Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-11-08
CHRISTI1N MISSIONS ~ VEST
AFRICA

1t is now nearly four hundred years
since the first attempt was made to intro
duce Christianity into the western portion
of Africa. The summary of Christian
missions on this coast may be given in a
few words. The Roman Catholics come
first. In 1881 the King of Portugal sent
ten ships with 800 soldiers, 100 laborers,
and proper complement of priests as
missionaries to Elmina. The Romsh mis-
sions thus founded fingered on for period
of PAL years, till at last, in 1928 that of
the Capuchns at Sierra Leone was given
up and they disappeared altogether from
West Africa. They had made no impress
sion, except upon their immediate depend
ents; and what impression they made on
them was soon totally obiterated. Prot
estant missionary attempts were COM
menced by the Moravians in 1876, 40
years ago, and continued till 100. Five
attempts cost eleven lives without visible
results. The Wesleyans follow next In
the minutes of the conference of 1892 we
! first find Africa on the list of the Wesleyan
missionary stations, Sierra Leone being
the part occupied. In the minutes Tor
1876 we find the names of A. Murdoch
and w. Patten set down as missionaries to
the Foulah country in Africa. to which SER
vice they were solemnlv set apart by con-
ference. The Church Missionary Society
sent out its first missionaries in 1904.
They established and attempted to main
tain ten stations among the aborigines,
but they could make no progress owing to
the hostility of the natives, who preferred
the slave-traders to them. The missiona-
ries were forced to take refuge in Sierra
Leone, the only place where at that time
they could labor with safety and hope.
The basle Missionary Society-one Of
the most successful on the coast-had
their attention directed to Western Africa
as early as 1926. But it was not until
1928 that their first company of mssiona-
ries reached Christanborg. near Akra, the
place which the Moravians had attempted
to occupy more than thirty years previous
| ly. The United Presbyterian Synod OF
Scotland commenced mission on the Old
| Calabar River in the Gulf of Benin, in
April, 1916. Five denominations of Amer
lean Observation-Disclosures, Methodists,
| Episcopaians, Presbyterians, Lutherans-
are represented on the coast-n Liberia,
at Lagos, the Island of Coresco, and Ga
boon. The first American Mission was es-
/ tablished on the coast in 1922. Now, what
has been the outcome of these missiona-
ny operations The results thus far
achieved are in many respects highly in
teresting and important. AT the Europe
an settlements established at various points
along the coast from Senegal to Loanda,
and at the purely native stations, occu-
pied by the Niger [native] missionaries,
the Scotch missionaries, and the Ameri-
can missionaries, some thousands of ma
lives, having been brought under the i'm
mediate influence of Christian teaching,
have protested Christianity. and at the
European settlements. have adopted Euro
pean dress and habits. Numerous
churches have been organized and
are under native ministry. and thousands
of children are gathered into schools nm
der Christian eachers.-FrGSer'S Maya
zine.