Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-03
WINNING THE NATIVE
Work of Missionaries in the
Sudan.
AMONG THE SHULLAS
ADVANCED POST ON CIvILIzA-
TIoN's sKIRMIsH LINE.
Lord Cromer Pays Hearty Tribute to
the Exertions Of the Relig-
ious Teachers.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
CAIRO, January 4, 1884,.
The most advanced position on the Skin
mish line Of civilization in the Sudan Is
occupied by Rev. ]. K. Gifen and Med
ical Doctor H. T. Mclaughlin and their
wives, at Dolaib Hill, among pagan tribe
of Shuilas, near where the Sobat river
flows into the Nile. They have erected
casons from materials they found in the
jungle, have planted gardens. built
school house. begun teaching. and have al
ready won the confidence Of the natives
around them. They are Americans ana
missionaries of the United presbyterian
Church, who plunged into the green gun
of Central Africa in 1902 to devote their
lives to the Improvement of the condition
of those naked savages.
Lord Cromer's Tribute.
Speaking of these brave pioneers in his
latest report to the home government at
London, Lord Cromer himself has given the
clearest, fullest and most comprehensive
account of their work and situation that
has ever been published. He says:
..An opportunity was afforded to me dur
ing nv recent tour in the Sudan OF visiting
the station established by the American
missionaries on the Sobat river. me es-
fen and Dr. and Mrs. Mclaughlin was
greatly pleased with all I saw. The mis-
sion is manifestly conducted on those
sound, practical, common-sense principies
which, indeed, are strongly characterls.Ic
Of American mission work In Egypt NO
parade is made Of religion. In fact tne
work of conversion, properly SO calied can
scarcely be said to have commenced. MI.
a preliminary to the introduction of Chris
tan teaching, his best plan will be to gam
some insight into the ideas, manners anu
customs of the wild Shillouks, among whom
he lives to establish in their minds thor
ough confidence In his intentions, ana 10
inculcate some rudimentary knowledge OF
the Christian moral code. In these en-
beavers he appears to have been eminentiy
successful BY kindly and considerable
treatment he is allaying those suspicious
which are so easily aroused In the mlnds Vi
savages. l found considerable numbers
of ShilloukS, men and women, WORKING nap
iished in the extensive and well cultivated
garden attached to the mission may re-
mark incidentally that cotton, apparently
of good quality, has already been produceu.
The houses in which the mempeIs VI cs liz
mission live have been constructed by Shii-
louk labor. / addressed the men present,
through an interpreter, and fully satlsneo
myself that they were happy and content
cd
longer be carried off into slavery, that they
will be treated with justice and consloera-
ton, and paid for their labor.
An Unmixed Benefit to Natives.
..Not only can there be no possible obJec-
ton To mission work of this description, but
NAV add that from whatever point or
,iew the matter is considered, the creation
If establishments conducted on the princf-
nles adopted by Mr.. Giffen and DR.. Nc
Iauphlin cannot fail to prove an unm1Xed
benefit to the population among Whom they
live | understand that the American HIS
sionaries contemplate the creation OF an
other mission post higher up the Sopat
II is greatly to be hoped that they will
carry out this intention. They may rely on
any reasonable encouragement ana ASSIST
ance which it is in the power OF the SUDAN
think. to be regretted that none of the
British missionary societies appear so far
to have devoted their attention to the
southern portions of the Sudan, which are
inhabited by pagans Not only DO THESE
districts present a far more promising field
for missionary enterprise than those prov
inces whose population is Mohammedan
but the manifest political objections which
exist in allowing miss on work In the lat
ter do not in any degree exist in the for
mer case. l entirely agree with the opin-
ion held by Sir Reginald Wingate. and
shared. ] believe. by every responsible of1-
cial who can speak with local knowledge
and authority on the subject, that the time
is still distant when mission work can with
safety and advantage, be permitted among
the Mos;em population of the Sudan.
subsequently to writing these remarks
visited the Austrian Roman Catholic Mis-
sion, situated short distance south of Fa-
shoda. 1t is also very we'll conducted, and
deserves the same amount of encourage
ment as that accorded to the American es-
tablishment.
Il should add that, although mission
work, properly so-called. cannot as yet be
permitted among the Moslem population of
the Sudan, see no objection to the estab-
lishment of Christian schools at Khartum.
Parents should, of course. be warned, be-
fore they send their children to the schools,
that instruction in the Christian religion is
afforded. 1t will then be for them to judge
whether they wish their children to attend
or not. Probably the best course to pursue
will be to set aside certain hours for religious
instruction, and leave 1t optional to the