The sun., 1897-12-06
AFRo.AMrn1cAN Ex1nEa
a Missionary's Statement OF Their Desperate
Condition In Africa.


The publication of an interview in THE sUN
OF Aug. with DIR. J. Albert Thorne OF tho West
Indies, In which was outlined a scheme TO col
onise a portion Of the Zambcsi country In Con-
tral Africa wl:h American and West Indian
descendants Of Africa under British protoo'
zion, has bcen extensively discussed In the
United States. in tho West Indies and in AZ
rica. The discussion has disclosed tho fact
that there Is widespread interest in tho sub
ject, more than was suspected.
The project was received in hostile spirit
by Afro.Amcrlcans. for tho most part, and BY
Intelligent native Africans who very gener-
ally look down upon their brethren In the
United States and the West Indies, and who do
not consider that they are fitted by education
or the possession of worldly goods to be q do
sirable and helpful addition to the swarming
millions OF native Africans. who constitute the
largest aggregation Of human raw material In
the world.
In this view Of the matter tho intelligent nar
tive African Is quito correct, because those
Afro-Americans who desire TO leave the United
states are to be found among that class Who
have made n failure In part or in whole OF life
| In this country, and are therefore untitled for
pioneer lifo in Africa or In any other country,
and who are really better of whore they are.
That this Is the correct view Is borne out by the
utter failure of most Of those who hayo bean
persuaded into going to West Africa; and 60
pecially is this true Of the last batch Of mis-
| collanoous nislts who sailed away from Be-
vanneh in the steamship Horsa in 1895. and
ever since. as fast as they havo been able.
other country. and the color Of his skin will
most OF those who have gono to Africa from
the United States have found this out lust
little too otG to put the RnoWsdSS to $ pr9h.HIns
fter, tho bread fruit and palm oil and eternal
sunshins and Tiasma % Of Of Vest Africa -,
| those whose interest In Africa was aroused by
the publication Of Or. Thorne's Central A.
one Of those people who believe in, finding out
in,law in Africa. Ho has his family with him
terior. about 100 miles from Freetown. Mr..
potry wrote to his relative; the Rey James % A. A;
Sept. 80, he forwarded him the following reply,
postmarked at Frsetown, sierrs Leone, which
You ask to tell you about Africa whether It 10 a
good country for emlgrants 1will tell you in few
Tords Aroa th,s part OF II and nern & Is ne place
should come here without the following two things;
lars to invest in sure business There are hundreds
OF American colored people strong about the shores
s TO-
America and come to such lani as this; There Is
\
| vntion, slavery.
This is a sufficiently plain and blunt state
| ment of the case 10 deter any man from going
to Africa who docs not possess good bust mess
| education and money enough to set UP busi-
ness on hi9 own account, and the man ,Tho
| possesses these will not desire to go to Africa
at all. but remain in the United States. where
he can mako the most Of his business educa
tion and money in hand.
There is no room in any part of Africa foI
raw. common labor. The Continent is already
pverrun with It, so that tho daily wage averages
from 10 to % cents. and Il Door devil from the
United States and tho West Indios finds that
he cannot got enough work Mt those rates to
keep his body and soul together. He does moi
need much clothing. it Is true, but he need!
plenty of food and medicine and these come
high, especially the medicine, even in Africa
where there is always plenty OF sickness ant
very few physicians.
Bishop Henry NJ Turner of Georgia. whit
ia the friskiest African colonization propagan
dist In tho United States win be SURPRISED anC
panied to learn that he is hcng cursed by hun
dreds Of American colored people. sirollin'
about the shores of Africa, "of this terribl
land" as tho Row. Mr. Trlcc styles it.
Prosperous Afro-Americans have no wish +
go to Africa or anywhere else. 1t will b
humane and charitable TO keep those Of ther
starvation or slavery" in Africa.