Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-05-13


Country-Thinl<s the British Bocr
Months Longer.
Dr. A. Merensky, Professor of Mis-
sions in the Seminary of Berlin, is In
the city, guest at the home OF the Rev.
A. w. Werder, pastor Of St. James
German Lutheran church. DR.. Mer-
ensky attended the Ecumenical Con-
gress, which was recently held in New
York city, as a delegate from the Ber-
lin Missionary Society. The session
was attended by delegates from all
over the world, who are prominent in
missionary work. Since he has been
travelling about the country. He ar
rived in this city Friday and intends
remaining several days before leaving
for Washington. He will occupy the
pulpit at St. James this morning.
The Doctor was for twenty-five years
missionary in the Transvaal, among
the natives. But for the past fifteen
years he has been occupying an i'm
portant chair on the faculty of the
Seminary of Berlin, the head Of the de-
partment which has charge Of the
students who are fitting themselves
for mission work. He does not talk
English fiuently, but on the whole
very WELL when the time that he has
been In contact with English speaking
people Is considered.
In speaking of the mission work in
the Transvaal, he said that 1t had
been taken up in that field in 1860. At
that time two societies established mis-
sions that same year. Both were Ger
man societies. One, the Berlin society,
the one he represented, settled in the
eastern part of the country, and the
other, the Hanoverian society, in the
western part. DR.. Merensky was the
first missionary sent to the country
by the Berlin society. At the present
time the church in the Transvaal has
congregation among the natives
which numbers over 10000
At first among the natives, and even
at the present time. in some districts.
the number of religious beliefs among
the natives is indefinite. Nevertheless
in every one in some way, God was
worshipped They recognized there
was Supreme Being, and more or less
ceremony in His honor was entailed
in each sect. They practised no idol
worship, but in almost every belief
more or less confucianism is prac-
tised. So that religious idea have very
little opposition among such a people
and conversion, even at first, was com
paratively easy.
The natives are very superstitious.
The man among them who can instill
into them the greatest superstitious
fear has the most power over them. 1t
is in this way that the various chiefs
retain their power. Slowly, as the In
roads of civilization push further into
the country, the natives have In some
small degree become less superstitioys,
but 1t will be very long before it can
be wholly removed.
When the missions were first insti-
tuted in that country the Beers were
disposed to look upon the project with
disfavor, nevertheless 1t was tolerated
at first, and later became looked upon
with more favor, as the results of the
work became apparent. President
Kruger is, and always has been very
much in favor of the mission work
When the topic Of the political stu
alton in the Transvaal was preached,
DR.. Merensky refused to discuss it,
giving a very good reason for not
doing so. He Is exceedingly well
posted upon the whole situation, as
he has, ever since leaving the country,
kept we'll in touch with It, He did,
however, make several statements
bearing on the situation, and from his
scantily expressed opinion it could
readily be seen that he did not con-
slider the Beers as being wholly in the
right.
When the Beers first settled in South
Africa In the Sixteenth Century, they
confiscated all the lands and belong
ings of the natives. One of the first
laws constructed by the Volks Rad
was to the effect that native could
not own property or houses. It has al
ways been the custom to do with the
natives as it best pleased the white
ludil. uty NSlS anu are l1ONeu QlIloT
and thither at the beck and call Of the
white master.
The Doctor stated that in his opin-
ion the war with England would not
last much longer-three months at the
outside. There were. at present not
quite 10000 Beers in the field and not
over 5000 alien troops, and with the
British with over 10000 men, his only
establishment was that the war had
not terminated long ago. The Beers
are not practicing a guerilla warfare.
The Doctor secuted the idea that
President Kruger was the head Of a
sort of absolute monarchy. He gave.
as the reason for that report gaining
credence, was that up until the time
Of the war the Volks Rad had follow
ed President Kruger's advice In every
thing, as they trusted in his judg-
ment implicitly. At the present time.
however, the Doctor said. it was his
opinion that the Rand would sue for
peace, and very shortly, irrespective
of President Kruger's views or advice
on the matter.
He also stated he could not see why
the world at large was so Mortified at
the fact of the English sending their
prisoners 10 ST. Helena. They have
no fortresses or prisons in South At
RIGA, and even had they 1t would be
better to conflne the prisoners on the
tel 4y,ara T.,