Regional revolutions had failed, and there was no one within Abyssinia who could confront the weapons of artillery and rapid-fire cannons. The new provinces, especially those occupied militarily, were not reached by the Amhara with their culture and religion. Not only that, but they also imposed tribute on their peasants after their lands were confiscated and distributed to the Church and senior feudal lords, nobles, and commanders. The tribute system, known as "Qabar," was no less than forced labor, and some considered it "worse than slavery." Peasants had a proportion ranging from a tenth to a quarter of their produce taken from them, and in addition, they had to supply the northern rulers, administrators, and soldiers with provisions, firewood, and animal fodder. They also had to serve on the lands of the ruler or the state. Each official or soldier was allocated a number of porters ranging from five to one hundred, depending on their rank. In all these provinces, the peasants had to support the soldiers in the military garrisons in their areas, and there was no system in place for paying soldiers' salaries. The Amhara coming from the north viewed their subjects as "primitive people without culture, who are like animals to whom cleanliness has not reached. They are also aggressive, and nudity is their nature, and at best they wear cattle hides. They were also pagans in need of knowing the word of God." On the level of services, Menelik had a passion for everything new, and this passion began with modern weapons and then developed into all other technologies. He worked on introducing modern machinery, constructing buildings, roads, and bridges, and established a postal system that enabled Abyssinia to join the Universal Postal Union in 1906. Menelik introduced the telegraph and telephone services and brought a government printing press. During his reign, royal palaces were supplied with drinking water through pipes, and electricity was installed. He also established a mint in 1905 and issued the first currency. Menelik encouraged education, which was linked to the Church, and founded the Bank of Abyssinia in 1906. Education began internally with missionaries and through missions to Europe, and most of the early educated Abyssinians were under the patronage of missionaries. In 1908, he established the first formal school, bringing teachers from Coptic Egypt, and the language of instruction was French. Menelik was very keen on the establishment of the railway line between Djibouti and Addis Ababa, but he did not witness its completion, as he died four years before its opening in 1913.