Widnes Examiner. — 1895-11-16 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

PRIMITIVE METHODIST FOREIGN MISSIONS.  MEETING AT EAKLESTOWN.  The annual meeting in support of the Primitive Methodist Foreign Missionary Society was held in the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Monday evening. Mr. Thomas Ormand presided, and he was supported by the Revs J. Birkett, returned missionary from Fernando Po, and E. R. Davies.  The Rev. E, 11. Davies, after the formal opening, presented the annual report of the Society,which showed satisfactory progress in various directions. The Chairman thought it would be impertinent on his part if he were to attempt to make a speech, when they had two such able exponents of missionary work as theix own minister and Mr. Birkett. They had met to hear what Mr.' Birkett had to say about missionary work,and if be he only charmed them as he had done himself and many others the previous day, it would be a very de. Ilightful evening indeed. (Hear, hear.) The Rev.J. Birkett was pleased to have that opportunity of addressing them upon a topic which he was sure they were all interested in. It was in January,lB9o,that he left this country for the Island of Fernando Po. He had heard and read of heathen lands and of savagt tribes, but the pictures drawn in their minds were not always true to nature. They formed their ideas before they saw places, and when they did come in contact with the reality they had to confess that while their imagination was artistic, like many other artists, imagination did not exactly adhere to detail. And when Lie got to Fernando Po he found the people and the island were far different to what he had conceived. Fernando Po was a mountainous and forest island. Some of is elevations were a considerable altitude ; Clarence Peak was something like 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, and was covered with luxurious vegetation. The a boriginal people of the island numbered about 30,000. Tney were called Boobies. Physically these people were not badly developed ; they were fairly tall,and to all appearances, looking at them superficially,they appeared t•3be robust. Their maindisfiguremonts were scars cut across the face. They were very unclean, dirty, filthy in their personal habits, and their uncleanliness exp3sed them to many skin affections, and their exposure to th, weather, especially during the rainy season, exposed them to rheumatism and kindred ailments. Their climate was the worst in the world, and the malaria produced the West African fever. Mentally they wer, not very poor, in comparison with some other of the West Coast tribes. They know nothing except what the missionaries have taught them about reading, writing ana arithmetic. What was a singular thing was the children almost seemed to give promise ol superior intelligence, and they appeared to be quite as sharp as children of this country, but when they reached a certain point they ceased to develope intellectually. He then exhibited some specimens of the handiwork of the natives. Morally they were very low, but they were not murderers. They were not a savage, ferocious, dangerous people, cases of murder were exceedingly rare, they were not a very dishonest people, they had no thieving propensities, but there was no judicial penalty which prohibited stealing. There were, however, three forms of vice which terrorised these people, lying, Indolence and licentiousness. They were masters in duplicity. Their laziness was proverbial ; most of the West African tribes were generally indolent but none were so lazy as the Boobies. He then went on to deal with the customs of the people,their marriage and bvial ceremonies. The advent of the missionaries had, he said, improved the social and moral condition of the people to some extent. They had day and Sunday schools and many of the people Could now read the English bible. He attended to the establishment of the Cocoa farm on which the natives now worked. Twentyfive years ago he said there was not a Christian Booby living in the bush, but Bow there was a great change. Votes of thanks were afterwards accorded the Chairman and speakers and the meeting terminated. The annual services in aid of the missions were held on Sunday when appropriate sermons were preached by the Rev. J. Birkett.