The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-05-11
Literary Notes.

giving his new Life OF the far-famed missionary,
traveller, and explorer, DIR. Livingstone. to the
world. The Messrs Harper, one of whose spe-
cialties is, the publication of most of the modern
literature relating to Africa bring it out in very
handsome style, with fine porsait and map
and it forms one large octave volume of over
500 pages with the title
The Personal Life Of David Livingstone, ID. d.,
ID. c. Il. Chiefly from has Unpublished Jour
mails and Correspondence IN the Possession of
has Family. By William Yarden BLckie.
ID. ID. Harper C Brothers. Franklin Square,
New York. $3.50.
So largely has the world come to regard Liv
ingstone as discoverer geographer scien-
tific explorer, whose name is placed alongside
those of Barth and Baker and Schwenfurth
and Spoke and Cameron and Stanley and Bur
ton, that the grander aspects and aims of the
man, have been somewhat overlaid by the SUI
perimposed character OF traveller. DR.. Blake
says in his Preface, that while DR.. Livingstones
researches have been given to the public in his
own books, his modesty, which was pre- eminent,
did not allow him to admit much that was of
personal kind and that too little is known of
the strength of his affections the purity of his
devotion, and the intensity of his missionary
zeal. 1t is due therefore, to the grandeur of the
missionary enterprise which DR.. Livingstones
labors' from first to last, were intended to inau-
gurate in Central Africa that his devout, noble,
and simply majestic character as a Christian
man and worker should be set before the Church
and the world with greater prominence. And
this is the aim of DR.. Blaike's Personal Life
1t is such life as deserves to take rank with
the heroes of history for in itself it was strong
IN all the elements of such heroism and chival-
rous daring, and dauntless persistence as make
the names of Columbus, and Cortes, and Rollo
the Northman, and Pizarro famous, united with
qualities and aims as far above theirs as heaven
IS above earth. With DR.. Blaike as his Plu-
tarch, David Livingstone's Life ought to be able
to stir eager young souls to lofty aspirations, as
do the old Romans records of his Greek and
Latin heroes to this day.
The family traditions of the Livingstones
were of the most picturesque character They
came from "Ulva's Isle The missionary's
grandfather fell at Culloden, and his
grandfather could relate the oral history of the
family for six generations through all these
years famous for strict integrity and nobility
OF life. Burns "Cotter" was a close portrait OF
what some of these stern Highland Christians
were, and the character of the great missionary
was but the natural outgrowth of this indomi.
table stock. 1t is told of David, that at nine
years of age, he received New Testament from
his Sunday School teacher, for repeating the
1l9th Psalm, with only FIVE slight errors. His
parents were poor, and at ten years of age the
boy went to earn his bread. His first weeks
wages bought him Latin grammar, and the
only two hours he had to himself between
eight and ten at night.) were SO ardently de-
voted to study, that at sixteen, he almost knew
Virgil and Horace by heart.
In his early youth, he read the Appeal of the
German missionary. Gutzlaff, on behalf of China
and then was first implanted the germ of infu-
ence that led to his final conservation to the for
eign service. 1t was in order to carry out this
darling idea, that he went to Glasgow Univer-
sity, and combined with his academic course
medical one-aiming all the while, with his
noble Scotch independence, to do without any
aid outside of his own family. In 1888 he of
fered himself to the London Missionary Society.
and at this time, met Dr. Moffat who had al
ready been long in Africa. This interview re-
suited in his turning his face towards the Dark
Continent instead of China, and he became
co-laborer with the older missionary, and in
time his son in-law.
In 1910, Livingstone fairly began his labors
IN South Africa. and in the earliest journey of
exploration which he undertook in the second
year of his missionary life, he was within few
days of that Lake N'gami, which eight years
later he discovered. His letters home during
these early years. are full of ardent Christian
feeling and the sweetest domestic affection. He
was the untiring helper of the veteran Moffat,
Aaboring with hands as well as head and vet
amid all his work, finding time to keep up &C
qualntance with wonderful amount of the lit
erature of the day. He knew by heart great
portion of the poems of Whittier, Longfellow
ana Others and never allowed his mind to be
come one-sided or narrowed for lack of culture
lie was extremely fond Of science, and seized
all opportunities of sending home to Prof Buck
land, all sorts of Natural History specimens
1t was through the failure of Kolobeng, one of
the early stations, as a missionary point, on &C
count OF uhhealthiness and drought that sug-
gested to Livingstone the explorations into the
interior in search of the big rivers" the people
told him OF, and the heavy populations of which
ne continually heard. Itsvas not to crafty his
tastes as an explorer though from the beginning
OF his lsbors, he felt impelled to penetrate
Africa for the gospel" The accident of his dis
coyery Of the Zambesi, fred him greatly; his
rffor j.