Franklin's paper the statesman., 1912-05-25

Gives Historical oketcn OF Habits
ana Customs of Tribal Life on Dark
Continent - Influence Of colored
Americans.
Yonkers, n. Y.-The Negro Society
For Historical Research and its friends
meeting by DR.. j FL. Reid of Monrovia.
Liberin. president of the College of
West Africa and editor of Liberia and
West Africa, who delivered an inter,
esting and instructive address. in which
ne sketched the progress which has
been made by the little republic since
it was founded in 1S47. The first emf
grants. he said. sailed from New York
IN the ship Elizabeth Feb. 8. 1920. and
uum bered eighty-eight souls. This was
later followed with another and small
er expedition in 1921. which settled In
Sierra Leone (Fourah bay). where they
remained till January. 1922. when
some OF them were brought to Provi-
dence island. at the mouth of the Me
suardo river.
Other expeditions followed so that
2OOO.OOO representing many interior
tribes, notably the Mandingoes. Pes
sehs. Greboes. kroomen, Veys, etc.
The recent aggressions of the French
government in Liberia. which is seven
degrees north of the equator, has
brought that down from $4,000 to 5000
square miles The delimitadon of the
territory by a foreign power is still a
subject OF diplomatic correspondence,
and. since Liberia is the last chance of
the Negro to demonstrate his capacity
for self government. 1t is sincerely
noped that no unfair advantage will be
taken of the little struggling republic.
There are $1,000 Americo-Liberians
in Liberia. which means that they
are the descendants of former emi-
grants from the United States. and
they constitute force in the social.
religious and Industrial life OF the re
public which cannot be ignored. This
contact of the American Negro with
the aborigines of Africa is doing more
to bring Africa to the front than
Dreadnoughts and Mauser rifles. The
public school system Of Liberia Is un-
der the direction of board of nine
members. one from each county In L.
IBERIA. While 1t has not reached tne
perfection desired. due to lack OF sur
ficient funds. 1t is the aim OF the board
when the 100000 fund will have be-
come available to enlarge the scope OF
the present plans.
The people OF Liberia are still i'm
bued with the thought expressed on
the tomb of an early white missionary
teacher who for many years devoted
his life and his talents to the mental
and moral unfit Of the African peo-
ple. Let thousand fall. but let not
africa be given up" The Leading men
of Africa today have. many OF them.
received the foundation OF their educa-
tion in the College of West Africa
Africans are not as is generally sup
posed In some quarters backward as
students. Their minds are receptive.
and they readily absorb knowledge.
The natives are remarkably quick TO
learn. Particularly is this true of the
Mandingoes Kroos. who are splendid
mathematicians and linguists. They
are fond of the study Of abstruse prob
lens, and their knowledge OF astron-
omy is wonderfully accurate.
There are many languages spoken In
Liberia. due to the presence OF vari-
Gus African tribes from the interior
and of foreign races engaged In busi-
ness among us. The Mandingoes are
the most highly cultured tribesmen
among US, and they speak and write
Ara bic with great fuency and pre-
cision. 1t is the testimony OF all Afri.
can travellers that the native Africans
are the most hospitable of people. An
African civilized or uncivlliZed will
show the utmost courtesy to the stran'
ger within their gate and give him
the best they have without money and
without price. He is the most crate
full and the most spiritual and optimis
| tic of all the races Of mankind, and II
may truly be said Of us that we write
! our benefits in marble and our injuries
! In dust"
The ancients recognized these quail.
ties and loved to descant on them
| They seemed to regard the fear and
love of God as the peculiar gift of the
darker races. No one can accurately
estimate the extent of the material
resources of Africa Its soil Is prac.
tically virgin. and its possibilities are
almost beyond human calculation
There are gold and silver and Iron and
precious stones and an infinite variety
Of every species of fora and fauna
( and live stock.
DR.. Reid said that he was proud OF
the Negro Society For Historical Re
search. which Is doing a needed WORK
and a good work in bringing to public
notice the achievements of Negroes
throughout the world. When he re
\ turned to Africa he would cooperate
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