St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-29
4 TALK ON AFRICA.
The Dark Continent as Seen by Rev.
William NiIlen.

William Niilen.
The Rev. William Millen lectured in Ply
mouth church last evening upon Africe as
Opened to the World by Civilization and
Christianity. Mr.. Millen was continuously
in Africa. as missionary. for twenty-four
years. and said he liked to take his audi
ence into that field because he knew more
about il than any other. On the wall be-
hind the pulpit was hung a map Of Africa,
twelve feet square, which Mr.. Millen stated
was his text. On one side of the pulpit
were hung two large pictures of native At
ricans and Zulus, IN full barbarous regalia,
while on the other side was picture OF an
African in civilized garb. including linen
collars and cuffs. Mr.. Millen is apparently
about go years of age, very gray. slightly
stO0p-shouldered. with peculiar nasal
character of voice, his utterances being de-
livered in very nearly a monotone.
He pointed out the different missionary
stations on the map, being located in widely
different sections, the speaker himself having
been located in Natal. Mr.. Millen told of
meeting DIR. Livingstone at the Cape OF Good
Hope in 1851, ana recounted that renowned
travellers journeyings in the wilds of that
UNEMPLOYED continent and reviewed the trav-
els of DR.. and Mrs. Baker. Speke al g q Il,
Stanley and hers, all OF whom he had met
in Africa. Mr.. Milien, i'm his Introductory
remarks. said that the country owed more 10
Africa than did any other country. for the
children of that continent had been here rails
ing cotton for 200 years. He
detailed much of Staaleys work in opening
upa route OF travel across the continent.
The SPIT aker said that with the progress OF
CONNIE c. and civilization in that county
came also the devils agent, run, against
which they had to contend there as well as
here. Railroads and telegraph wires were
also in use in Southern Africa, and he proph-
esied that the child was now living who
WOULD SEE RAILROAD
constructed the whole 5000 miles from the
Cape of Good Hope to the mouth of the Nile.
Tue speaker said the natives in that part of
Africa in which he had been were good-na-
tured people who would never take property
which did not belong to them. and cited the
instances of their honesty in his experience
and in the case of DIR. Livingstone, who left
his wagon and boxes for seven years in the
same place undisturbed. He attributed the
good behavior of the natives to the fact that
their laws were executed. When man stole
anything he was put beyond the reach of par
dCning governors and where they would not
receive bouquets in prison cells. Mr.. Mien
related quite number OF vices unknown TO
the natives, but quite common in
civilized countries, but also pic
tured the dark side OF the life
he had. witnessed. They have bad laws
Wnlcn are executed with 1ully as much NigOr
as the good ones. Women are treated like
animals, sold to the men who give the most
cattle for them. but the missi )naries had,
under English government, established a sort
Of C ty OF refuge for girls whose parents were
about to sell them for wives. The people
also believed in witchcraft, which worked
many wrongs. The wives of chiefs are
buried, alive or dead, when their husband
dies. Mr.. Milen related the method of de-
velOping the native intellect, the great diff
Guilty being TO get them 10 want something.
After they began to want the road was easy
| to get them 10 civiliZa ion, They would not
work, because they needed nothing in their
| own estimation, and nobody worked for fun.
| He had preached for many years from the
! teXt- six days shalt thou labor and do all
| thy work"--he always omitted the rest, for it
was of no use TO tell people to rest who rested
all the time. a large part of Mr. Millen S
| lecture was of the religious work of mis-
! sonaries and the difficulties encountered by
| them. He closed the service by pronouncing
the benediction in the language Of some
African tribe.