WEBVTT

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You

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You

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Facing the Gulf of Aden and Arabia across the Straits

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Baked by the torrid African suns merciless heat lies French Somaliland the gateway to Ethiopia

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Italy climbed over the fence into the Empire's front yard

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But the peaceable traveler takes the one railway entering the country at the French town of Djibouti

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The name Ethiopia is of great antiquity and comes from two Greek words meaning burnt faces

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Probably due to the once common belief that the skin of the African natives had been burnt black by the Sun

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Once a great people the Ethiopians have grown indolent, but have remained a fierce and warlike race

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Gradually the Ethiopians were converted to the Christian faith and for centuries have practiced the rights of the Coptic Church

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With an admixture of strange superstitions and barbarities

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The French railway into Ethiopia runs across the fertile plains of the Harar province before entering the mountainous regions

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Which form the greater part of the Empire this land at which we are gazing was one of the objectives of the Italian invasion

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Here good crops will grow under cultivation and wildlife abounds

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Indeed the exportation of skins to America is an important enterprise

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Domestic cattle thrive here and form the wealth of the native but wealth as we know it does not exist for the average Ethiopian

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His villages are mere groups of rude thatched huts his wants simple and his idea of luxury is a chunk of raw meat

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socially he is a serf economically a pauper mentally a child and

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Spiritually a lion of fearless courage until recently slavery abounded and in some degree still exists

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But even the free man working at his little trades owes allegiance and fealty to his overlord who may call him to war in his

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Own service or in the service of the Emperor

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While this woman makes her remarkable clay bowl without a potter's wheel let's gossip about her housekeeping

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The interiors of most Ethiopian huts are filthy the walls are plastered with clay cow dung and chopped straw and

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Swarm with vermin there are no chimneys and smoke soon colors the interiors of dark brown

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Drainage and sanitary arrangements do not exist in the one room the entire family sleeps on the clay floor

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Which is hard in the dry season and mud during the rain?

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Little bread is eaten the natives preferring a thin cake of Dura meal needed with water and exposed to the Sun until the dough begins

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To rise when it is baked these cakes are the main food of the Ethiopian armies in the field

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Much more difficult to feed with a horses mules and camels which made up the transport system of the Ethiopian army

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In order to feed the great number necessary for the defending forces of the Emperor

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vast quantities of hay and forage were cut and

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Transported to places of storage at convenient centers throughout the country

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Practically all warriors from the Gala province of Ethiopia are skillful horsemen and though undisciplined

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They constitute a formidable force of fierce cavalry in their guerrilla warfare

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Aris arwa bar the capital of this African Empire is modern by comparison with most of the villages throughout the country

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Here is the central government for the eight provinces which make up the whole they are Tigray

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I'm ha go young show our

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Tathia Gala land Harar and Somaliland and comprise 350,000 square miles

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Roads are practically unknown except for cart trails and caravan routes

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Though 30 miles of modern road building has been completed on the projected line from Aris arwa bar to Harar

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There are still 225 miles to go a comparative trifle to skilled road builders

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But a life job for Ethiopians who are indolent by nature

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Centuries of intertribal wars have discouraged peaceful occupations and tradesmen are few though

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The streets are thronged with people apparently intent on some important business

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Here and there out in the open street or under some overhanging shelter one may discover tailors at work over their sewing machines

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Making the long white robes which are the proverbial dress of the urban natives this robe like the official language of Ethiopia

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Comes from Arabia though many indigenous tongues are spoken the ruling class of Semitic origin

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Speak a dialect of the oldest known branch of the Semitic linguistic family called geez

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Although the population of Adis arwa bar is small epic problems are many and complex

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The Ethiopian traffic officer may not seem quite so capable as his brothers stationed on American street intersections

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But it's amusing to speculate on how well officer O'Brien from Chicago would do under these circumstances

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Motor cars in Adis belong only to royalty or to the diplomatic corps

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They're brought in by train and if they ever leave the capital they will have to go out the same way

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Motor trucks are beginning to be known but most of the burden bearing over short distances is done by the natives themselves

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Which doesn't add to the pleasures of a police officer's life?

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The

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Government of Ethiopia based upon the feudal system of the Middle Ages each province has its own overlord known as a Ross or prince

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Over them all rules the Negus Negusti the king of kings who claims descent from the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon

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On festive or important occasions the soldiery of Ethiopia is fed on raw meat

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Those bearers are carrying it on their shoulders

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It's a feast given by the Emperor to instill courage in his soldiers with invading troops within their borders

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There was need for loyalty and bravery and Ethiopia's wily King left no stone unturned to stimulate them

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For highly Salasi the Emperor is not popular with all his subjects

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the rightful King was his late cousin who died after nine years in chains and

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As all the world knows his son-in-law deserted his cause and joined forces with the Italians to fight against his royal relative

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Religious differences account in some degree for this disloyalty for though the majority of Ethiopians are Christians

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There is also a large Muslim population which resents the King's faith

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Nevertheless the King can put an army of half a million in the field made up of warriors whose fighting ability no one has ever questioned

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Indeed in the time of war every able-bodied man is supposed to take up arms

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It is true that their weapons are mostly spears and swords and antiquated rifles

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But new weapons were purchased it is said ironically enough with ten million dollars indemnity paid to Ethiopia by Italy in

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1896

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Furthermore Salasi has a small well-trained standing army properly uniformed except for shoes

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Which they never wear and equipped with modern firearms

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Highly Salasi's fine features give evidence of his keen intelligence in King Menelik's time

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He was ambassador to Italy now he and his advisors count Italy their archenemy with reason

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Italy seeking colonial expansion for her teeming population

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Cast covetous eyes on the rich lands of Ethiopia and

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Sees thousands of square miles in spite of the opposition of the League of Nations and world opinion

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But years will pass before such men as these are thoroughly subdued

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Fierce and passionate love of independence is theirs even if they do wear lampshade hats like these

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This love of independence is born of centuries of successful wars

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Indeed Ethiopia has never been a conquered nation and

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Today is the only independent African state

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The natives love to reenact on horseback the deeds of valor which marked their history

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This includes the conquering of that portion of Arabia known as Yemen which Ethiopia ruled for 50 years

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Under the Emperor's eyes and before his throne which he occupies with great dignity

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Vast hordes of warriors passed in review as they left for the distant battlefield

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So difficult was the way over which they must travel that it took many days before these men could even cite their enemies

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They had to cross abysmal chasms scale mountain peaks crowned with perpetual snows under the African Sun and

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Trek dreary thirsty miles across burning desert lands and

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In the end meet the awful modern implements of war tanks machine guns planes and bombs

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High-explosive shells and shrapnel meet them with bare breasts bare feet antiquated weapons

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scant organization and almost no medical attention and

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Yet in 1896 such men as these brought Italy to crushing defeat and humiliation at Ottawa and made her sue for peace

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After almost 40 years Italy wiped out her shame by capturing that town

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But who knows what may yet await her in that strange land wherein she has set her feet

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Ali Salasi is still upon his throne facing Mussolini across the seas one must eventually fail, but which