The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-12
= HAT is a weird tale sent out from
Huntingdon, Ind, which tells of

native African educated in
this country and sent back as mission
airy to his people, who has just reverted
to heathenism and has accepted the Of
flee of chief of his old tribe of devil wor-
shippers. This man had enjoyed all the
advantages of civilization and schooling
from the time of his youth; he married
a negress at Dayton, o., and has four
children, who attended college in this
country. The fallen missionary was
christened Daniel Wilberforce FlickingeT,
and when u years old was brought to the
United States, about forty years ago, by
Daniel Kumler FliclSinger, who was at
that time secretary of the mission board
of the United Brethren in Christ. The
boy grew up under careful training, and
now, after working in the service of the
church as a minister of the gospel and a
missionary for quarter of a century, he
sinks back to the degradation from which
he was rescued Not only has Daniel
Wilberforce Flickinger become heather.
but polygamist as well, and his name
has been dropped from the roll of the
church to which he owes so much. The
|, old questions rise again: Can the leopard
change his spots? Can the Ethiopian
change his skin?
This remarkable case shows that, after
all, the American negro is but a few de-
grees removed from Darkest Africa" II
an educated man, who enjoyed all the
refinements of life and had every oppor-
tunity to eradicate the impulses of his
youth, falls after so long time, what
would be the result IL the great body of
negroes in this country were subjected
to the same temptations, even though
they are born here and the former mis-
sionary was born in Africa? The New
Orleans Times-Democrat strikes the key
note by saying that. after all, it is the
influence and example of the white race
that keeps the negro from going down.
The story of FliciSinger reminds one
of tale by Grant Allen, I believe.
which was published six or seven years
ago and related fictitious incidents that
almost duplicate those in this mans life.
young African who had graduated at
oxford and had acquired all the polish
that the best academic training could give
him-an athlete and man of fine tastes
fell in love with an English girl just
before his departure for Africa. where he
was going as a. missionary ito his people.
The girl was shocked by his pro-
posai at first, but finally con-
scented to marry the negro and both
returned to Africa, Slowly, almost imper-
ceptibly. the missionary began to yield
to the old influences; he soon learned
to speak his native language again and
his savage relatives exerted spell over
his life. All this time the sensitive Eng
lish girl who was his wife, watched the
growing symptoms of deseneracy with
alarm, and when at last she found her
husband engaging in a drunken native
dance. his clerical garments laid aside
for savage trappings, she contracted
brain fever from which she died. A SUI
perb climax depicts the final struggle of
the Englishman against the African in
the mans soul and his surrender to the
old life he had known when a boy. 1t was
powerful story and not improbable. as
this latest evidence proves.
The champion" sat in state on a plat
form at one end of hall that was dense
with tobacco smoke and filled 70 suffoca-
tion with noisy. pushing and perspiring
men. The great fighter was the guest Of