Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-12-11
MISSION WORK IN AFRICA
REPORT FROM A FAR AWAY
FIELD.
The Address by Rev. w. H. She I'd
pard, COIOred, Before q Large
Congregation at Fret Presby-
terAan Church Sunday.

parG, COIOred, before q Large
COn&re CATION at First Presby-
terAan Church Sunday.
The appearance of Rev. w. II. Shep-
pard, colored, at the First Presbyterian
church Sunday at the morning service
caused considerable talk previous to his
coming, if reports be true. There were
dernurrcrs from some of the congrega-
ton, and the topic was that fur
nished more than one discussion. Not
that there was any opposition to Mr..
Sheppard's S coming here to give an ac-
count ofhis work, but those who objected
did so because they could not quite become
reconciled to the idea Of co!ored man
standing in the pulpit of a white church
and speaking to white congregation.
The opposition was not pc rsistent, how
ever, and MIR. Sheppard delivered his
address to an audience that filled the
church.
At the opening of the service Rev. r. f.
Campbe the pastor, said that to those
who were readers of the Missionary
Mr.. Sheppard would need introduc-
ton; and added that he believed he
would need introduction to a large
part of the congregation. Mr. Sheppard,
he said, was in a sense a steward OF this
church, which had supported him as a
| missionary for the first year in the Congo
Free State, Africa, and he had come here
When MIR. Sheppard stepped to the
pulpit the congregation young
man somewhat a bove the medium height,
of rather spare build; a negro, but not
with the ty piv al blackness of the negro,
| we'll dressed and wearing standing
collar and white tie Just behind him
hung map of Africa and with the aid
of n pointer he carried the hearers with
him as he gave outlines of his TT p into
that country. He began by relating how
| he and his fellow missionary, Rev. Sam.
N. Lapslev, had started out to spread
| the gospel in benighted country; how
Mr.. Lapsley's parents had, at the last
moment. enJOined the speaker to take
care of SAM and how the first thing
| Mr.. Lapsley did after leaving Americas
shore was to offer up a prayer for their
| success in this work. OF the 81 passen-
gers on the vessel by which they made
| the tri ip to the Congo river only three
are nOw living. The dread African lever
| had caused their deaths. This disease
| was likened unto the Mississippi fever in
| the severest form. 1t is caused by de-
| Cayed vegetation, by eating badly pre-
pared food, etc, and never lasts more
| than two days. In fighting the fever,
the speaker said, one should take dose
| of quinine, about 10 grains, every hour.
| He had survived % attacks of it, and
| expected to have % more when he went
| back.
| MIR. Sheppard said that in approaching
| the m Outh of the Congo river persons on
! n vessel can distinguish that body of wa
v
| sells go some distance up the river.
| but above this point, on account of the
| great number OF rapids, the water route
| must be abandoned for a distance of 26O
| miles. At the head of navigation the
| vessels met by native carriers, who
| transport the treights into the upper
| country, each one carrying rs pounds
| or so. There are 40 900 of these carriers,
| and where one is employed the employer
| takes the mans name, so that he may be
| easily traced if he should go astray, as
| sometimes occurs. The carrier, hearing
| OF the death OF a relative, Will go to his
| village and remain until he burial, w which
| is at the end OF about six months. The
| reason this time is required is because
| relatives go to the dead man and each
| one wraps a piece of cloth about the
| body, until, when the last person has
| come in, the months have passed and the
| dead man is huge bale OF cloth.
Mr.. Sheppard related a humorous in
| Cldent concerning the native custom OF
| covering the graves with dishes, each dish
| having a hole in it, that it would be
| of no service On asking the reason for
| this he was given to understand that but
| tor this practice of rendering the dishes
useless the natives would soon steal
them. But" the questioner said. -
thought your people were all honest" "
I"They take" was the reply, las they eat
they eat little, but they cat often"
| In lieu of money the natives use brass
| wire, beads and certain kind of shell.
| some of which were shown by the
| speaker.
| The heat, while severe, is not oppres-
sive, being about 1107 in the shade. The
nights, however, the year round are cool
| enough to make necessary the use Oi
| blankets for co Vering.
| Mr.. Lapsley and his fellow missionary
| located about 900 miles in the interior
| and at once began their work OF eStab-
fishing a mission. They purchased lot
| and then looked about until they found
two houses which suited them. These
were then transported to their lot, &
task made easy because of the fact that
they were made of bamboo and could bs
taken apart in sizes suitable for trans
pOrtation. A walk which they con
trLcted they called Pennsylvania avenue
| to remind them of America. The native:
| were friendly and very attentive at thu
services which the missionaries held, bu
| at first thcrewaS considerable disturbance
| nv he dogs which the congrega tionwo ulC
| bring with them. They were soon pre-
vailed up n to discontinue the dog habit
| One regularity is that the preacher m us
| stop in his discourse and speak to eacl
native as he came in; otherwise he wo ul'
not sit down, believing that the preache
:. was angry.
The natives have a sort of gong that
used az rude telephon-, and one of thes
instruments saved the lives OF the tw'
missionaries. They had incurred the er
mined to kill the missionaries, who
learning of this intention, were at a los
what to do. Finally Mr.. Lapsle
thought of the gong and sounded a
alarm, to which 6. 700 friendly villager
responded and protected the threatene
men,
Mr.. Sheppard touchinely referred t
= the love the natives had for Mr.. LapSley
y whom they had given name cquivaler
in the English tongue to "Pathfinder''-
one who had shown them the pathwa
to the light of religious life. He tol
how Mr.. Lapsley had gone away on