The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-03
RUM AT AFRICAN FUNERALS.
n MissiOnnry's Account of How 1t Is
DCstrOyin. the NntiNes

IiGLI OlltilGl1llls III oil dI Iltlt on IIlt
rum traffic in Africa, published in the
Union Signal, describes the part rum
plays at native funerals:
DR.. Christ, vice president Of the Basel
mission, thus shows the important part
which rum now plays in every native
funeral: a missionary relates how,
at Mulimba, he came to a native funeral.
Groups of bowling natives were dancing
up and down as if possessed by demons
Their eyes rolled wide, their features
were distorted, and they kept feeding
their madness by drinking more and
more Of the vile 'fu1er stuff, which was
served free to dancers and spectators
from large, open basins. 1t was impos-
sible to get hearing from sucn a crowd,
and the missionary had to desist from
preaching tho Word"
On the gold coast, a British colony,
the following funeral customs have de-
yeloped: "a poor man or woman E3ust
spend about 50 shillings -four shiliEgs.
one dollar), a wcll-ofr person about 100
shillings, in rum, if they will escape
becoming the victims of popular wrath
and of the prosecuting spirit OF the
dead. He who has no money must Dor
row, and often give his own child as a
pledge, slave to his creditor" At
Bonandolo, in Kamerun, the funeral
of petty village chieftain cost 500
marks in schnapps alone.
This custom of using schnapps is of
recent date, and due entirely to the
white traders Il have been told by the
natives" says a missionary, that be-
fore rum was introduced it was GUS
tOmary at funerals or any popular feasts
to beat the drum, sing and eat, but not
to get drunk. Palm wine was drunk
only in those places where the wine
palms were plentiful. The offerings
brought to the fetish spirit, and eaten
by the people, consisted of chickens,
yam and pisang. Itnever occurred then
to anybody to say: If only somebody
would soon die; we have been long
without a drinking feast With my
own ears l have heard people say:
There are enough old women in the viii
Iage; if one would die every fortnight
we should have no lack of mmorosa
Cum).'"
The seventy-ninth annual report of
the Basel mission says; The heather
party failed to reintroduce the old pa
gan worship which had been abolished,
but it succeeded in introducing the rum
idol. almela, which was already wor-
SHIPPED among the Dualla. The adopts
Of this rum idol call themselves the
'Almela church, and ape our Christian
ceremonies. Candidates for member
ship must first serve as 'probationers.'
The candidate is submitted to an exam
ination, in which he must prove that he
has committed some shameful or Grim
inal deed. Then he is baptized by i'm
mersiOn. When he energies out Of the
water he must drink glass of rum, and
promise to serve the demon by drinking
and by committing vile deeds. In the
meetings the leader opens a book and
pretends to read from it. His sermon
encourages the audience in drinking
and other vices. Many people of Bongo
Lave been induced to join this society
~ VIC 'iS0tl llOlI bislC OllE SUI lltlNl tCAll-
from Europe, and was one of the numer-
GUS denominations of civilized lands"
y missionary writes: 1T is not only
possible to conquer polygamy and idol
airy; they are practically doomed. But
it seems impossible to conquer the rum
demon, which the whites and European
governments have introduced"
Inspector Ochler, of the Basel mis-
sion, thus concludes his latest report;
Exceedingly painful is the ever-eN-
tending influence of the ruIn traffic IN
Kamerun." "Schnapps,' says a brother
that fatal destroyer of all progress and
is penetrating deeper and
deeper into all the strata of the nation.
1t has now become the most powerful
idol of the country. 1t dominates the
public and private life of the people
as much as secret societies and the fet-
ish worship did in former times" The
readiness with which the natives of
kamerun receive new ideas and customs
would naturally make one conceive the
brightest hope as to the triumph of
Christianity in their midst, but we can
not help fearing that in the same meas
urc as the rum traffic prospers the Ea-
tives and their country will be more and
more ruined, physically, economically,
and spiritually. We demand Of
ourC christians to totally abstainfr from the
use of rum and the trade in rum. They
seem to realize the necessity of the rule
and apply it to communities, but the
struggle against the swelling torrents
Of poison with which this Inflated coun-
try is being flooded becomes harder and
harder.