Methods of Exploration in Africa 



409 



ion of a community, and, in fact, of the 

 world at large, is constantly subject to 

 modification, sometimes for reasons ob- 

 vious to all, sometimes as a result of in- 

 fluences more subtle and obscure. 



Such being the case, I recommend to 

 the consideration of the Congress a 

 principle which I submit is inseparably 

 wrapped up with the best interests of 

 geographical research in the Africa of 

 today— a principle which hitherto has 

 received but little attention at the hands 

 of geographers at large, and still less, if 

 any at all, by the general public. 



In the school days of most of us an 

 intelligent boy could acquire in a few 

 hours all that was to be learned from the 

 map of Africa — a huge yellow continent 

 fringed by a coast-line, on which alone 

 was to be found any information of a 

 definite nature. The life-long labors, 

 the enthusiasm, and the splendid suc- 

 cesses of David Livingstone were already 

 awakening throughout the world a la- 

 tent interest in a continent the interior 

 of which was better known in the days 

 of Ptolemy than during the boyhood of 

 our own fathers. 



The development of a great and at- 

 tractive idea is seldom allowed to lapse 

 with the life of the initiator. 



Thus the career of Livingstone sowed 

 the seeds of other careers and added 

 to the history of progressive civiliza- 

 tion illustrious names which will retain 

 their luster until the world forgets 

 the meaning of the word manhood. 

 The last of this first generation of emi- 

 nent modern explorers died only a few 

 months ago, and has left on record a 

 career scarcely less remarkable for ob- 

 stacles met and overcome than for the 

 importance of the political and geo- 

 graphical results springing from it. 



The exploration of an unknown con- 

 tinent, such as was Africa two genera- 

 tions ago, must necessarily proceed by 

 stages. First, the main features of the 

 continent must be discovered — its gen- 

 eral physical construction, the main 

 river systems, the character of the in- 



habitants, and so forth. In fact, a 

 general knowledge of what the conti- 

 nent contains must be acquired. To 

 attain this object it is necessary that ex- 

 peditions should dive deep into the 

 depths of the unknown, should draw on 

 the map long lines which will intersect 

 what may be described as the main 

 skeleton and arteries of the body to be 

 constructed. 



With Stanley's last great trip across 

 the continent this stage was practically 

 developed, and the time had arrived 

 when, in my humble opinion, the second 

 stage was ripe for development, when 

 the smaller bones, the veins, and the 

 tissues should be pieced into the skeleton 

 already constructed. 



While fully acknowledging the valu- 

 able results derived from the accumu- 

 lated labors of more recent African ex- 

 plorers, I submit that had geographers 

 in general realized twenty years ago 

 that it was time for generalization to 

 give place to specialization — in other 

 words, had recent exploration been di- 

 rected more toward detailed research in 

 specially selected areas and less toward 

 what is, after all, little more than the 

 construction of glorified route maps, the 

 world's knowledge of Africa would to- 

 day be more complete and more accurate 

 than it is. It follows that to the traveler 

 the former plan of campaign presents 

 advantages which are denied the latter. 

 An imposing journey from coast to coast 

 is unquestionably of great personal and 

 general interest. In passing rapidly 

 from tribe to tribe and through various 

 districts, the most difficult to please will 

 not complain of monotony or lack of in- 

 teresting experience. Latitudinal posi- 

 tions may be fixed with accuracy, longi- 

 tudes less definitely. A more or less 

 sketchy account of the many peoples 

 encountered may be entered in the 

 diary and a general idea of various local 

 characteristics may be acquired, but 

 these are more in the nature of first im- 

 pressions, and, as the many conflicting 

 ideas gleaned by different travelers in 



