The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-09-27
DEAIoRAL1zED BY CIVILIZATION.
The Native African Is a Better Man
Physically and Morally Than the
American Negro.

Columbia, September 21.-Anaong
the interesting callers at the COVER
nor's Office yesterday was the Rev.
William Morrison, a Presbyterian mis-
sionary who has seen seven years SER
vice at Luebe, in the, Congo Free
State, who talked in an interesting
way ,cf the customs, manners and re-
Hgion of the Congo negroes. lIr. Nor
rison was Governor Heyward's school
mate, his home being in Lexington,
Va. Morrison's talk was delightfully."-
informal and he outlined many inter-
esting characteristics of the people he
has beer working among. He is pre-
pairing a treatise on the language Of
the people there, which is he is find
ing a very difficult undertaking mas
much as this has never before been
attempted and his way is entirely un-
charted, depending almost wholly up
on the observations he has been able
to make personally. He has complied
list of about 5000 words, each tribe
having a language Of its own almost
as distinct from the others as one
European language is different from
another.
"In coming among new tribe one
has to be extremely cautious in his
movements" he said. You must be
self-possessed and easy in your move
ments, careful not to frighten the peo-
pie. I found salt to be a passport to
almost any part of africa. Salt is
very scarce and the natives are very
fond of tapping It up with their
tongues. Still you can readily mag
inc how greatly at loss one feels
ones self among lot Of chattering
natives without knowing a word Of
their language. But we get a foothold
finally with the knowledge that fu-
man. nature is the same the world
their eyes open in wonder. I see a fell
low attracted to it coming toward me
through the crowd. I know that he
is going to ask what is it. catch the
sound of what he utters and write it
down. Presently I pick up something
belonging to native and repeat the
sound I heard the native make. I'm
mediately there is response, de-
monstration Of pleased surprise that
I know something Of their language
and they are my fast friends from that
on
In the opinion of Mr.. Morrison
slavery has had a deteriorating effect
upon the morals Of the negro. There
is a marked superiority Of the native,
especially in the native Of the in
terror. Practically ali of the native
tribes have very strict laws on moral
ity, he says, the death penalty be-
| ing visited or both the man and the
woman for violation. The men and
women are sound physically. Mr.. Nor
rison has beer giving the natives he
comes in contact with medical treat
ment during the seven years he has
been there and says the one exception
was traceable to a white. He thinks
that slavery has also been responsible
! for the negros vice OF stealing, a
crime that is almost unknown in At
rica because Of the stringent laws
against it. He accounts for this ap-
parent result of lavery by pointing
out that in slavery days the selling of
husbands and wives TO different mas
rers gave them a low regard for the
marital right and stealing their mas
ters' goods to administer to the wants
of their masters negro was easily eN-
cusable.
Mr.. Morrison worked with the Rev
Phillips Werner, two OF whose natives
exhibited at the st. Louis fair were
brought from near his missionary set
tlement. He was also associated with
the Rev. Mr.. Vass, of Savannah, who
he says is genius in several ways
They are 500 miles from railroad
They come down to the railroad on ]
steamer, about week being required
for the trip down and a month for the
trip up.
Are the members Of these tribes
receptive of religious training?' ask
ed the governor.
Some very readily so. Their own
religion is fetish, but they readily
assimilate the Christian religion, and
many of them make ren1ar rka bly, good
Christians Some tribes, however
are stubborn and hard: they won't
wear our clothes and are suspicious
When we find a tribe like this we pass
on. as it is uesless to work with them
One of our stations was attacked last
year by such tribe as this, but for