Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-06-26

sion3ry work. we may say that Lot
CoryA 4 slave. who. having bought his
! freedkm, was sent thith& by the Bap-
ftistg as early as 1921. II was the first
missionary to this portiSn of the dark
continent. Then in 1884 the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions sent out five ministers and
! their wives. The Presbyterian mis-
sion was commenced in February, 1888,
and for several years only educated
| ex-slaves were sent out. But it was
| found that American negroes were not
exempt from the dread African fever,
and by their slave origin lacked skill
for the conduct OF affairs. Therefore,
/ white ministers were sent, who estab
/ lished the Alexandrian High School at
/ Monravia, 1S49. The object of this
school is 10 educate consecrated ma
| istry from among the aborigines. TVS
| is the great need CT Liberia. The
aborigines can stand nthe climate, ana
their influence over the natives is
great. In 1882 the Methodist church
sent her first missionary to Liberia.
The intense interest which has been
aroused among civilized nations by the
explorations OF Livingstone, and later
still by Stanley in the heart of Africa,
has been heroically followed up by
Bishop Taylor and the missionary band
led by him, especially along the Congo
river; and the native chiefs have grant
ed lands for the purpose of establish
/ ing churches and building schools.
| "A new era may therefore be now
said to have dawned upon the dark
continent in a religious as we'll as
i secular point of view, and Liberia,
which is the Oldest of the modern mis-
sionary fields there, will doubtless con-
tinue to be the centre Of missionary
action.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
also has a flourishing mission field
there. All of the denominations men
| toned have established many day
schools. Much is also done in the line
of hospital and dispensary work by the
medical missionaries. There are now
several thousand converted heather in
/ Liberia. and though the aborigines
have no written languages, the mission
aries have reduced several dialects to
! written form and the word of God is
being translated.
There are several fragrant evils
which operate against the spread of
the gospel. The spirit of anarchy
against the government and the Difficult
| ty of bringing law-breakers TO justice
interferes with the comfort of the
mission stations. And then slavery
is vice which missionaries and Chris
tian nations have had a hard task in
breaking up. And while it is sup
pressed on the west coast, it exists I'M
restrained as domestic institution.
I These slaves are criminals who are sent
down the river from interior tribes as
a punishment for the offenses. Intern
perance is also sad obstacle to Chris
tian work, just as it is in this land.
! The natives have their own beer made
from over-ripe plantains and bananas,
and sour wine from the sap of the
bamboo palms.
'Polygamy, with its kindred vices, is
bitter root which develops into a tree
whose thorny arms meet us at every
path. 1t debases women. diSregar6s
marriage, destroys the family. 1t
makes marriage difficult for Christian
young men who desire to be monoga-
mists. The debasement which it has
wrought in the minds of the natives
has Slapped virtue and chastity.
But Notwithstanding these him
ORANGES there are hopeful characters
tics of the work. The natives willing
ly and gladly listen to the gospel mes
sage, though they sometimes object to
the practical applications of the COM
mandments to their lives and customs.
They welcome the idea of savior, for
THEIR HEATHER RELIGION
has nothing for them but a slavish fear.
They are very polite in their reception
of the missionaries. DR.. Nassau write
when we formally make ourselves
guests, we are at once accorded the
4 freedom Of the town to go where and
do as we please in its huts and around
its fires. Each missionary on arrival
! is addressed with the title of father
or mother and the pleasant feelings
that grow up between teacher and pupil
become strong and often tender. The
missionaries are accorded large author
ity, much the same as native chiefs
| have in their villages" The work is
now progressing more rapidly than
ever before and the Light is beginning
to shine brightly where Christian mis-
/ sionaries have entered the dark con-
( tinent All Christians should recog-
nize with thanksgiving the manifest
favor of God and the power Of the Holy
| Spirit to change the heart of the saw
age The prophecy of Isaiah is being
/ fulfilled The wilderness and the soil
tary places shall be glad; and the
desert shall rejoice and blossom as the