WHITE MAN'S MAGIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 49, 21 November 1907, Page 5

WHITE MAN'S MAGIC.

Tlio unreasoning fear of, and faith in, tho white man's which tlio savage displays does not invariably prevent himfroin attempting to invoke / tlio aid of similar charms on' his own -behalf. Thus, when Lord ' Woiso.loy was fighting his way to the Ashanti capital, ho found that, tho savagoa, retreating before tho advance of his forcesj had run a lino of cords from treo to tree. They had observed the telegraph lines jinployed by the Britons. These, they thought, woro of tlio wliito man's magic; tlioy, too, would have wliito man's nmgio on their side —hcnco the cords. Only slightly different was--perhaps is—tlio view taken of tlio telegraph in Turkey. Of course. Iho dovico was an invention of tlio. devil, said the grave and hoary seers whose opinion was invited, 'when it was first proposed to introduce telegraphy into the Sultan's dominions. The wires were tho roadways along which the devil ran to and fro carrying messages. Some would not have the terrible contrivance. One, moro worldly wise, pointed out that it was good that tho Turks should have it, for while tho dwil was engaged in-running-up and down the wires carrying messages, ho could not have much timo to intorforo with good Turks on oarth. And tho wise saying prevailed, and Turkoy has tlio telegraph.