The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-07-17
BISHOP TURNER BACK.
He Tells a Very Interesting Story of
His Trip to Africa.
atlanta Constitution.

dttGnLG COnStttutlON.
Bishop Henry NJ. Turner, of the
colored Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, has returned to his home in
this city, after an absence Of several
months spent in Africa.
He went to Africa in the interest of
his Church and visited all of the mis-
sion stations that have been estab-
lished by his race. He made quite an
extended trip into Liberia and thor
oughly inspected the progress that
civilization and religion have made in
the dark continent. He was impress
ed with the fact that more teachers
and preachers are needed and will at
once start a movement to secure the
assistance necessary.
Bishop Turner is the leader Of his
race in the South and ranks high
among the negroes of the entire civil
lied world. His reputation as min
lister is national and everywhere he
has ever gone he has been we'll received
and many courtesies shown him.
| He brings back with him an inter-
esting story of his trip.
"I left Atlanta" said he, ION the
10th of February !; stopped over few
days in Washington city and had an
interview with President Cleveland
and the secretaries of state and the
interior, in connection with the repub-
lie of Liberia. I delivered several
lectures in Harrisburg, Carlisle and
Philadelphia, and in New York city.
IT remained in England and France
nearly three weeks, while was having
a monument constructed to carry with
me to Liberia to commemorate the
final resting place of Rev. T. R. Geda,
who accompanied me to Africa some
years ago, and assisted in organizing
the Sierra Leone and Liberia Confer
| ence of the African Methodist .Epis-
| copal Church. The work being COM
pleted I again took shipping al Liver
| pool and proceeded to Sierra Leone,
hating at few points, chiefly the
Canary Islands. I reached Free Town,
| the capital of Sierra Leone colony,
| about the middle of April.
"While in Free Town [ presided
over the Sierra Lone Conference, re-
adjusted much of our missionary work
| in that colony, ordained a few preach
ers, preached several times and deliv,,
cred several lectures on Temperance
'The Future of Africa The Posi-
bilities Of the Black Man. and .'The
Errors Of the So-called Bible Chron.
ology,' which limits the creation of
man 1900 years before the birth Of
Christ. I had as my audience the
culture of the city, especially on two
occasions, consisting Of white and
black. Free Town is city Of about
35, 900 population with ninety-odd
whites, chiefly Europeans, who are
there as ministers, professors, few
| merchants, military officers and a few
governmental officials. Many Afri-
cans are highly educated and fill posi-
| tions Of every grade with the excep-
tion of commissioned officers in the
standing army which the British gov
| ernment keeps there. Most Of the
! ablest lawyers and the most skillful
doctors are said to be native Africans,
| several of whom were educated in
| England and graduated with high
honors from some of her celebrated
colleges.
"I next visited Liberia, about three
hundred miles southwark, and disem-
barked at Monrovia, the capital OF the
republic. But the Conference met at
Arlington, about thirty miles inte-
riorward.
Liberia, as you are aware, is re-
public modelled after the United
States, and was founded by colored
people from the United States, but
the territory Of Liberia was procured
| in November, 1921, by Commodore
Stockston, of the United States navy.
The first colony, however, to be select
ed, was established up the Sherbro
Bay in 1916, under the auspices of
Henry Clay, while president Of the
American Colonization Society, which
remained under the supervision Of the
| colonization society until about 1848,
when they declared their independence
| and assumed the status of a nation
and have been SO regarded by the
civilized nations Of the world from
that time until the present.
"Our Conference business was
transacted intelligently, and moved
along smoothly. I ordained nine
ministers in two Conferences. Our
missions there are on the increase,
and if I had money to render little
more assistance and more preachers to
supply the demand, congregations on
the African coast would spring up as
by magic. The African, both civiliz-
ed and heather, wants the Church.
They believe that in addition to the
spiritual good Of which it is produc-
tive, that the Church is great civ
ilizer.
TT saw several emigrants who went
over to Liberia on the steamship
Horsa, which left Savannah in March.
I reached Liberia some eleven or
twelve days after the ship had started
on her return to the United States;
Several of the emigrants expressed
themselves as highly pleased. The
most of them were well when | left
Liberia about the middle Of May.
Some had contracted little fever;
| two very old people had died, one OF
| whom they thought would hardly reach
| Liberia when he left Savannah. One
man and his wife, however, started
back to this country while l was in
| Liberia. I am told the chief reason
for their return was they did not see
enough white people there. "
"Do you still believe that it is to
the interest of the negro in this coun-
try to return to Africa ?" was asked.
"Not en- masse. Millions Of them
are not prepared. They need some
body to tell them what to do, and how
to do it. But there are couple OF
millions in this country who are self
reliant, able to plan, devise and pro-
ject, and who wish every privilege en-
joyed by the whites who ought to go
and help to build up that infant re,
IL