The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-03
= Great Congo Paeaeer.


hospitals.
= Great Congo PAeneer.
/ II 10 not 80 much a biography OF George
: Grsnfell. though full credit is given to
his discoveries. - a complete survey
81 the Congo region. geographical. his
/ toricsl. ethnogrAphic and pathological
that Sir HARRT JOHNSTON. X G. b..
I has written in the two large volumes
called George 0rsnisH and the Congo
/ IAppletons'. The information supplied
il derived in grea, part from the notes
and diaries of Grenfell and his brother
missionaries. AZ the author 10 careful
10 announce again and again. He had
access. however. TO other sources of
Information. the records OF the Congo
! State ia" publications OF the Royal
/ Geographical Society. the observations
/ Of individual travellers including HE
own. and So on. While thus securing
greater completeness and accuracy for
the facts narrated. a certain amount
OF the personal touch is lost. a. may he
observed in comparing the frequent YER
hatini extracts from GrenfslPs diaries
With Sir Harry Johnston's own 'sxt
To all who have studied the epic Of
the Congo discovery The name Of Gren-
fell stands second only 70 that % Henry
VI STANLEY His scientific work was
done quietly in the intervals OF his regular
occupation az a missionary and the results
were hidden away in missionary pub
locations and IN technical geographical
journals 80 that the general public heard
little 81 him. What be did. BESIDES. could
hardly h. Understood: il seemed 10 CON
sIst chiefly in the correction Of unknown
geographical names and small errors
in a land that is still pretty dark 20 the
common man Yet Grenfell appeared
on the Congo with his colleagues imme-
dia iely after Stanley announced his dis
covery: he vas making his way up one
hanl, with the pieces Of his little steam
Loaf while Stanley vas breaking the
road on the other hank that gave him
his surname Of Bula Matari. Year after
year in the little steamboat Peace
Greniell made his way through the mar
vellous river system Of the Congo basin
between Stanley Pool and Stanley Fails
surveying mapping sounding and pass
ing ON what he had learned TO the officials
Of the Congo State and others who MI ghi
profit hy IT, His greatest piec" Of luck
in ihs pions~r work vas the discovery
a. the Muhangi River. which flows into
the Congo from the north In repeated
attempts 10 forced his way up that river
ill u took i's east and west direction
ami ne was able 10 identity it with the
NeIl"-Masua. which explorers from the
Sudan had found By utilizing the
ma, gath. portions II that river the Congo
STATE almost touches tn. Bahr ~ Ghazal
4 a a. Nsl.. - II.
ward The other chief sffiu-nts from
-ha north Gr-ni.ll also explored later
Of greater immediate Use wss his survey
- th- gridirun "f great navtgabls rivers
thar no~ into ~" Gong" from the south
Zach II these was followed up by GTenfell
.n the little Peace for hundreds Of miles
nh snm. natural barrier blocked the way
Sir Harry Johnston shows graphically
how rchly nature has endowed the Congo
hasin with waterways aud how com
munIcatiun NAV b- made With the heart
nT Africa by constructing only short
stretches of railroad la ths pioneer
work which first made known the utility
% this great river system Gr-nf"ll WAS
,,,li eed - mak,. lis Wsv IN each ca-.
through settlements Of natives Who had
never seen white men and who not in
frequently we're hostile. He was unable
10 nae force or viOlenceuwing 10 his call
iug He helped along the brilhsn;
galaxy Of lay explorers. British German.
Belgian whose exploits gave glory 10
the first wears Of the Congo State. and
among them he stands first. Meanwhile
he did not neglect hi- chief work for which
Ia. went - Africa: the civiliznR aud
I hri-tianizing 81 the negroes. W" should
lik. 20 have "A clearer idea Of the sort ~
man Gr.nfsll was than either Sir Harry
Johnston or the writer Of the missionary
life. II Gr..nfell has given. Betweru them
With the hs~t ~ intentions Grenf.Il's A.,
personality suffers. each writer assuming. !
apparently. that the other will touch on !
matters h" does not oar- TO deal with /.
himself. 4 sympathetic selection from !
III" diaries. which -e~m to he abundant. J
might let Grenfell tell his own story him !
self. there - individuality enough in the /
extracts that ara given to enable one To /,
-.-e many phases ~ his cha TaCter
On" noticeahle omission - 20 he oh !
served in both books; neither states /;
frankly that Grenfell married a neRre&s !
for his second wife. sir Harry Johnston J
covers the matter up by saying that sh.. :
was -oI West Indian family that had
long bern settled either at Fernando Pr /
nr Ambas Bay: the missionary life II
even les.- definite. vet the photographs Of
her in the Johnston hook. 81 which Their.
are several. show her Co he q cOal black
Negro. She frequently accompanied him
on his Journeys. and both shs and their
children when hey grew up seem 90 have
helped Grenfell efficiently in his work.
This may seem 10 be a matter % slight
Importance. yet the marriage undoubtedly
Sto,sd IN the way Of ftil recognition OG
Gir~nfell's services IN England and prob
ably Ac'sOuntS for the Ohscurity IN which
h~ Was left for some years. The reaaOns
that cDtild make = man Or his cnlibrs
CONTRACT such n union would throw Ii4ht I
on his character and on the quality of hrs
missionary wOrk GrenFsll throughout