THE HEART OF AFRICA. 



BY 

 E. C. HORE. 



(Abstracts of two Lectures 'presented before the Society March 6 and 

 March 13, 1891.) 



I. 



The subject of Africa and its people has recently become a 

 most interesting and popular one. We are but now beginning 

 to reahze the size and importance of Africa, as we are reminded 

 that it contains nearly one-fourth part of the land area of the 

 world ; that it has mountains at least 1,000 feet higher than the 

 most lofty American peaks ; that the known extent of the Nile 

 and the Congo now make them the rivals of the Yang-tse-Kiang 

 and the Mississippi as the longest rivers in the world ; that its 

 central regions, instead of the great desert blank so long shown 

 on our maps, is a rich and beautiful elevated region, having upon 

 its heights a splendid collection of fresh-water lakes or inland 

 seas, fertilizing by their outflowing streams the 'whole continent ; 

 and that it is known to contain over 250,000,000 peojjle, or 

 about one-seventh part of the world's population. It is called 

 the '' dark continent : " rather should it be called the " new 

 world," in which our interest and responsibilit}^ — political, com- 

 mercial and social — is rapidly growing. 



For purposes of general description, there are three great di- 

 visions of the African continent and its peojjles and affairs : 



The northern division, stamped and characterized — men, man- 

 ners and things — by the orientalism of its conquering settlers, 

 so intimately blended by blood, religion and character with the 

 natives as to have become essentiall_y African, its original peo- 

 ples so thoroughly influenced l^v the incoming foreigners as to 

 be now essentially oriental ; 



The soiithern division, overrun in more modern times by for- 

 eigners of other races, and having its own peculiar civilization 

 and characteristics due to that influx ; and 



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