The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-04-18
%AFRO-AMERCAN CULL|NCS

Liberia is the panacea that will cure
all ills from which the black man sui.
fers in this country, as well as in AT
RIGA. This is at least the view ex.
pressed by Bishop William H. Heard
Of the African Methodist Episcopal
church, who returned to his home in
Philadelphia after six years residence
in the republic of Liberia.
Bishop Heard was United States
minister resident and consul general
under Presidents Cleveland and Nc.
Kinley from 1895 to 1899. 1t was dur
ing these years that he became con
vinced and strongly advocated that the
best way to solve the problem of race
a%ntagonism in this country was the de-
portation of the American negroes to
Liberia. OF this fact he is equally san
guine today, and he claims his idea
is strengthened by the rapid growth
and progress made by the people of Ii
IBERIA along educational and Christian
development.
The object of the present visit of
Bishop Heard to this country is to
complete plans for the establishment
of a large and more thoroughly
equipped industrial school modelled
after the one of which Booker T. Wash
ington is the head at Tuskegee, Ala.
In speaking of his plans, Bishop Heard
said:
After years of contact with the ma
tive African, what he needs most to-
day in order to ~civilize him is not so
much Bible theory as practical manual
training and to be taught the dignity
of labor. Liberia has a population OF
1000, 900 natives, foreign-born negroes
from America and the West Indies in
cluded in this number. Thirty thou
sand are civilized and about So 900
semi-civilized.
For an industrial school like that of
Hampton or Tuskegee no race appeals
SO strongly to the Christian world as
the natives of Africa for this sort of
aid-Christian education-and to no
people do they make this appeal with
so strong a right as to the Afro-Amer-
lean. No race was ever so plainly
marked to help the natives Of Africa.
God never more plainly designated two
classes to march together hand in
hand to the working out of their own
destiny.
The longer the conversion of Africa
is delayed, the harder and slower it
will be in the end for the church of
Christ to do it's best and most effective
work. Hence l deem it our duty here
in America to do that work. The ma
tives of Liberia less than a century ago
were like the aboriginal Indians in
America.
Civilization may mean either his
continued enlightenment or ruin. The
only thing that can save him is Chris.
tianity and industrial education, and
this is what is intended to be given
the native African in the industrial
school, which has already been es
tablished 1T Freetown, in charge Of
Rev. Harvey c. Knight, an AfroAmeri.
can, graduate of Lincoln university.
The school, although under the
management of the African Methodist
Episcopal church, is being encouraged
and receiving some little support from
the Liberian government. The school
is an absolute necessity. We are train
ing the natives to become instructors,
for they have an advantage in teaching
the African, as there are several dia'
lects spoken which are difficult for the
foreigner to master intelligently. This
you see, is an advantage over outside
missionary workers, and to this diff
Guilty the native is the key"