54 



The Review of Reviews. 



July 1. 1906. 



AN APPEAL TO THE 'FRIENDS OF THE 

 AFRICAN. " 



Bv Dr. Booker 'Washington. 



Dr. Booker Washington, the ablest representative 

 of the coloured men of America, contributes to the 

 hide pendent of Xew York a brief but earnest plea 

 for the summoning of an international council of the 

 friends of Africa. His article is an endorsement of 

 the original appeal made by a young African prince, 

 Monolu Massaquoi, of Gallinas, in the British Pro- 

 tectorate of Sierra Leone, West Africa, who in 1893 

 represented Africa at the World's Parliament of 

 Religions at Chicago. At present he is the hereditary 

 niler of a small African tribe in the hinterland of 

 Sierra Leone. As contact with the white race often 

 brought with it more of evil than of good, Dr. 

 Booker Washington urges the calling together in an 

 international council. " the friends of Africa." 



AX IXTKRXATIOXAL GrARDIAN FOR AFRICANS. 



Dr. Booker Washington explains that : — 



One of the purposes of this international council would be 

 the formation of a permanent society, which should stand. 

 in its relation to the civilised world, as a sort of guardian 

 of the native peoples of Africa, a friendly power, an influ- 

 ence with the public and in the councils where so often, 

 without their presence or knowledge, the destinies of the 

 African peoples and of their territories are discussed and 

 decided. 



HOW IT SHOULD BE (XTN'STITUTED. 



After remarking that it seemed to him a sad and 

 mistaken policy that in making their disposition of 

 -\frica the Powers have not gi\"en more attention to 

 the permanent interests of the native peoples. Dr. 

 Booker Washington says: — 



A permanent international society, which should number 

 among its members scientists, explorers, missionaries, and 

 -all those who are engaged, directly or indirectly, in con- 

 structive worli in .\fric^. could exercise a wise and liberal 

 influence upon the Colonial policy of the European na- 

 tions. By its influence upon international opinion, wliich 

 has often been the only' power in wliich tlie natives 

 have found protection, it could powerfully aid in securing 

 the success of tliose policies wliich aim at the permanent 

 interests of Africa and its people. 



An international council, should it do no more than 

 outline, in opi>osition to the policy of forced labour and 

 ruthless commercial exploitation, some plan for tlie en- 

 couragement and further extension of industrial education 

 in Africa, would have done mucfi to secure the future of 

 what is. whatever its faults, one of the most useful races 

 the world has ever Ijnown. 



As to this proposal I have to say this. First, that 

 the title of the proposed council should be not 

 " Friends of Africa," but " Friends of the African " : 

 secondly, that it would be an intemationalisation of 

 the Aborigines Protection Society: and thirdly, that 

 so long as the King of the Belgians is allowed to 

 devastate the Congo region over which the Powers 

 exercise much greater authority than this Inter- 

 national Council, it is to be feared the new body 

 would not be able to do much good. The idea is an 

 interesting one, and in view of the fierce impatience 

 of our Natal Colonists with Mr. Winston Churchill. 

 it might be worth while to suggest that they may go 

 further and fare worse. Certainly the African stands 

 in sore need of finding other friends than those who 

 profess friendship merely to rob and to enslave. 



THE PREVENTION OF CRIME. 



Wanted — Senior Industrial Schools. 



In Saint- George for April there is a notice of Mr. 

 C. E. B. Russell s work among the lads discharged 

 after short sentences from Strangeways Gaol, Man- 

 chester. 



During the pre\ious three months Mr. Russell had 

 dealt with 160 lads between the ages of sixteen and 

 nineteen. He gave them a new rig-out, and found 

 them work, besides finding them decent lodgings 

 with some senior members of his own Lads' Club. 

 Over 50 per cent, are doing well, and are paying 

 back in weekly instalments the money spent on their 

 new rig-out. 



Mr. Russell advocates the establishment of a 

 senior Industrial School for lads of this class: — 



The present system says to the lad who is unfortunate 

 or undisciplined, " Go to prison, and 20 again for all X 

 care." 



To suggest parental control in the case of a boy over 

 fourteen who is ' living on the town " is absolutely use- 

 less : for sucli a lad parental control does not exist. But 

 if he were sent to a senior industrial school, he would be 

 kept hard at work learning an honest trade; if he behaved 

 well, he would be free under a licence; but if be lost his 

 work again through bad time-keeping, or impudence, or 

 slackness, or whatever cause, back he would go again to 

 the industrial school until he had learnt the lessons of 

 discipline, of hard work, and of getting up in the morn- 

 ing. 



SHAKESPEARE'S BOVS. 



In the April number of Saint George Mr. J. Lewis 

 Paton his an article on Shakespeare's Boys. 



He notes that there have been elaborate studies of 

 Shakespeare's heroes and heroines, fools, villains, 

 and ghosts, but no special study of Shakespeare's 

 boys — there are scarcely any little girls in Shake- 

 speare. He writes: — 



Jfearlr all the boys in Shakespeare are in the tragedies. 

 The presence of yoiing life throws the pathos of tragedy 

 into relief, just as the unstained innocence of childhood 

 throws into relief the hiack horror of sin. 



Xone of Shakespeare's boys are cowards, for there ia Dot 

 an ignoble one among- them, nor is there one who does not 

 show considerable confidence in himself. 



LUCIUS. THE PACxE BOY. 



Paton has an, article on Shakespeare's boys. 



He begins with Brutus's thoughtful treatment of 



Lucius in "Julius Csesar " : — 



This we may take as typical of the way that boys are 

 treated by their seniors in Shakespeare, always cheerfully, 

 always as persons who have rights of their own. and not 

 infrequently with a playful exaggeration of those rights, 

 as though they were much older than they are. mighty 

 warriors or grave-thoughted st-atesmen. It is the proper 

 way to treat boys, that is prophetically, not as seniors 

 among children, but as juniors anions men. It is what 

 Arnold called "the abridging of childhood"; — better any- 

 day the premature man than the overgrown child. 



PEINCE ARTHUR. 



A more important boy's part is that of Arthur: — 



Arthur ^writes Mr. Paton) stands apart from and above 

 all other boys. He inherits from his mother with hig 

 high-strung nature a wonderful gift of utterance: he is a 

 master of words : he has also feeling as well as words; 

 in him. at any rate, a poet dies young. Thoueh he appeals 

 so pileously to Hubert against the cruel blinding irons, 

 he is not afraid to die: or. rather, he is afraid but mas- 

 ters his fear. The paramount quality of Arthur is bis 

 affectionate sensibility for others and that love-banger 

 which always accompanies it. 



