New Britain herald., 1929-06-12
NURSERY FABLES ENTFlRALL
 NATIVES IN AFRICAN CONGO

Denver. Col, June IF. = Peter Rabbit. idol of American childhood, is becoming a great educator of the Congo natives.
 Dr. Catherine L. Mabie, veteran medical missionary. now in Amer ica to attend the Northern Baptist convention, hers from June 14 to 1s. has translated Peter and other ficional nursery characters into native lingo and the little book has stimulated such a desire for education that every black wants to learn to read his own copy.
 Peter Rabbit, along with the lit- tie red hen. the crooked little man who walked crooked mile, the bear who blew and blew till he blew the house down and a whole host of Aesop's garrulous tauna now form nightly entertainment in scores of villages far inland from where the mighty Congo with its white trading posts slips like 8 river of treacle through the tangled African forests.
 Magic of Printed Word
 "In fact, the literature of the white nursery has replaced the sinister voodoo dance," says Mrs Mabie. The brain- -paralyzing throb of the medicine mans tom-tom has been silenced 50 that natives. sitting grouped about the brawny black who has learned to read. will not miss a word of the magic of the printed word of this book"
 Regularly now. when the Afr- can night has closed in with the suddenness of door slammed upon a windowless room. the vil- lagers huddlc about the commun- ity fire; the aging chief and his string of wives; the rest of the adult male population, splendid, befeathered bucks with. never shirt between them. and. their wo- men. copper-ringed and elaborate ly tattooed; and punctuating this mass of grown-ups, like commas in a legal document, a myriad of uzzy-haired brats.
 Interested Audience
 Eyes stare unblinkingly heavy mauve ringed mouths hang agapa and black bodies bend forward from the hips as the whole crowd hangs intent upon the sonorous words
 "Mfumu Nempangu wkala gum anga sabola muna king. Womano Petelo Nlumba sosanga dimbuzu ye Wanzoma. Wkoba: E. mwivi. Mwivi! BaAa mwiv. Petelo Nlumba wamona wonga wingi ye walundumuka .............'
 There is deep intake of breath and guttural exclamations ricochet from savage to savage.
 Chief Nembangu was planting onions in his garden. He saw Peter Rabbit running and gave chase. He shouted, Thief! Thief. Stop Thief Peter Rabbit was very much afraid and ran away ....."
 It is a thrilling tale, natural childish tale, and the natives, like children. never tire of it.
 Natives Illustrate Book
 The book Dr. Mabie had print ed is on tough paper. six by eight inches. and many natives who never dreamed of learning to read now can spell out the stories in the copies that they treasure as their most precious possessions. The illustrations of the book were done by two young blacks who used their jungle knives to carve wood blocks. In the book are les sons on Aanitation and hygiene which are illustrated by similar nursery figures.
 Tt didn't seem quite fair" Dr. Mabie explained, ito teach the na- tives to read and then give them nothing but the Scriptures and a few Bible tales. All African na- tives are story lovers. and books such as this are a great stimulus to book larnin'.'
 Almost no books in English are suitable for translation as a whole. One must choose material from many books. and draw law ishly upon the imagination.
 T plan to make posters for use Fin the villages as. health propa- ganda. as. for instance. hen scratching in the mortar used by mother to pound the manioc into flower for the evening meal: flies on baby's banana; a cloud of mos quitoes rising from larva in d broken gourd, and so on.''