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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1903)
t What Savage Critics Say of Civilization H E'3 Just a poor, unenlightened savage," says the civilised man when he reads In his paper that K .iV'l the Akound of Swart, or lomo SttmiiJ black monarch of Africa, has been making history again by opposing European arms or customs. Then he launches into a stream of criticism of sav age and barbaric races that, to say the least. Is not flattering. There Is another side to the story the savage's opinion of his critic. On the whole he disapproves of his critic as much as the latter disapproves of him. It Is a mistake to suppose that the aver age barbarian who visits a big city like New York or London Is overwhelmed by what he sees. As a rule, he is disgusted. He goes back to his skin tent In the desert ' or his hut In the forest fully convinced that his way of living Is the best, and that "he that ... lncreaseth knowledge Increased sorrow." One of tho most acute critics of civilisa tion who ever visited In London was a Bedouin sheikh named Nicola Eyoub Tama. He was born and brought up In the Sahara, and the fierce, free life of the desert was bred In his bones. But as a youth he was taken to Cairo and educated at a Mahommedan college there, after wards spending five years at the universi ties of Heldleberg and Oxford. He spoke Arabic, Turkish, Greek, German, French, English, Spanish and Persian fluently, and nowhere could a cleverer or more versatile man be found. Knowing civilization and barbarism thoroughly, he chose the latter and returned to his tribe to spend his life in the Sahara In preference to European cities. At dinner In London one evening, Just before he returned to Africa, he was asked: "What do ou think of European civilisa tion?" "I would rather not say," he replied. am eating your salt and dwelling in your tents. It would be discourteous to criticise you." But he was urged to speak. "Oh, go ahead, old fellow," said his hosts. "Tell us of our faults. Don't mind being candid." "Well, then," he began, "I came to Eu rope with an open mind, expecting to see much to admire. I have been bitterly dls appointed. Your system of life Is all wrong. In my eyes." "How's that?" he was asked, and he an swered: "Once, according to the legends of my tribe, there was a wealthy sheikh wh said: 'I will not live In a tent like my fathers. I will build me a mighty palace that all men shall see and admire.' So be spent his life gathering marble and stone with vast toll and cost, and built his pal ace In the middle of tho desert. It was thO work of his whole life, and, In order to finish it, he hud to sell his slaves and hi camels and waste all his treasure. "At last It was finished, and he, a de crepit old man, said: 'Now I will dwell therein, and all men shall do me honor. But Allah caused the Blrocco to blow, and in the twinkling of an eye the man and his palace were burled forever beneath the sands of the desert. "That M your civilisation," proceeded tha sheikh, after a pause. "You toll and strive and worry and struggle and lose all the Joy and beauty of life dwelling in smoky cities for what? That you may become wealthy or famous. Usually you fall. If you succeed, you find your success worts nothing. You are too old to enjoy; you have wasted all your power of enjoyment. ' "Your civilization, is a marvel of lngenu- It', I admit, but it Is also a monument of J wasted effort. You do not make a ma chine, because It will be a wonderful piece of mechanism; you make It to do some thing. It Is made to fulfil a purpose, and Its mechanical ingenuity is merely IncU dental. "But your greatest machine civilisation- Is different. IU process- are wonderful, no doubt, but it serves no useful purpose. It Is a colossal waste of-effort and clever nessas if I were to build a steamship la the middle of the Sahara. "The - only Justification of civilisation would be that It made mankind happier. It does not. So far as I can Judge, the Bedouin is a far happier man than the Londoner. What can a man know of hap piness when he lives In a tfny garret, tolls all day in a stuffy office or a filthy work hop, and Is afraid to strike a bullying . foreman lest he should lose his Job? "Civilisation has made you all slaves to one another, and therefore civilization Is a falltre. It you are not slaves to an em ployer, you are chained to a telephone or a telegraph wire or a stock exchange ticker. "Yesterday I was asked to speak at a meeting of the Anti-Slavery society, called to protest against s!avery In Africa! The meanest slave there Is freer than your busi ness man In London. If you want to see slavery, don't go to barbarian lands. Looic around you In your own cities. All the In- ' stltutlons of civilisation are nothing but chains and fetters. "Do you remember tho Frenchman whe ( aid: 'I! faut savior garder l'independence du coeur?" A civilised man can't do that I am going back to my people. I am going to become what you call a barbarian again, simply because I want to be free." Much the same views were expressed by King Khama, the famous Christian chief tain of South Africa, when be visited England. "It Is very wonderful," he said. "I gaze with awe on your steamships and railways, your cities and your machines. But what Is the use of them? Do they m.ike you any happier or any better? I think not. They seem to me to give you no time to think ? . -Aim' ... --"S SOLDIERS' MONUMENT SOON TO BE UNVEILED AT TECUMSEH BY THE VETERANS OF JOHNSON COUNTY. or to live. I think our simpler way of tir ing Is better. At all events, we are freer than you. We do not have to work and worry as you do." The moral, social and legal features of civilisation do not meet with barbarian ap proval, and the relations that are main tained between tho sexes are regarded as ridiculous. An English doctor named James Alfred Gray, who served for several years In Afghanistan as court surgeon to the late Ameer, had an Afghan nobleman named Amln Ullah, when discussing English cus toms with him one day, say: "I don't think It Is right for Englishmen to sell their wtves." "nut they don't," exclaimed Dr. Gray, la surprise. 'Tardon me, my friend," said the Afghan, reproachfully, "but you know they do, and, moreover, It Is published In the newspapers when they do so." "What on earth do you mean?" asked the doctor. "I mean this. An English woman be comes tired of her husband and prefer another to him. The man who Is preferred Is called the co-respondent. Straightway the three of them go before the kasl (mag istrate) and after much discussion It Is de cided at what price the co-respondent shall buy the woman. The money Is then paid to the husband, and tho shameful story la told In the newspapers. Is that not true!" This way of looking at civilized divorce gave Dr. Gray a shock. He tried to exs plain that It was true, but .not quite the whole truth. But the Afghan thought the payment of money for alienation of affec tions very improper. ' "What!" he cried. "Take money as the price of your wife's dishonor, and let her go to the other man! It Is abomlnablel People of my race act differently. If a wife prefers another man, the husband kills both. of them and washes his honor clean. That's the proper way." When the Shnhsada Nasrullan Khan, the late ameer's second son, visited England some years ago, King Edward then prince of Wales took Immense pains to Impress him with the wonders of English civilisa tion. Naturally ho wanted Nasrullah to go back to his father and tell him what a marvelous country England was, and how necessary It was for Afghanistan to re main friendly with It. The prince failed utterly. Nasrullah was disgusted with the way things are man aged In England. According to an English man, who was In Kabul when he returned, he told the ameer In open durbar: "Behold, It Is a country of fools! W can learn little from England save what to avoid. The queen and the princes have less power than the eunuchs of your harem. They do not govern the empire. Scorning the decrees of Allah, the rulers of the land are chosen by hordes of tho low-born the peasants, the pariahs, the weavers and the smiths as If. a horse should say, 1 will have this rider and no other.' " "But," said the ameer, "they have won derful inventions steamships, telegraphs, railways, guns." "Aye," said. Nasrullah, "but they only (Continued on Page Fifteen.) 7 V ! 4 rx. ' - .. ; A . - ' I ' 1. i V.. MR. EMIL BHANDE1S AUTOMOUILK HAS MESSRS. WEBBEIt AND FIELD Atf GUiJ3TS FOP. A EWiFT It UN IN HIS NEW
