The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-06


these accounts never reached the eyes Of
the people to whom they would prove of
the most value.
In the first place. there is the dreaded
African fever, which has proved as fatal
to American born negroes as 20 white
people. Then the newly arrived colonist
finds, much to his surprise, that he is
not welcomed as a brother and friend
by the natives, but that, on the con-
trary, he is regarded with distinctly
unfriendly feeling. There have been
numerous complaints, too, that the col
onists were not looked after with suf-
ficient care by the immigration society,
but were left to shift for themselves aft
er little preliminary advice and assist
ance.
Professor Cook, however, has sOme-
thing of more startling nature to tell.
He devotes a whole chapter in his re-
port to the missionary work which is
being done in Liberia. He says that not
only does actual slavery exist in the re-
public, but that it is encouraged to a
certain extent by the missionaries. This
statement would hardly be believed did
not its author give some corroborative
and convincing details.
According to the professor, many en-
terprising missionaries, who are too i'm
patient to make converts by the slow
process of moral suasion, buy the natives
at so much per head and thrust Chris
tianity upon them.
''It must be confessed, " he says, ''that
the easiest way to start q mission school
is to purchase the pupils.
Then he cites a typical case. A mis-
sionary goes to Liberia with the idea
that the heather are ready to accept
promises of an eternal life with childish
simplicity Of belief. He soon finds out
that the mature native is a perverse in
dividual who needs to be educated first
and Christianized afterward. If a half
civilized native is asked to allow his
child to attend mission school, he will
probably reply:
Chow much you gimme I let my
pickaninny learn book?''
The missionary is much surprised to
find that the native expects to be paid
for accepting education and Christian
ity. He finds, however, that public SEN
timent has been educated by previous
missionaries up to this point, and he
either submits or goes home and reports
his work failure. If he adopts the pre-
vailing custom, he gets scholars for his
school and loses what is infinitely more
valuable, the respect and confidence Of
the natives.
Children are bought" continues
Professor Cook, when zeal Overbalances
discretion. The missionary does not stop
to think that, having begun to buy chill
dren, he will be expected to continue
Perhaps some board or society has great
expectations which he is anxious to sat
isfy, and in his report he wants to show
a goodly number of scholars in his
school So he buys children. They are
cheap. In the interior of Liberia have
been offered boys Of 10 and IA years for
goods Of a cash value of about So. Girls
come at about twice the price. These
children were slaves, of course. When it
comes to buying free children of their
parents, the price is higher. "
cit is not to be supposed that these
facts apply to all the missionaries of the
coast or even to a majority of them.
Those who have the steadfastness and
patience to wait until they can gain the
good will and confidence of the natives
in time have no difficulty in getting
material to work upon. Slavery, how
ever, is an African institution. 1t exists
now and will exist until the whole pop-
ulation is civilized. The willingness of
the inhabitants of one village to attack
and carry off those who dwell in the
next is well nigh universal There needs
only to be a sufficient demand for the
captives. This demand the overzealous
missionaries contribute to supply
At the recent meeting in Washington
of the American Colonization society it
was reported that during the past year
the society had assisted 4 emigrants
to Liberia and 217 emigrants had paid
their own way. During the "a years of
its existence the society has sent ont
16, 428 colonists, exclusive of 5,722 re-
captured Africans which the society en-
abled the United Stetes government to
settle in Liperias