The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-11-01
RUINS WORK IN AFRICA.
What Missionaries Have to Say o,
the Ruination Brought to
the BIackman.

terized in the first place by slavery
and later on by the expectation Of
ardent spirits. 1t is well that oul
steamers should carry missionaries tt
the dark continent, but is it well thai
the cargo of many a vessel should
mainly consist of gin and gunpowderi
This was the case with the old steam
ship Adrian, on which I sailed for the
Congo in 1891. In due time we safely
reached Banana. at the mouth of the
Congo river, and | commenced to see
the abominable effects of the firewa
ter, which in those days was so free
ly sold. Night was made hideous il
the wooden hotel by scenes anC
sounds of revelry. A dozen bottles Of
gin could be bought for 60 cents, anG
the poisonous connection, so one Of
my friends informed me, was war;
ranted to kill at 500 yards. The al
ready degraded natives were in part
paid for their labor in gin, and they
were thus further degraded, democrat
lied, decimated and damned.
To-day the strength of the spirits
sold is greatly diluted, as its poison
Gus and destructive power was ever
for trade purposes too serious. Wher
the artificial taste was created, palm
wine, which is very slightly intoxicat
ing, could no longer suffice the ma
tives, who were prepared to barter al
their possessions for the accurseG
''fire-wator." | have often seen the
graves of these poor heather decorat
ed with the gin bottles they owned
during life.
1t is matter of profound gratitude
that restrictive tariff is in some de-
gree lessening the sale on the lower
Congo; but still more are we reioiced
that combined Europe, too tardily
kind, has drawn a cord of protection
round equatorial Africa, forbidding
the sale of spirits beyond a certain
clearly defined sphere.-Harry Graf,
tan Guinness, NJ. D., London Regions
Beyond missionary Union).
As | have witnessed the unutterabls
horrors of the rum traffic of the west
coast, as well as in South Africa,
shall gladly embrace the opportunity
to let the civilized world know some
thing of the sickening details of q
traffic of which it might be truly said:
Slavery slew its thousands, but the
rum traffic is staying its millions.
travelled up and down the coast on
boats that were simply wholesale
liquor houses-rum in hogsheads, rum
in casks, rum in barrels, rum in kegs
rum in demijohns, rum in stone jugs;
and the vilest rum that ever burnt it,
way down human threats.
What an awful many-sided charge
the vast cloud of butchered African
witnesses will have against the civil.
lied world in the day of Judgment!
Africa, robbed of her children. rifled
of her treasures, lies PROSTATE before
the rapine and greed of the Christian
nations of the world. A slave pen anc
battle field for ages, Christian ma
tions, instead of binding up hel
wounds, like the good Samaritan; in.
stead of passing by and leaving heI
alone like Levite and priest, have
come to her with 10000 shiploads o.
hell's masterpiece of damnation, rum
that is turning her children into hu.
man cinders, that has turned the en-.
tire west coast into one long bar.
room, from which it is estimated nc
fewer than 100000 drunken savages
go forth to die of delirium tremens
every year. Gin, GIN is the cry al
along the west coast, and, says Jos.
eph Thompson: Underneath that cry
for gin | seem to hear the reproach:
You see what Christians have made
u.s." Africa sends to Europe fiber.
palm oil, palm kernels, rubber and
coffee. Europe sends to Africa pow.
der and balls to slaughter the body
and rum to Stay the soul - Rev.
Charles Satchell Morris. South Africa.
To my mind the most convincing
proof of the absolute unreasonable.
ness of the liquor traffic in mission
fields, not to say its unmitigated wick.
edness, is found in the action of the
English government with respect to
its East African possessions. In this,
their latest acquisition in the dark
continent, stringent regulations have
been issued. and so far as / have no.
ticed have been enforced, prohibiting
the sale of either liquor or firearms
to the natives
When we consider this action in
connection with her policy on the
west coast, where liquor has been
poured in without stint, and where
the result has been seen in rebellious
uprisings and massacres innumerable,
we have the testimony of one of the
greatest nations, and certainly the
most experienced colonizing power,
that liquor for revenue does not paw;
that as a simple commercial transac
ton it is ruinous, expensive, criminal.
Rev. w. r. Hotchkins, British East
Africa.
TENDED TInTNCC