The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-03-04
The Gospel In Luba

At the town of Gourock on the soutl
yank of the Clyde, and on December z
1870, Dan Crawford was born. He was
named for his grandfather, a stalwar
crofter fisherman of Arran. His faith
er, a master-mariner, died when Dan
was but four years old. and the cart
of the family devolved entirely upoI
the mother and a hard struggle she
had. Dams schooling was brief, ant
at an early age he went into business
In 1883, when young Crawford was
just eighteen years of age, he me
Frederick Arnot, newly returned from
an adventurous journey in Contra
Africa which led to the opening of vast
regions to the Gospel. From that
time his corner in life was set. He
Joined the valiant band of recruits and
in 1889 set sail for Benguella on the
West Coast of Africa.
Thus when a STRIPPING of barely 20
years he started out to bore his way
into the almost unknown interior OF
Central Africa. His meager equipment
consisted of one spare coat, an ulster
pair of slippers, a cake Of soap, a
cheap rifle, some cartridges, as much
tea as could be held in two hands-not
even a second pair of boots.
While waiting for the party to move
inland he improved the time by laying
the foundation of his remarkable
knowledge of African languages and
mentality. In learning TO talk and
think Black he found it necessary to
isolate himself from his few European
companions, and live alone among the
peoples and as near their manner of
life as possible. But his great love for
these black people made the sacrifice
easy. What joy it was when at last
he could talk to them! AS he said of
his quest for the new tongue, 81 some
times praise the Lord that the gift of
tongues has ceased, because spelling
out the old Gospel of John in another
tongue gives one such fresh, sweet
glimpses of the love Of God"
He reached Katanga in November,
1890, and began at once putting in
order the words and phrases he had
gathered from the lips of the people
during the day. He makes his own
ink from certain bark. He is re-
duced to only one pen point, and two
pencils which he nurses with fear
full jealousy. His candles of native
wax being exhausted he fills his coffee
pot with sesami oil, stuffs a piece of
his flannel shirt down the spout for
a wick, and goes on writing by its
smoking, uncertain flare. For ten years
he worked under such handicaps as
would discouraged a less conse-
Grated and heroic spirit, but always
buoyant. He would sometimes run
over to the dispensary of his nephew,
DR.. Tilsey, shouting out: "Hullo! HUI
10! Are you there, my boy? Got a
new word this morning!"
Often he worked as his translation
of the Scriptures in huts crammed with
natives EARNING, smoking, coughing,
and yelling! The young blades shout
ing battle songs until they roared
themselves hoarse-his study the cen
ter of noisome effluvia: but he toiled
on Said he, "The Bible is like the
Ark, and 1 am like Obed-edom. Do
anything for it give it even your
threshing floor, and you will be
blessed" Again, he writes: 81 felt in
this holy work of Bible translating
how very heart brokenly humble one
must be, before God can do anything
by one. On the other hand, one also
feels that in work of this kind: here is
the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!'
On old year day, 1925, Dan Craw-
ford finished the last line of his trans
lation of the Old Testament, thus COM
plotting the whole Bible, the New Tesla
ment having been published 81 years
earlier, by the National Bible Society
of Scotland. His work was done. On
ly little past fifty, he was yet an old
man. Six months after his Old Tesla
ment translation was completed, he
fell on sleep and was laid to rest on
the hill above Luenga, his head pill
lowed upon a copy of the Luba New
Testament.
st. Matthew in Heres