The daily sentinel., 1913-03-19

CENTENNIAL
IS OBSERVED
Rev. Jasper I. Moses Writes of
Famous Missionary
Explorer.
By REV. JASPER T. MOSES. }

All over the world today the hun
dredth anniversary of the birth of
David Livingstone is being COM
memorated. Not only are churches
and missionary organization giving
spec al recognition to the memory of
the great explorer and missionary,
but the Royal Geographical societies
of both England and Scotland are
holding special meetings to consider
the great contributions of Living
stone to geography and to science III
general
Livingstone was wonderfully equip
ped for his great work He added
amazing physical endurance and un-
.conquerable purpose to soul on
IRE with devotion to the missionary
hsk He was born in Scotland in
-S13. and at the age of o was put to
ork in a cotton factory. He bought
~ Latin grammar with his first
leek's wages. Under great difficult
Hes he studied hard. At 10 he de-
tded to be n medical missionary. In
$40 he graduated from medical col
/, Ege, and the same year he sailed for
Guth Africa.
AT that time the interior of Africa
las unknown and unpenctrated by
(hite men. Livingstones first work
Jas near the coast; but circumstanc-
y drove him farther and farther into
NE interior. His missionary work
fas of a most practical sort. He
hught the natives to farm. and es-
hblished for them irrigation sys-
ems. He tells at this time of his
. lork at carpentering, gardening and
in fact doing almost everything but
preaching. and refers to himself as
a sort of missionary jack-at-all
trades"
At various times he returned to
England. and was everywhere greet
ed with acclaim as the great explorer
and missionary. His discovery of
Lake Victoria Nyanza was one of the
most famous of his exploits. He did
much for the science of botany, col
1ecting and classifying the rare flora
of the African jungles. His last ex-
pedition into the heart of the Dark
continent was made under the Royal
Geographical society, as he felt that
he could work with greater freedom
under their commission than ham
pered by the regulations of the Lon
don Missionary society, who were
|tanxious to have Livingstone restrict
his journeys and do more settled
york. The missionary purpose was
liver foremost with him; but he felt
hat his talents were better adapted
| :b pioneering than to station work.
1t was in the early '70s that Liv-
!hgstones friends in England and
.merica became more concerned for
his safety No word had been re-
Iheived from him for year or more.
Many feared that he might be dead.
| 1t was then that James Gordon
Rennet of the New York Herald COM
missioned Henry M. Stanley to find
Livingstone at any cost After great
hardships, Stanley found the mis-
sicnary explorer, and his coming was
most timely Livingstone was out of
supplies and medicines and in a most
remote and inaccessible part of
Africa. The two men stayed togeth-
er four months During this time
Livingstone made a Christian out of
Stanley. He tried to get Livingstone
to return with him to England; bu
the brave old missionary felt that his
work in Africa was yet unfinished,
Rand that only n little time remained
| % him for its accomplishment He
>etermined to complete his labors for
tfrica or die in the attempt.
Livingstone went on with his ex-
olorations. He grew weaker and
Qnally his black friends built him
little native hut in which to rest and
7ecover, In the morning they found
him kneeling by his bed Of grass. but
ahis spirit had returned to his Maker.
with a love and loyalty rare on
earth, these black men embalmed
the body. removing the viscere and
burying it at the foot of a great tree,
and carried the cadover on foot
through the jungle thousand miles
to Zanzibar. The journey took them
nearly year. One of England's
battleships bore the remains back to
London, where it now rests in West
minister Abbey with kings and
queens.
Livingstone opened Africa to mis-
sions and commerce. More than any
other man he was responsible for the
wiping out of the slave trade. Re-
gions which he first discovered are
now dotted with churches and
schools. Fifty missionary societies
now work in Africa, with 1000 diff
ferent missionaries. There are :
100000 adherents to the Christian
churches The Bible has been trans
lated into Is languages. Africa is
rapidly being evangelical. Living
stone more than any other man made
this possible. His last words, record
ed in mis- journal before his death
referred to the slave traffic, "All |
can say in my solitude is. may heav-
ems richest blessings come down on
every one-American, English. Turk
who will help to heal this open
sore of the world"
The following program will be Civ
en- this evening at the Christian
church:
Hymn. Sound, Sound the Truth
Continued on Page %