New-York tribune., 1905-02-25


The entire existence Of the African negro is
bound up in his fetch 1t is not only wor-
shin IT is a government 1t is a witchcraft as
we'll dealing with both white and black magics.
1t regulates the social, the spiritual and the
physical life of the native. To understand the
negro, therefore, it is necessary to understand
his superstitions; TO go step further even and
to understand the religious principle or pr1ncl-
ples on which these superstitions are founded
and from which they have developed. The well
intentioned efforts of many missionaries and ex-
plorers have been greatly hampered, Dr.. Mas
sau believes, by a lack of appreciation Of this
necessity and by consequent impatience Win
methods ard customs which to the European
mind appear on the surface to be too foolish to
merit consideration. Such a point OF view is
even more foolish obviously, than that of the
negro himself.
To gain a comprehensive knowledge Of the ne
gro point Of view, however. is no easy task. He
is, with reason, suspicious of the white man and
fearful of his ridicule 1t is only by gaining the
black mans confidence. and even then rather
by suggestion and by avoiding direct interroga-
ton, that one can arrive at the information de-
sired concerning his real motives and beliefs.
This was the method pursued by Dr. Nassau in
his forty years of ministry among the natives of
the West Coast of Africa. While his own field
Of observation was necessarily limited to those
tribes with which he came in contact, he is
convinced that, however fetichism may differ in
details of practice in different sections, its
fundamental principles are the same in all parts
of the African continent. Abundant quotations
from other writers are given to substantiate
this opinion. The book IS valuable. accordingly,
not only for it's exposition of the strange Gus
toms of the West Coast negroes. but for the
intimate insight it gives of negro character,
wherever found. since every thought and con-
scious act OF the black man in his native state
is influenced by his religious belief to an extent
that is with difficulty comprehended by his
more enlightened white brother.
Contrary to the experience of some other OBJ
servers. the author nowhere found. even among
the most ignorant and degraded tribes, one that
was without some notion of a supreme being
His own conviction that this idea was originally
implanted in by divine revelation naturally
coors the deductions he makes from the results
of his Investigations and deprives his work Of
truly scientific character Fortunately his
opinions readily separabIe from his state
nents OF fact, which are given with great clar-
ity ana circumstantiality. rendering them
equally available TO the student or the casual
reader who approaches the subject In a mora
openminded fashion
Briefly stated the religion OF the negro IS
simply form of animism. He believes. indeed
In Co., Njambi. the maker of all things h,,t
taxes no account Of his deity otherwise .,nca
| ne DeneVes also that his God takes no sccou,t
OK hirr He neither helps US nor harms nc =.
| explained a native African to DIR. Nsssau ..r.
! is the spirits, who can harm US whom, NC Co.
| and worship, and for whom we care" {" ,r,a.a
spirits are everywhere, In countless nurhs-s
ana OF various sorts Some, indeed, are held IN
De ooterminous with divinity. although dis