and wide-spreading fields, besides herds of camels of great beauty and breeding." Khartum, then, had splendid churches and fine houses.[1]
4. The Negus and his People
Ethiopia and Abyssinia are practically convertible terms.[2] Lately, however, geographers begin to use Ethiopia as a purely geographical term for the highlands between the Upper Nile and the bottom of the Red Sea, Abyssinia as a political name for the domain over which the Negus is king. The heart of this domain is the mountain-land with high tablelands to the north of the present kingdom. There are three races of inhabitants in Abyssinia. The aborigines (Shangalā) are African negroes, mostly fetish-worshippers and animists, with witch-doctors; some are Moslems, a few Christian converts. The Hamitic tribes form the main stock of the population. They are akin to the ancient Egyptians, and keep a language of that family. The Gallas to the south belong to this race. They are Polytheists or Moslems, with some Christians. The dominant race, the Abyssinians proper, are the Semites who invaded the country, probably from Arabia. Most of these are Christian. They are much mixed in blood with the older Hamitic tribes. It is this race of Semites which made the kingdom; the Abyssinian Church is their Church. They hold the Government and rule over the others. Their language is Semitic. When you have mastered the difficult syllabic letters it turns out to be closely allied to Arabic. Indeed, Amharic, when you hear it spoken, sounds like a rough Arabic dialect. The old form of the language is Ge'z (lesān ge'z).[3] This is the classical language of their ancient literature, still used for all Church
2 The old name is always Ethiopia (Greek (
Greek characters), "Burnt-face," from (Greek characters), Latin Aethiops). They call themselves this ('Ityōpyā, 'Ityōpyāwī). Abyssinia is a comparatively modern formation from the Arabic ḥabaš, "mixed" (originally a term of contempt for the mixed races and religions of the country). The y has no justification at all. The older form Abessinia (used still in German) would be much better.
