than he would in striking a_difficult octave. erform of his b showed an inch longer than those%of a normal The- great musician's thirty-seven years dii as Iron. Strong . same purpose evidence ot ‘was the pup enius. companion of the pounds. Siloti in his practicing. and, which was next taken, that his fingers are about half is a very simple . fond of the i, form of ex life of about been uneventful, judged by ordinary standards. ‘He com- menced his musical studies at the age of 8§ years, and at the very beginning gave For three years he and private secretlr{‘ and reat composer Liszt. Afterward he studied under Nicholas Rubinsteln and Tschaikowsky. Like all great musicians, he Is tireless He dogs most of his practice work during the sprin mer months, when he regularly devotes five or six hours dally to the work. at home he teaches a few pupils. eyel ‘:I. llll .axc&odlgg}y e, which is the y he takes. gicians. Probably the most wonderful trick which the Hindu magician can per- form is that of the mango tree. He can literally make a bush tree grow be- fore your very eves to the height of three feet in the course of five minutes. All he equips himself with is a hand- bag containir~ a skull and burned bones and other mystic symbols. Squatting on the ground cross-legged with his bag beside him and a pot con- taining earth from which he is sup- posed to produce the plant, he sets to work. He spreads the earth out on a mat before him. He then draws out the skull, some bones, a water bottle of unique design, a small cutting from a plant and a perforated box containing a powder. He then hands the bag to the onlookers, asking them to examine it. Placing the slip in the earth so that it cannot be seen, he sprinkles carefully over it the powder of the tree. Passing his wand over it three or four times he mutters some Hindu incantation, covering the whole with a red cloth, 80 that the wrists of his hands only are to be seen. After a few seconds he removes the cloth and sprinkles more water. Then, covering it again, he sings to in Hindustani. He soon, however, throws back the cloth, when two separaté sprouts are to be seen, each fully five inches high. Covering the plants again, the Hindu magician repeats his modus operandi, going through the same ceremonies, and when he at last throws back the cloth, behold standing before your gaze - are two plants three feet in height. If you feel the leaves they are soft and velvety, and apparently full of life and vigor, and in addition, the pl;'%u possess roots. All this, however, has been accom- plished by the sleight-of-hand trick. The object of taking out the skull and bones from the bag, which play no part in the performance at all, is to draw the attention away from the bag where the plants are carefully wnppm" in a large handkerchief, in such a way that they can be released whenever de- sired. Then, at the opportune moment the magiclan transfers them to the skirt of his gown. When he reaches ;ol'"‘ alhthe{h the wI:!er-lRulo or the pow- ler, he then ces the pla; - R P! plants under and sum- en His life |