St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-08-08
AN AFRICAN CITY.
Tho Wonderful Community Recently Wis.
S2sz@ tied by Missionary.

@Se= ss5s tted by missionary.
The following marvellous story is told
by Rev. Josiah Strong, whose own high
character, together with the fact that
no one has challenged the authenticity
of the story, makes credible what other.
wise would inspire doubt. The story
is told to illustrate the fitness of the
Christian negro to efangelize Africa,
It is an account of a visit to an African
city on the Kassai, a tributary Of the
Congo, whose king had threatened with
instant death any visitor to his capital
or any guide who should conduct ona
thither. So for nine years all attempts
to reach it had been futile. When Mr..
Shepherd came, speaking the kings
own language and being of his own
color, King Laguba received him kindly
and showed him every attention. This
is whar Mr.. Shepherd saw.
They attended him to the city, and
he found what he had not seen before
in Africa, a fenced city, with broad.
clean streets in which hundreds of hap
py children were at play with marbles
and at leap frog. or trundling their
hoops. He found d city laid out like
a checker board, the squares being filled
with houses. Every street and every
house was named. The houses were
well built, commodious and furnished
with carved furniture and exqnisitely
woven mats. He was conducted to one
that had been assigned to him, and
found itwell provisioned.
There he received the neighbors for
three days, and on the fourth he was
summoned to give attendance upon the
king, and the king sent two of his
sons and 1000 children to escort him to
down Il broad, beautiful Avenue into the
great central square of the city. Blank
%et cloth had been spread out in a great
circle of perhaps 100 feet in diameter.
and within this the ground had been
covered with leopards' skins. On these
skins, sitting in q hollow square, We're
the 700 wives of the king and his aged
sister, while thousands stood outside
around the circle. As the king was
borne in by his i6 carriers the air was
rent with the shouts of the people, and
when the king was seated the people
seated themselves upon the ground.
Then two princes came forward, and,
taking Mr.. Shepherd by the arm, con-
dueted him into the presence. of the
King.
The king was gorgeously dressed, and
wore a crown. He took from his belt a
knife, which. he said had belonged to
seven I4okugas, and this he presented
Ito the young man as a token of conf
dence. The king said to him: ''If you
or your people are hungry, do not fail
to let me know, and whatever you want
of me or of my people you shall have
He then presented the missionary to
Z his aged sister and the ceremony was at
an end. The prince conducted him
about the city, and he saw their vast
markets full of busy life, well supplied
with, fruits and vegetables, and manu-
factured articles, he felt himself to be
again in the midst of civilization. He
found there people with laws which
were strictly enforced, with courts OF
justice, and with prisons. Amy member
of that tribe who is guilty of bigamy
suffers death. Any man who is guilty
of drunkenness, or of theft, or of gam.
bling, or of wife-beating, is severely
punished. Every third day with them
is Sabbath, and they carefully observe
it.-Springfield (Mass.) Republican.