Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-04-29
THE FAMOUS MISSION SCHOOL,
IN AFRICA GRADUATES
FIRST CLASS.
The Reverend T.. II. Greeley, Methodist
Missionary to Old umtali. )tho-
desiu. Tells OF -Four Negro
Graduates Receive Full
Rights Under British
Government


and industrial training school main.
tanned by the Board Of Foreign Mis-
sionS OF the Methodist Episcopal
Church in the entire continent, is toll
by the Reverend T.. II. Greeley, Of that
place, just returned. Mr.. Greeley has
been at Old Umtali School as Il mem
Der of tho faculty and Us evangelist II
the outlying tcrrit DRY for the past THY.
ty-threc years and hHs witnessed the
slow but steady progress of the mis-
sion work there.
"rhc Training School at Old Umta'
Ii was founded in its more elementary
departments as far back as 1907 said
Mr.. Greeley. land was enlarged and
higher courses put in in 1917. In the
early days the natives about us were
in the rawcSt stages Of hcathcnism
having had hardly any contact with
civilization and possessed Of none OF
the knowledge necessary to earning q
successful livelihood from the soil.
Then it was most rare to see 4 single
Negro wearing even Il shirt IN addition
to his loin cloth. These people. many
OF them Of q high standard Of intelli-
gence by nature. were in the grip Of
the witch doctors who lrad developed
q set Of SuperStitiOnS based on fear OF
disease and the malignancy of the Sp!r
its Of the departed. These men practic
ed Il crude mummcry against the Spir-
its and knew practically nothing of the
simplest medicines. They taught that
If a child cut its upper teeth first it
was cursed by the spirits and must BE-
cast into the jungle to die, or else that
was assign of maternal perfidy; that
the infirm:ties OF age were caused by
the malevolcnrc Of the spirits and the
presence of aged attracted the hatred
of demons. Old people, sick and ailing.
were driven into the Jungle to be eaten
by wild beasts or to perish Of thirst or
hunger.
"Thesc people ckcd out an existence
by the crudest means Of farming, with
dut plows, using only n Shbrt-handled
hoe to break the soil. This was back
breaking labor and tire soil. capable Of
yielding excellent crops, rewarded
their toll in the smallest way. The lit.
tie round huts of one room were made
Of poles plastered with mud, no win.
dows, only a low door through which
the members Of the family could crawl.
None but n hardy. virile race could
have survived such conditions Of hard
ships as the black folk OF Rhodesta
nave nVeN III Tor centuries.
"Our mission work had to deal with
practically everything fundamental in
the lives Of these folks. Through our
mission doctor many natives were
healed Of sickness and infection in n
way that was marvellous to them. Grad
ually the prejudice against lis as now.
Corners and the opposition Of the witch
doctors was overcome. A few Of our
t>1n n1y tcrI,1 ~ I
VIC started In to educate them In bet.
ter methods Of living and in how to
mako better living out Of the soil
That is ono thing that is essential to
successful mission work,-to take care
Of the Christians and help them ad,
vance In material as we'll as spiritual
things to standard where they can
surround themselves with enough nee.
essities to allow them to control their
lives in ways of morality and decency
The school at Old Umtali has-hc,
come one Of the most potent influcnc.
es In the life Of tho black natives of
that Vicinity for development Of his
latent powers OF mind and manage.
mont. The mission was started by the
Reverend DR.. Morris w. Ehnes, then a
new missionary now Treasurer Of tn,
vance In charge OF tho 800 doc, 900
Centenary movement Of this denomina
ton. Bishop Hartler Of Africa obtained
from the British government an indie
finite tenure OF $4,000 acres Of trat,
land with a dozen small brick build
ings. which had once been the town of
Umtali before 1t was moved to the
railroad line. This area was too large
to manage then, so MI but 5000 acres
were turned back to tho Government
In exchange for farms Of that size at
Vega Mutambara, and smaller plots
elsewhere. In this way the foundation,
was laid for Il vast system Of agricu
tural schools and demonstrations
farms through which the natives could
be taught the means Of earning a dc;
cent living instead Of their scanty one
from tire rich soil.
In the years that have passed litcra
ly hundreds and thousands Of blacl
men and women, young and mature,
have come to these schools: learned tt
read write their own language an(
English, learn to do all the household
things that are so simpl,
to the people Of America .ant
Europe but are great mysteries TO I'm
civilized people however bright the,
might be. Many Of these people learI
ed fast: And everyone who learned
' few things wanted to go back ant
tench his people. In this way simpi
learning OF all kinds spread rapidly
The use 1.-THE white mans farming in
PIGMENTS spread far and wide. Youn,
men who attended our schools wen
home and built square houses witt
windows and doors OF sundried brick
with chimneys and fire-places, earne,
money In various ways and Stoke,
Their homes with dishes and comfort
or one kind or another. They coult
work as carpenters, as farm hands OF
big plantations; as cooks; as herdsmel
and other employment peculiar to co,
tlitions there.
Today Old Umtali is a great cente
of native life and culture. With abou
twenty-five white missionaries in it
enrolment it has schools Of young
men and young women tOtallne at nj