The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-11-02
CIVILIZATION OF AFRICA
RETARDED BY GREAT WAR

Washington, (by mail ,--How the
march of civilization in darkes Africa
been turned backward by the war
Is geographical told In letters coming
from missionaries in the interior OF the
dark continent to the Seventh Day Ad-
ventist headquarters here -
Fragmentary news leaking out from
time to time has indicated how half q
century's work in the cause OF ciViliza-
ton was swept away at n stroke
when the tribes, taking advantage OF
the warfare between British and Ger
mans, broke restraint and returned to
the rude customs of barbarism in which
they were found by Livingstone, stan
ley and other explorers.
The most complete account OF condi-
tons received at missionary headQuar-
ters SO far has come from Mrs. Minnie
T~oppenberg, the wife Of Valdemar e.
T~oppenberg, who has charge OF the
medical missionary operations OF the
Seventh Day Adventists stationed on
the eastern shore of the Victoria Ny
anZla. Her report came from UkereWe
island, which formerly was part Of Ger
man East Africa.
When the wal began" she writes,
at a stroke, we were sat 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 flour; wild honey for sugar,
candles made of tallow for light, soap
from wood ashes and lime. Clothes
were also unprocurable, so we wore
pants, ETC., made Of goat and gaZelle
SKINS, and made yarn Of cotton and
knitted our stockings.
"Uproar among the natives was
feared by the government people at the
beginning Of the war and We were in
structed to inform the natives by our
etc finna Hhnf fhnrn mo q mo uTnT q tNFnnn
Europeans and natives, only soldier
against soldier. Not long after the
opening of the war, the Masias, a fierce
and warlike tribe, east Of Busegwe, our
Oldest station, came swarming the
country, robbing cattle, n at one
time, when they p~lundered In Usukuma
by Kanadi, one of u workers lost his
life in defense of the people for whom
he faithfully worked. He was stabbed
from behind by a spear.
EARLY last June, h English occu-
pied Ukerewe island, where / am writ
ing this, and in July they took Muawza,
the seat Of the provincial commissioner
Of this province, in which all our ste
lions on the German side are located.
When the natives heard of this. they
lost fear Of the German officials and
even openly disobeyed orders, and It
got worse when all the officials, as well
as military, left Ikidzu. going south.
Uproar started Immediately by the ma
tives in Ikidzu, killing the native police
and watchmen left to guard h sta
ton. They robbed the government
property, and 1t was reported to us that
the Christians who had been left behind
by DR.. Vasenius to watch mission prop
erty had been driven away, some killed
and their huts burned. / tried to send
messengers to them with words OF cour-
age and instruction. but all returned
with the letters because of the war rag
4ng everywhere. The uproar spread
quickly from tribe to tribe, every day
bringing new and startling reports.
my family and I were the only Eu-
ropeans left in the district as far south
as the river M%balageti, and we had been
warned by government officials that an
uproar was to be expected: also In the
last word we heard from any Of our
missionaries, Mr.. Ohme wrote upon go
ing south to meet his company h n he
feared an uprising, but that he did not
know Of any safe place where he could
advise us to 90. We could not very
we'll, with a Is months old baby, run
around In the unknown with the SOL
diers, and, whereas, we expected that
the English very soon would show up.
we decided to wait on u station until
we should get some evident sign that
we ought to leave.
we ulu WIFI WS Couiu W ptplCSl
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 children
had fled from Niagangi with their $50
head Of cattle, but Busegwe natives
surrounded them and robbed them of
all the $50 cattle and killed one woman
and one child. BY this time the excite
want rx,o otarfaH fha natiUaq naiDtnd
themselves for var and wore spears,
swords, bows and poisoned arrows.
They rushed in crowds here n there,
and came finally bowling and yelling
on the mission land towards our house.
we saw that the time had come to leave,
so we had everything made ready for
the flight. Several chiefs who were
robbed Of all their property by the In
vading natives came to vs. when the
natives sought to kill them. They had
before earnestly besought us to ask the
English to come to quiet the uproar.
but the British force had only gotten
pne Of our three notes and were very
busy elsewhere and could not come.
but advised us to come to them.
so off we started. At every kraal
We came to we heard Of new troubles.
For eight days we remained behind in
u land in uproar and we were very
rired from the nervous strain and loss
Of sleep. Friday evening we arrived
ut Sizoki, one Of our missions. Here
he natives had already robbed some
If the mission and private property,
and the teacher had fled away. Sizaki
was also in a state of war. the sub
chiefs having been robbed of their cat
lie. and h natives were attempting to
rob the property Of the chief when we
came. We felt 1t might be the last day
We would ever see, and yet VIZ decided
70 wait here over Sabbath.
When we went on five chiefs who
feared for their lives, and their sub
chiefs, accompanied us through a coun-
try like q geological garden. Right and
left were hundreds upon hundreds Of
2ebras, heartebeast. wildebeast, many
antelopes and gazelles, and other AMI
mails. That evening we slept by the