Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-07
LIFE IN LIBERIA.
THE CLIMATE DESCRIBED AS SOMETHING
HARD TO STAND.

Interesting Talk With Mrs. Freeman Who
Lived There Twenty. Five Years-Not n
Bad Place for Those Who 60 There
With Some Money.
A reporter for THE DISPATCH yesterday
had talk with the widow of Prof Martin
b. Freeman, who returned from Liberia
about year ago. She is an intelligent
colored woman, who talks with interest Of
her home in Liberia. She is now living
with relative at No. 305 Market street.
She has two sons with her, one employed at
the Solar Iron Works.
Prot. Freeman was a teacher in the Avery
school for colored youth in Allegheny, when
he decided, 26 years ago, to emigrate with
his young wife to Liberia. He was offered
the position of president of the college in
Monrovia, and for quarter of century he
labored in that free republic. He dice
there in April, 1889, and Mrs. Freeman re-
turned to Pittsburg with her two sons on
July II, 1889. She said Yesterday:
when we first:went to Liberia we were
slI pretty sick. Immigrants are affected
with climatic fever, with chills. 1t is
very debilitsting. 1 have seen white peo-
pie there have it two or three years. 1
know of one missionary, however, Miss
Mary Short, who has been there ten years
and has never been in bed dsy.
FEW FROM THE NORTH,
Every few colored people have gone there
from the North. There were only three or
four Northern families in Monrovia when 1
came away. The colored people do not like
to leave here, where they were born and
raised and all their relatives live Those
who go from here 10 not like it at first, but
after they get land and make start in the
world they like it better. A good many
who go there would like to come back after
a short time, but generally they are not
able to do so. They don't have the money.
Money is scarce there. The trouble is that
those who go to Liberia usually have very
little money. l have known families to
land at Monrovia without dollar.
eff emigrants 60 from this country with
some money they are pretty sure to get on
well. To every family going into the coun-
try the Government gives % acres of land.
The soil is very rich and easily cultivated.
The only trouble is that there are so many
insects which destroy the crops. One of the
chief products of the farms. which lie up the
river from Monrovia, is coffee. 1t is shipped
away in large quantities.
II was well pleased with Liberia, but
when my husband died there was nothing
for me to do there. 1t is beautiful land.
full of flowers and trees, hills and valleys
and splendid streams. The climate is much
miIder than this. There is not such vari-
alton of temperature. The thermometer
registers higher during the hot season, but
YOU don't feel the heat as you do here.
There is always a sea breeze, which is very
enjoyable.
MODELLED AFTER Us.
t'The Government is modelled after that of
the United States, but is very simple. The
taxes are light. There are no saloons there,
and hardly ever saw a drunken man. The
English and German vessels bring LIQUOR
there and the Germans sell it at wholesale.
The chief drink is gin. The natives con-
sumo more of it than the settlers. The
natives make palm wine, but unless it is
very old a person will not be intoxicated
by it
1--WE are surrounded by native tribes, VINO
are all very friendly. A member of one
tribe cannot understand the language of an
other tribe. A trader must know a good
many languages. 1 know one man there
who speaks ten languages. My son here,
who is II years old, speaks four native
languages and writes one, the Vey language.
That is the only written native language,
and it has characters of its own. The peo-
pie of Liberia take the native children into
their houses and raise them. That is the
way we civiIize them and make Christians
out of them.
Liberia is a good place for colored peo-
pie of this country to go. if they have some
money to start with. They ought not to go
with nothing"