The Sacred City of the Ethiopians. By J. Theodore Bent.
(Longmans.)—Mr. Bent discharged to the utmost all the duties of a traveller. He ran not a few risks, for the politics of Abyssinia were, during his visit, in their normal state of disquiet, a disquiet which has, of course, been aggravated by the presence of the Italians on the Red Sea littoral. He put up with not a little hardship. And he made and recorded observations with scrupulous care and accuracy. If the result of his journeyings, as presented in this volume, is somewhat disappointing, the fault is not with him. Aksum, the "Sacred City of the Ethiopians," is, after all, not a very interesting place in itself. Its most re- markable remains are the Monoliths, of which some forty or fifty are still standing. Mr. Bent was hindered by circumstances which precipitated his departure from ascertaining their number more precisely. But they give us little or no historical informa- tion. Abyssinian Christianity itself is a curious subject. It has a long pedigree, so to speak, but, in its present condition, it must be pronounced to be greatly degenerate. It is now being subjected to Roman influences, which, it is to be hoped, may modify it for the future. But even Rome has to make some concession to the stubbornness of Abyssinian custom. No religious function, for instance, is considered complete without dancing. Dancing, accordingly, in moderation, is conceded by the politic complaisance of the Roman authorities. Mr. Bent has many curious things to tell us about this strange people and their ways. More curious survivals of the ancient world it would be difficult to find elsewhere.
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