Land & Water 
May 23, 19 1 8 
German Rule in East Africa 
GERMANY'S method of 
ruling subject races is fur- 
ther illustrated in these 
photographs. They were 
taken in East Africa, but 
there is plenty? of evidence that the 
methods are not peculiar to that 
section of the German Emjjirc. The 
same system of "frightfulness" was 
consistently practised in German West 
Africa, in the Cameroons, and the 
Pacific Islands. When the Crown 
Prince was in India, he explained to 
an American joumahst, to whom he 
had been deprecating the British sys- 
tem of rule, the manner in which Ger- 
many established her might over 
weaker races, illustrating it b}' this 
anecdote: "A German planter in 
Samoa had a field of yams, which were 
pilfered by native villagers. So he 
went to the village, seized the head- 
man and three others, decapitated 
them, and impaled their heade at each 
corner of the field. Afterwards," added 
the Crow'n Prince with approval, "there 
was no more stealing ! " That is the- 
true German idea of justice and mercy 
where the weak are •concerned. 
To carry out this policy effectively, 
we see in the third photograph here how 
they train to arms the more warhke 
races. The native soldier is encouraged 
to be the same bully as the Prussian 
officer ; he is allowed all kinds of gross 
privileges, and is permitted to bully 
and pillage peaceful folk so long as he 
conforms to military discipline. The 
main danger of German rule in 
Africa is the creation of a vast black 
army that may be let loose to 
ravage neighbouring territories at 
any favourable moment. The army, 
directly it realised its strength, would 
probably begin by cutting the throats 
of its taskmasters, but there is no 
saying where it might end. 
I. Civil Prisoners in Jail. 
3. Germ:in Officer at Head of Transport. 
z. Drilling Native Soldiers. 
4. Another Hanging. 
