OCR Text |
Show - As a continent Africa is the home of a vigorous race of mankind, which, while resisting assimilation with European Euro-pean civilization, defies permanent conquest. con-quest. European travelers, traders, missionaries, mis-sionaries, conquerors, may at their will and at their peril penetrate into this dark sanctuary, but their sojourn is for a day, and on the morrow the faint traces of their passage are obliterated by the exuberant growths of barbarism. Grudgingly as it is sometimes conceded, it is nevertheless a fact that the bulk of the continent of Africa is still untouched by western civilization. I for one cannot can-not believe that Africa will ever be Europeanized or brought within the pale of western progress, for in order that Africa may progress it is absolutely absolute-ly essential tiat it be developed along natural lines, but as yet the inherent powers of native genius have neither been discovered, nor in the absence of any cohesion among native tribes and in view of European rapacity are they, even if discovered, ever likely to bo encouraged en-couraged or fostered. No; Africa is a continent fated to be conquered and exploited ex-ploited by the heirs of civilization, to whom it may pay tribute, but homage never. Nineteenth Century. |