324 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KKKPEli, 



N^ovember 



AFRICAN PIPES, 



Ihe Bare and Beautiful Collection of so 

 English Gentleman. 



A rare collection of tobacco pipes 

 was exhibited by Mr. Robert Elliott 

 of London at the international to- 

 bacco trade's exhibition in London. 

 The collection comprised over 500 

 specimens from all parts of the 

 world. The London Tobacco Trade 

 Review thus speaks of the most in- 

 teresting of the African tj^pes : 



The first African pipe that came 

 tinder notice was a beautiful piece 

 of work. The stem, three feet in 

 length, is braided with rawhide and 

 ■ornamented with leaves and flowers 

 in gold and silver, while the bowl is 

 ivory mounted. An Ashanti pipe 

 has a stem 43 inches in length, of 

 ■carved wood, bound round for two- 

 thirds of its length with native 

 beaded work. Another Ashanti 

 pipe with a pottery bowl has a stem 

 of 43 inches, bound round with 

 snakeskin, and these maybe regard- 

 ed as magnificent types of native 

 art. A unique specimen is a pipe 

 from Zanzibar. The bowl is of carv- 

 ed pottery, and the stem (60 inches) 

 is plaited round with white and 

 black horsehair. The moathpiece is 

 studded with silver, hammered in, 

 and an immense amount of labor 

 must have been expended in making 

 this pipe. An African pipe with a 

 largo stone bowl was next seen, the 

 stejn being 55 inches long and part- 

 ly bound in rawhide. There were 

 two magnificent Ashanti pipes 

 with stems (37 inches) beautifully 

 beaded their entire length. From 

 the north coast of Africa Mr. Elliott 

 has obtained a pipe, the bowl of 

 which is of bok horn and carved 

 gourd. This is a remarkable speci- 

 men and is typical of the tastes of 

 the natives in that part of Africa. 

 Fearfully and wonderfully made 

 also is an African pipe, the bowl of 

 which is of carved stone weighing 

 about seven ijounds, while the 46 



xncH stem is bound witn rawhide. 



One of the most remarkable speci- 

 mens is an Ashanti pipe, the bowl 

 being of wood carved in the form 

 of a woman'shead. The eyes, tongue 

 and ears are represented by corals. 

 The back of the head is encircled by 

 two rows of beads, in addition to 

 which a pin of coral ornaments the 

 hair. The stem (39 inches) is cov- 

 ered with plaited horsehair. A pipe 

 from the west coast of Africa has a 

 stem 57 inches in length, being of 

 beautifully carved wood formed in 

 sections. From the same district 

 came a pipe, the bowl of which is 

 made from the base of a deer's ant- 

 ler, the stem being bound in raw- 

 hide. There are also some fine pipes 

 with pottery bowls collected on the 

 west coast of Africa, and one Afri- 

 can pipe consisted of a stone bowl 

 with a stem three feet in length, 

 decorated with handsome feathers. 

 The collection of African pipes is 

 unique ami must amply repay Mr. 

 Elliott for the pains he has taken in 

 acquiring it. One Ashanti pipe has 

 a bowl of carved horn, then bound 

 with bead work and ivory, while an- 

 other has a carved bufl'alo horn stem 

 decorated with silver work and 

 beading in a manner which serves 

 to demonstrate the penchant of the 

 natives of that country for articles 

 of an elaborate character, in the 

 making of which a large amount of 

 patience and perseverance has been 

 necessarv. 



Prize Givins In French School.s. 



And while on this general ques- 

 tion of sciiools it occurs to me that 

 the Frenc.j carry out an excellent 

 idea in tijo way of prize giving in 

 their schools. While in this coun- 

 try we give to our school children as 

 rewards of merit a certificate, a 

 medal or a book, the most frequent 

 prize in French schools is a savings 

 bank bonk with a small sum to the 

 credu of ilie prize winner. The sum 

 thus deposited to the pupil's account 



