The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-23
March of Civilization
In Africa Gets
Set Back On
Account of War
tBy Associated Press. J

Africa has been turned backward by
the war is graphically told in letters
coming from missionaries in the in
terror of the dark continent to the
Seventh Day Adventist headquarters
| here
Fragmentary news leaking out
from time to time has indicated how
half a century's work in the cause
of civilization was swept away at one
stroke when the tribes, taking adj
vantage of the warfare between Brit
ish and Germans, broke restraint and
returned to the rude customs of bac-
barism in which they were found by
Livingstone, Stanley and other ex-
i plorers.
| The most complete account Of con-
ditions received at Missionary head
quarters so far has come from Mrs.
Minnie Toppenberg, the wife of Val
demar E. Toppenberg who has charge
of the medical missionary operations
of the Seventh Day Adventists sta
toned on the eastern short of the
Victoria Nyanza. Her report came
from Ukerewe Island which formerly
was part of German East Africa
When the war began" she writes.
eat a stroke, we were set back to the
Middle Ages. We had none of many
things we had to find substitutes for.
We used bananas, native grains and
nuhogo for -four wild honey for su-
gar, candles made of tallow for light
soap from wood ashes and lime.
Clothes were also unprocurable, so
wore pants, etc, made of goat and
gazelle skins, and made yarn of cot
ton and knitted our stockings.
"Uproar among the natives was
feared by the government people at
the beginning of the war and we
were instructed to inform the natives
by our stations that there was no
war between Europeans and natives,
only soldier against soldier. Not long
after the opening Of the war, the Ma
sias, a fierce and warlike tribe east
of Busegwe, our oldest station, came
swarming the country, robbing cat
tie, and at one time when they plum
dered in Usukuma by Kanadi one of
our workers lost his life in defense
of the people for whom he faithfully
worked He was stabbed from be-
hind by spear.
early last June, the English oc-
cupied Ukerewe island, where I am
writing this, and in July they took
Muawza, the seat of the provincial
commissioner of this province, in
which all our stations on the German
side are located. When the natives
heard of this, they lost fear of the
German officials and even openly dis
obeyed orders, and it got worse when
all the officials as well as military
left Ikidzu, going south. Uproar
started Immediately by the natives !
in Ikidzu. killing the native police
and watchmen left to guard the sta
ton. They robbed the government |
property, and it was reported to us
that the Christians who had been left |
behind by DR.. Vasenius to watch |
mission property had been driven
away, some killed and their huts !
burned | tried to send messengers
to them with words of couraSe and
instruction, but all returned wrh |
the letters because of the war rag
ing everywhere. The uproar spread |
quickly from tribe to tribe, every
day bringing new and STARTLING re-
ports.
left in the district as far
south as the River Mbalageti, and we
had been warned by the government
officials that an uproar was to be eX-
pected also in the last word we
heard from any of our missionaries
Mr.. Ohme wrote upon going south 10
meet his company that he feared an
but that he did not know
of any safe place where he could ad- ,
wise us to go. We could not very :
well. with a fifteen months old baby, !,
run around in the unknown with
the soldiers, and whereas we expect !,
ed that the English very soon would .
show up, we decided to wait en- cur |
station until we should get some evil
dent sign that we ought to leave.
1--WE did what we could to protect !
ourselves, put in night watches, and |
for the rest committed ourselves to !,
Gods protection Finally the uproar
spread to Busegwe also. A chief and !
his subchief with women and chill !
dren had fed from Niagangi with /
their $50 head of cattle, but Busegwe
natives surrounded them and robbed !,