The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-21
SAVED FOR So A HEAD,
MISSIONARIES BUY CHILDREN IN L.
IBERIA TO MAKE A SHOWING.

Discioses q Bcmarkablo Condition OF
Thipgsi sIavssy' Openly EhcouraCsd.
Proicssoro. B! Cook, who was sent sew
sral spqnths ego tcJAheristo mako an, -
yestiea:ipp for the New, York State Colo
nizatlon society, has forwarded report OF
bis labors which Is now i'm tho hands Of
the printer He has studied tho conditions
existing In Liberia with care as upon bis
report will depend the future work Of the
society IN Africa.
Friends of the negro in the United
States have been awaiting the result Of
Professor Cooks inquiry. IL Is sure to
create a stir among church people and
foreign missions of all denominations.
The following Is from the advance sheets
Of Professor Cooks report:
A chapter In the report Is devoted to
description Of the slave trade. The pro-
fessor alleges that many enterprising mis-
sionaries, too impatient 20 convert natives
by the slow process Of moral suasion, buy
them as slaves at SO much per head and
thrust Christianity upon them. These
missionaries be says, are largely response
bic for the demand which makes traffic in
human bodies profitable.
"There Is every probability" says tho
report, "that IL 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"
Professor Cook says that his criticism
Of missionary methods applies only to
minority Of professional soul savers In
Liberia
at must DO confessed" he proceeds
"that purchase Is the quickest way to
start mission school Lot us observe
typical case. A missionary comes to Az
rica with the idea that the heather are In
@ state of hunger and thirst after right
eousness. He, or moro often she, finds
| that the hea then are In no such state Of
mind. II does not take long for the gen.
eral conclusion to be drawn that the ma
turo natives are a perverse generation. and
the need of working along the educational
lines is realized. II a half civilized native
% asked to allow his child the advantage
OF going 10 school, his probable reply win
be, How much you gimme let my pick
anniny learn bo6ky and the missionary is
face to face with the fact that public senti-
ment in Africa expects pay for accepting
education and Christianity.
"Tho missionaries arc themselves to
blame for the existence Of this unfortunate
fact, which increases many times the al
ready enormous difficulties of doing really
successful work in Africa. Too often the
missionary's foolish haste TO get she good
will of the people has led him TO buy IL
with presents. He gets temporary SEM
blance OF what he desires and loses the
possibility Of obtaining what are infinitely
more important TO his work-the natives
respect and confidence
Buying children Is q part Of the sys-
tom. The missionary soon finds that he
could work TO better advantage by having
children who can be expected TO stay con-
tinuously, and thus have the opportunity
of prolonged training. Children are
cheap-he will redeem them from barbar-
ism, train them for usefulness among their
own people, etc.
''In the interior Of Liberia boys 12 and
| Ia years old were offered to me for goods
Of cash value of about SO. Girls come at
about twice the price These children
were. of course, slaves.
'When It comes to buying free children
Of their parents the price may exceed the
figures mentioned. 1t Is understood that
certain missionary went rs high as 500
apiece for four 'princesses, but these were
n fancy article and demanded corre-
spending price. AS usual thing, how
ever, the buyers arc not sufficiently ao-
quaintcd with tho people and their ways
to escape being imposed upon by dealers
in children and pay three or four times
the current domestic prices. This makes
the missionary trade especially profitable
10 dealers, and almost any one Will 60 into
tho business II ho can get orders TO fill.
Only the other day the news reached the
country that o new missionary was COM
ing to reopen seminary. Shortly after
ward person approached one of tho resi-
dent missionaries with proposal TO fur
nish the institution with Students The
suggestion that the gentleman expected
might prefer not to buy his pupils was
met with the confident declaration that
that would be the only way ho could get
any.
1T is not to be supposed that tho above
facts are applicable to oil The missionaries
Of the coast, or even to a majority of them.
Those who have the stcadfastness and pa
thence to wait until they can become ao-
Quainted with tho people and win their
confidence have no difficulty In getting
material TO work upon.
"Children are bought when zeal over
balances discretion, md the missionary
does not wait 10 think that apart from
other considerations, having once begun
puy ihEs ho VIII bc tAItNttNA W bOiibihucs
Perhaps some board or society has great
expectations which he is anxious TO justify,
or he must mako a report and show a
goodly number in his school. Persons
who would not 10 trusted with children
no matter how long they might stay in
the country, buy enough TO make report
on, ard thus deceive themselves and their
friends at home with the idea that they
are doing work.
But what becomes Of these children
after they are boughtY They are, rs rule,
at the mercy OF tho vicissltudes and tem-
per of tho missionary and not in tho
charge Of some permanent and well orga-
nized institution. Beyond the missionary
who bought them, no one feels any special
responsibility. The missionary may die or
return home within very few years or
months. Indeed ono OF these alternatives
Is in this climate an carly probability, AMI
tho child, now unused and III adapted 20
returning TO native life, but "ut hold