Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-06-26
II INSTRUCTIVE S[Rk0N'
Oar Brethren in Liberia Free
State"
HE THEME DISCOURSED UPON
BY REV. BIGGER LAST EVEN
ING-ONE OF A SERIES OF IN
TERESTING TALKS ABOUT THE
PEOPLE IN THE ORIENT.

| Rev. r. r. Bigger, Phi. D., delivered
| an excellent sermon upon the subject
Our Brethren in Liberia Free State, :"
| at the Third Presbyterian Church last
evening. to a large and very attentive
congregation. II was the third of
series of sermons which Rev. Bigger
| has outlined upon the topic: Our
Brethren in the Orient His remarks
were as follows:
"The little republic of Liberia, which
| is a little more than five hundred miles
| long and on an average OF so miles
| wide, lies on the west coast OF Africa,
| just opposite the northern end OF South
| America. The consideration of this
mission field should especially interest
us, for Liberia is a child of American
| colonization. The first settlement on
! that coast was on January Z, 1921, by
| So free blacks. who sailed from New
| York. For a hundred years the prin-
! clpal powers of Europe, IN particular
| France and England, mad repeatedly
| tried 10 gain possession of this terri
! tory, but the native chiefs had invari-
| ably refused to part with even enc
| acre, and were known to be extremely
| hostil to the whites. But in the year
| mentioned the smaller OF the two ISL
| ands lying at the mouth of the Mesu-
| RADIO river was occupied by America
| Africans, who called it Perseverance
| Island. Soon they removed TO Mesu-
| RADIO Heights and the American flag
| was raised. The colony henceforth
| grew, and expanded in territory and in
| fiuence, taking under its jurisdiction
| from time to time the large tribes con-
| tiguous. In 1876 the board OF direc-
| tors of the American Colonization So
| ciety invited the colony TO proclaim its
| independence as a means of protection
| against the oppressive interference of
| foreigners. Representatives of the peo-
| pie met in convention, and promulga-
| ted Q constitution similar to that of
| the United States. This republic was
| soon recognized by the powers of Eu
| rope as the United States of Liberia.
| The constitution establishes an entire
| separation of the church from the
| State and places all religious denomina-
tions on an equal footing, but all the
citizens of the republic must belong to
4NEGIlO IltASG.
The population comprises about 10000
civilized negroes, cnlety OF American
origin, ana I,0oU,00U mar wild natives,
VINO are gradually coming under the
influence OF civilization.
Before / begin 10 tell of the mis-
sionary work among these people you
VIII, non doubt, want to know more or
the natural features Of the country and
| the condition OF the natives. The coast
| line is low, and the navigation of the
| shore is dangerous, with reefs and iso
| lated rocks. Close to the beach is a
dense growth of bushes, towering
| vines and lew trees, above which tower
| the graceful heads OF the cocoa, the
! bamboo and other palms. Back OF this
| is sandy prairie, many parts OF
which are swampy. And then, about
| a mile back of this the land slowly
| rises, and is covered with a heavy for
| est timber. This extends inland two
| or three hundred miles, and is roamed
| by heards of elephants antelopes, gor-
| rillas, and all other wild animals found
| in the tropics, while the numerous riv
| ers swarm with hippopotami. OF course
| there are no roads, and the narrow
| forest paths are trodden single-file in
| hunting or in emigrating from the
| bank of enc river TO another. The
| beach on the coast can be travelled by
| horse, but almost all travel is done in
native canoes and boats dug from
| single tree trunk. In 1885, the Mas
| sau,' a small schooner, was built in
| Liverpool, mainly by funds raised
| among children in the Sunday schools
| in America, and is constantly used
| along the coast in missionary service.
The natives roam through the for
ests hunting ivory and gathering ebony,
| dye-woods. palm oil and gums. They
build their villages only ON the banks
| of streams for convenience of their ca
noes. The population is sparsely
scattered over the country, and the
| tribes are very numerous and clannish
each clan possessing its own dialect.
| For many years after
THE NEW COLONY
| was formed harmony did not exist be-
tween the aborigines and the negroes
| from America. The latter instead of
feeling that the country was their home
and affiliating with the natives as
brethren, kept UP class distinctions,
| looked on the natives with contempt
| and treated them as servants and often
as slaves. This engendered Ill will and
quarrels that led 10 frequent assaults
| by the native tribes in which English
| and American men-ofwar had some
| times to interfere for the protection Of
the colonists. But as the colony grows
| in power and as the natives gradually
| come under the influence Of Christian
| civilization these difficulties gradually
| disappear. With reference to the re-
| ligion of the natives there is no woT-
ship in the proper sense Of the word.
| The natives have religion, but it is
/ a superstition called Fetishism. 1t
| does not come as near to a worship OF
| God as idolatry does, for the idolater
| processes to worship God, through the
symbol of the idol, but the African ne
gro, though distinctly admitting the
existence of a Supreme Being as a Gre
ator and father, gives him no actual
worship. Sacrifices are made of food,
and occasionally of blood-sometime
| human-to spirits, TO which prayers
are regularly offered at the new moon,
/ and at other times in case of sudden
danger In this respect they remind
| he Of some npnDIe in America who rrayy