Show 0 V A 14 4 ael ia ak J EA IMP jr kli IN T MIMI 4 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 M a A I 1 V I 1 A I 1 1 I 11 it if ii ae 4 y tal fa xa mountaineers meers of senegal prepared by the iho Nit lonal society washington D C senegal brought into because of nt the thousands 0 of senegalese who isho as soldiers and laborers assisted the french lit in the world war waris is the gateway and duain trade route to lo frances radices rat ices west african possessions pos egions til in that country mid ind lit n the regions to the east in flold almost undisputed sway and front liere some observers declare there Is 1 like that tills this religion will axcel southward lint tile great majority of african natives nil will I 1 I 1 become moslems in ill name at leat least on its west est or Athin atlantic tle cost senegal may be said to mark the beginning of tah teat teal aar africa aca the hot moist dark continent contil lelit peopled aith negroes for northern africa Is to a large extent desert esert i and Is the land arid of arab and berber or moor As one steams down tile the atlantic coast of africa leaning alig le the last of the perennial streams str of morocco lie skirts a forbidding desert const coast without a perman permanent lot stream for 1800 miles the first large stream encountered is the senegal emptying into tle sea se a through a system ys or of lakes and lagoons navigable nai gable during the inina season tor for GOO CUO miles inland tills was naturally one of the best trade routes into the interior of africa and by bv the construction conis st of a I 1 railroad from froin the hie rivers rive Is rapids to a point miles faither tait lier inland it has lias been made still better real control by france Is recent tile the foothold of france in senegal dates from tile the days of richelieu in port fort st louis was as established as a trading post at tile the mouth illguth of the hie senegal riser france could point to LO little more than the maintenance of coast stations in ili this region hofener howe ho weNer vcr until 1 relatively recent times it was wag not until near the middle of the nineteenth century that there was an anything like an aggressive effort to consolidate senegal under F rench french control ilow how great tile lie progress lias hast been since that time is indicated by the fact that there are now non four self municipal communes in senegal and they Jo jointly Itly send a deputy to abe reach french F chamber lia tuber in parts paris tile portion oll of senegal selleg which may bo be regarded as having pla progressed hesed re sed tar far toward becoming ille algera alger a a I 1 part of france is small embracing less llian all 1010 square miles and having 0 population of only 11 few hundred thousand ands the remainder of senegal sebie with lilt an area of more thin than square miles consists of native under freigh protection and under the supervision super vilon of resident agents situated botwen tb elt africa arid and moist tropical africa senegal is not unnaturally a region of mixed races As one oie advances front from the north the lie senegal riv river er marks tile lie firt e encounter nith negro tribes as it marks tile the end of the desert and its fringe of semi desert on the north side of the river dwell diell people of iler ik r ber cr stock swarthy swart liy straight harreil straight bol cosed ed to the south of tile aher ON tile the tribes iary ary much in appo appearance arance but practically black or dark clinco nil all are negroes late colored ath with broad flat noses and kinky hai close loe to tile coast are the members of tile the tribe who are usually ilu nily regarded as typically senegal senega be the blackest blacke bt said to e ese ee e abey tire even their lips are 1 known degroen ue groes black the people of tills tribe are particularly loyal tt ti the french and numbers as soldiers SO 1 have servel served in large lare wise methods of administration senegal as indeed in administering in administering nil all tier art african lean possessions depended on oil tact has ses slora france lier her offic officials lais no force rather than on chiefs but also only recognize native the treat them with consideration the rulers are at e presented of greatest aren t e st with inith duame gifts which of france Fr ulice arid and alid wealth power the taken to I 1 urn lb gome of tle the aders haders h aro arc of the is s guests french adamini administrators orators have earned the gratitude of the he large and anflin n oaf bial trading class ili africa by breaking up tip brigandage and policing tile caravan routes the moslems are all grateful because of the fench policy which lias has insured prilley pr acty to the mosques and barenis lia renis anel lias has permit tell eil them to continue the r schools and colleges and in some eases discs has even sub subsidized IdI zed such institutions nut ent though france has permitted moslem schools to be carried on slie she lias has riot not lett left all schooling to the mo hamm edans public schools have been established in senegal and elsewhere in in the west african possessions in which children of the various races tribes arid and re religions Eglons are arc taught in french at present these schools reach only a few thousand children in senegal e but the system is being extended is as r rapidly as possible excellent roads have been built by the hie french lit in senegal connecting the various towns and supplementing the river and rall rail routes to the sea coast dakar which is situated under the lee of cape verde the westernmost pointon point of land in africa Is tile the best port on the whole west coast and almost the only port on that coast at which ocean fcc ucc an going vessels can tle tie up alongside alonga a quay protected from aroi a the surf As a result the commerce of the port Is heavy and the alie trade route to the east cast sta starting arting there is used to distribute asid and collect supplies to and from extensive regions in the interior dakar Is the seat of administration for all french west africa and lias has a larger european population about than tiny any other town in senegal or the neighboring countries no place for white men senegal is not it white mans country lecaue e of its climatic conditions it is unhealthful tor for Europe europeans aLls and probably always will be the french recognize reiO onze tills this and have made no efforts to co colonize the country the european population Is made up ill almost entirely tf of orators of var various ion kinds and traders tills this situation has made necessary the french pill plan ut of tin the country largely on the basis of native nathe states under protection although cattle raising on the grassy plains of the upper senegal lias has long been the chef industry agriculture ling lias attained a I 1 plate of greater ahli imbor lance in ill recent years the principal prin elpa article ill export export is tile peanut an and considerable amounts tS of other othe oil heeds deeds oils hides rubber timber timbe anil and cucu cocoa i also are sent out senegal ships largo large quan quantities titles of kola or cola nuts thee ire are vaten faten by the natives throughout western eb teru africa arid and even in ill the more remote parts 1 arts of tile continent because of their stimulating qualities cotton grows wild nud and its prodoc lion might be ninde made into an important senegal senegalese e hidu industry stry iiii for the habits habit to of tile lie ilat natives fies the they are unwilling lug to engage lit in tile cultivation of a crop re dequiles quiles ulies considerable steady shork and it u rel iiii hely elv long on wait tor for maturity they prefer to rale ral e such crops as peanuts and willet millet which re quire little attention between planting and harvest while there aie a few tribes of tia na tia tives e 10 a tin till outlying portions is 0 of f senegal 9 at ahoe In members embers practice fetish worship vor ship tile gielbt majority of the inhabitants of tile the country profess tills this religion was introduced both by tile the berbers or moors M from tile north and by nearly pure negroes alto came front from the west at about the thirteenth century and set up the powerful sultanate of S some ome of tile the tribes of senegal are apparently staunch gedons but others are only nomina nim lna followers of tho the prophet preserving their supers superstitions and pagan tices cices much ns its nominal christians pon con 1 I to 1 holi hold to to such imich ir it ii rill europe roye during the dart agea |