Identifier: ridpathsuniversa08ridp (find matches)
Title: Ridpath's Universal history : an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the civilized life among men and nations, from recent and authentic sources with a preliminary inquiry on the time, place and manner of the beginning
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Cincinnati : Jones
Contributing Library: University of Pittsburgh Library System
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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at the customs referred to may have been deduced from the Sabaeans or other southern Semitic people; but the inference that the Kaffirs themselves are of Semitic blood is contradicted by unmistakable facts deep-planted in the law of reason to identify the race with remote peoples with whom they could have no possible connections. Thus, for example, the Kaffirs hold theft to be no crime, but only the discovery of theft. Their theory of stealing is identical with that of the ancient Spartans, and the belief in the innocence of theft is sufficiently odd to attract attention to the two peoples holding such opinion. It were absurd, however, to suppose that the Kaffirs drew their theory of theft from any division of the Aryan 670 GREAT RACKS OF MANKIND. races. Another belief prevalent among this people is that of witchcraft. It is universally accepted. bv Prevalent custom of destroying them as true that witches. III exist, and that a large part of the ills of life are traceable to their
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ZULU BELLE—TYPE. diabolical agency. This leads to the seizure and destruction of witches and wizards in the manner long prevalent in Europe and extending to our own shores. It is found also that the same motive of personal enmity and plunder prevails among the Kaffirs in pursuing suspected witches as we have seen in European and American history. The Kaffir race is subdivided into three groups of tribes, namely, the East Kaffirs, the Inland Kaffirs, or Bechuanas, and the Coast Kaffirs. The latter are those who have their native seats around Delagoa bay. The Bechuana shave their territories to the north of Orange river in the interior and central part of South Africa, while the East Kaffirs, still further divided into four nations, extend geographically from the mouth of the river Bashee to the borders of Natal. The differences among these tribes are not conspicuous, but each has its own civil organization under a superior chieftain called the king. It is not needed that we should greatly ex

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