Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-02-06
MISSIONARY SLAVE TRADE
Native Children Bought to
FIJI the Schools.
REPORT OF PROFESSOR 0. f. COOK
On the Work of the New York
Colonization Society.
What Was Done In Liberia-Report of n
Slave Trade in Children Conducted by the
Missionaries--Ths Traffic for the Purpose
of supplying the Mission School with
puufia
Now York Ereninr Post.

mishtohhriPb-Ehe franc 1or the purpose
of supplying tho Mission School with
Pupils.
New York Evening Post
Prof. o. +. Cook, agent OF the New
York State Colonization Society, was
sent out to Liberia in 1891 to obtain
trustworthy information about that
country, its natural and agricultural
resources, the characteristics of the in
digenes, and as to the capacity of the
latter for civilization. Prof Cook has
Just made report of his studies and
investigation TO the board of managers
Of the society, which is published by
the Secretary, Charles I. Geyer, No.
10 William street.
In it is a chapter entitled "A Mis-
sionarY Slave Trade. Prof. Cook
writes that ''Hero on the west coast
(of Africa children are purchased to
supply the mission school with pupils
To study the motive which prompts
this method of propagating Christi
anity if not necessary to call attention
to some of the incidental results of the
method may be useful, if the mission
AIRY public in the United States will
consider tho matter before tho European
governments begin TO send in protests
The only apparent reason why this
department of the slave trade has not
assumed proportions sufficient to at
tract general attention has been the
lack of funds in the hands of the
would be buyers. There is every prob
ability that if only the good work goes
on far enough. we shall have regulation
slave raids, towns burned, the people
slaughtered, and the children carried
away to satisfy the demand.
To be fair, however, it must be
confessed that purchase is the quickest
way to start a mission school. Let
US observe typical case A mission
ary comes out to Africa with the idea
that the heather are in state of hun
ger and thirst after righteousness. lie
for more often sheJ finds that the
heather are in no such state ot mind.
1t does not take long for the general
conclusion TO be drawn that the mature
natives are perverse generation, and
the need of working along educational
lines is realized. Ii a half lf-civililed
native is asked TO allow his child the
advantage of going 10 school, his prob
able reply will be, How much you
gimme, | let my prkaninny learn
book, and the missionary is face TO
face with the fact that public senti
ment in Africa expects pay for accept
ing education and Christianity
The missionaries are themselves
to blame for the existence Of this un.
fortunate fact, which increases many
times the already enormous Difficult
ties Of doing really successful work in
Africa. Too often the missionary's
foolish haste to get the good will of the
people has led him to buy it with pre-
sents. He gets a temporary semblance
of what he desires and loses the possi-
bility of obtaining what is infinitely
more important TO his work, the ma
tiyes' respect and confidence.
Buying children is a part of the
system. The missionary soon finds that
he could work TO better advantage by
having children who can be expected
TO stay continuously and thus have the
opportunity of prolonged training.
Children are cheap he will redeem
them from barbarism, train them for
usefulness among their own people, &c.,
&C., In the interior of Liberia boys
II and IA years old were offered me for
goods of cash value of about S3
Girls come at about twice the price
These children were, of course. slave
children.
when it comes to buying free chill
dren of their parents, the price may
exceed the figures mentioned. 1t is
understood that ono of the Bishops
lTaylor) missionaries went as high
as 500 apiece Tor four 'princesses, but
these we're fancy article and demanded
q corresponding price. As usual
thing, however, the buyers are not
sufficiently acquainted with the people
and their ways to escape being i'm
posed upon hy dealers, and pay three
or four times the current domestic
prices. This makes the missionary
trade especially profitable, and almost
any one will 90 into the business If he
can get orders 10 fill. Only the other
day the news reached the country that
a now missionary was coming to reopen
a seminary. Shortly after a person
approached one Of the resident mis-.
sionaries with proposal to furnish
the institution with students. The
sugg stion that the gentleman expected
might prefer not to buy his pupils
was met with the confident declaration
that that would be the only way he
could get any.
above facts are applicable to all the mis-
sionaries If the coast or even to ma.
jority Of them. Those who have tho
ateadfastness and patience to wait
until they can become acquainted with
the people and win their confidence
have afterwards no difficulty in get
ting material to work upon.
"Childfen are bought when zeal over
balances discretion and the missionary
does not wait to think that, apart from
other considerations, having once begun
buying, he will be expected to con
tinue. But what becomes of
these children after they are bought?
They are as rule at tho mercy of the
ylclssitudEe and temper of the mission
airy, and not in the charge of some per-
manent and well organized institution.
Beyond the missionary who bought
them, no one feels any special RESPONSE
blllty. The missionary may die or re-
turn home within a very few years or
montha; indeed, one of these alterna-
tlves is, in this climate, an early prob
ability, and tine child now unused and
lily adapted to returning to native life,
but without hold on the civilized, is
IN truly pitiable state. 1t would
seem that realization of the precari-
o,ls tenure of life and health would
have a SOLDERING influence on tho as
sumption of such enduring responsi
bilities. Even now one Of the bishops
missionaries with collection Of some
10 little girls is making ready to take
them off to Angola to educate them
there, though all public schools must
be taught in the Portuguese language,
not used in Liberia. The idea of carry
ing to d Portuguese colony 50 many of