REVOLUTION LAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 67, 9 September 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

REVOLUTION LAND.

LI KK IX lIAYTI. THE NKilliO I'KI'CIiLIC. Iliivli. us 1 lie traveller ;<jj|i-lnil, fur tin' iil'sl time. appears a lil.tle island in Hi.' mi,|,lie ill' the -mi. covered with -iiowdrops under ill" gulden ,-miliea m-. The waves :l roll 111 I tile allure, early in I lie morning. are '•anar\ ycilow. aint the a .spa rkl ing 'Seep ••ri'ell. N„i e\e 11 ill ! lie Medilcrva ilea 11 may one -ee ~mdi ma rvelluU-

'■"en-. Here and ihere are little i-lands wiili beautiful palm trees and hi#!) \\a\ing ferns. ami tin l sharp pninied leave* of cactus. Small while liou-c----lie occasionally ill the cool blue shadow near the shore, and sometimes a big light house conies ini.ii view, or dangerousreel's and elilt's. If tlie.t.ravijller takes a Him deck while yet. darknes.s holds sway before the advent, of the sun. he will tind a scene of wondrous charm and beauty. The mountains still lie dreaming in the purple light,- but far beyond, the horizon is colon d a soft salmon red, willi splashes (if brilliant yellow and liaming ,-carlei. A delicious perfume of llovers Una Is out with tin' laud-wind, Then, far away, the mountains become visible, and soon the. whole land will be bathed in a Hood of brilliant sunshine.

Thus'may one be introduced to Hayti, the Negro Republic, a beautiful land peopled by constantly warring factions who rise in frequent; revolution, and the details of whose bloodthirstiness now and again horrify the, outside world.

"Do not take tilings too earnestly in this country," says the ready newsmonger as the inquiring visitor pursues his way ashore. "A man's life is nothing in Hayti. We have daily such a great number of births that a few negroes more or less do not count,."

REVUjuITIOX A PASTIME. "The cause of all these revolutions? All, well, in the first place, it is a pastime for the Haytien of some enterprise. lie bores himself awfully, and has 110 relish for other work. What he wants is spiritual or corporal exertion. And lie likes great excitement. He also likes politics. Out of ten men you will meet who have studied in Europe (especially in France), nine of them have studied law. The Haytien is not attracted to engineering, agriculture, medicine, chemistry, or other such professions."

When General Firmin ("General" is a title every Havtien assumes directly lie gets u little authority) engineered the revolution of 1908 which displaced the iron hearted Nord Alexis from the Presidency and put General Antoine Simon there, a Haytien was asked if Firmin was not inspired with the ideal to elevate his black people, to reform the administration, to found schools for the children, and to bring the culture of the white man into the country? "I believe Mr. Firmin does possess such beautiful ideals," was the reply; "but the distance between an ideal and a reality is great. The greatest number of intellectual, downtrodden people covet State positions which are remunerative. But every position Me good. If the State does not pay enough, the black man will find another way to make money. Everybody robs' as much ,as possible on the import and export duties, on Stale enterprises, on pilotage, indeed on nil the taxes and State revenues. This is such a general rule that the Government knows all about it—for it does the same thing! The damage the llayiien causes his own country does not concern him in the least. Steal as much as possible, he says, for you never know how long you may hold your position: and a man is considered to be very stupid'if he be honest."

A OirjIERTtAX ARMY. llii' army is (lie funniest and most ridiculous tiling in tlx; world—a troop (if bare-footc«J nii'ii ami boys with the famous "kepi" on t heir black heads, iirined with old chasse-pot guns, breechloaders of Napoleon's time. These soldiers are commanded by Ihe most bump! ions oll'icrrs. who have a.s much knowledge of the recruit school as a monkey has of steering; a, motor-car. The Government pays them so badly I hat <i little revolution always comes in the nick of time. Thcv then have (he opportunity to plunder'and ransack and to burn down poor cabins in order to make the people anxious. Then they give forth a barbarous yell, dance and flunk themselves exceptionally brave. These are the 1 lovenimcHil troops that are expected to quell a

Xow President Simon is seemingly sha ring I lie fa te of his predecessor in oil ice, and llees the country to make room for another administration to secure its share of the spoils of oil'ice for a time- -until the Ilaytien shall feel that he desires a little excitement to stir his (or some one else's) blood.