Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-30
LIGHT PIERCES
AFRICAN GLOOM
SLAVE MARKETS SCENES OF
CHRISTIAN RITES
Missionary Reports Show Gratifying
Proqress-American Business Men
Forward In the Good
Work
Work
Special to The Herald.

special to Inc Herald.
NEW YORK. Jan. 29.--The globe
trotter" has not yet appeared in large
numbers on the west coast OF Africa
partly because Of the time which has
to be spent to reach that section of the
dark continent, and partly because the
home Of the black man has few attrac-
tions for the tourist. Unusual interest
therefore. attaches to the tour now be-
ing made by the Rev. DIR. A. Woodruff
Halsey, a secretary of the Presbyte-
rian board of foreign missions, who is
making the first visit paid by a mis-
sionary secretary to the mission sta
tions near the Congo country
Word of DR.. Halsey's visit to Old
Calabar. once a famous slave market
has just reached this country, and he
tells how the trader. the missionary
and the British government have
changed the character of the place and
made it fit to dwell in. The native
towns are described as filthy and un-
couth. but improvement is evident, al
though the native mind is still held
by the "Ju-Ju" or fetish TO such an
extent that a bundle of wood, bearing
charm of cloth or shell, is supposed
to be safe from thieves.
Dr. Halsey describes a church SER
vice in English for the foreign negro
population of Calabar. in the course of
which negro baby was baptized. No
fewer than twenty-seven persons, he
says, godfathers, mothers, sisters, cous
ins and aunts, stood up with and for
the child, the colors of the rainbow
being represented in the little group
about the pulpit. In contrast with this
was the baptism of white baby, the
daughter of medical missionary at
Creektown, about eight miles from CAL
abar. This was held on the afternoon
of the same day that saw the negro
baptism, and every trader, missionary
and traveller attended white babies
being very scarce in that country.
The traders, who are compelled to
leave their families at home, were
much interested in the baby. Every
body wanted to hold it, until the little
ton. The service was held in church
which, costing $4,000, was given by
native Christians. and the collection
plates were boxes three feet by two,
| to accommodate the many brass rods
which constitute the common currency
of the inland towns. DR.. Halsey re-
ports that, contrary to rumors heard
before he reached Africa, the best of
feeling prevails between the mission
aries and the traders. The negro, he
says. is being governed with full
justice.
The Seabury Society of New York
is the name of a new organization de-
signed, as it's charter Just granted
gays, ito bring the men of the church
to higher conception of their duty
to the missions of the church" The
church meant is the Protestant Epis-
copal and the originators of the
movement are New York business
men who are themselves already
actively at work, during their spare
time and without salaries for mis-
sions.
The name Seabury is from the
bishop of Connecticut who was conse-
Grated in Scotland whom for political
reasons the English bishops would not
consecrate, and who became the first
American bishop of the church re-
ferred to. Membership in the new So
ciety is open to all men, but it is pro-
vided that those in control of the
movement must be men who are ac-
tually engaged in some form Of church
work during the whole or part of their
time. The movement grows out of a
very apparent awakening among men,
most of them business men, who are,
without salaries, giving themselves to
church extension work in Pittsburg,
Washington, Buffalo, Boston. New
York and many other cities