Homepage
Login
Profile
BookClubs
dmBox
Read Ebook: The American Missionary — Volume 34 No. 7 July 1880 by Various
Font size:
Background color:
Text color:
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page
Ebook has 317 lines and 41479 words, and 7 pages
EDITORIAL.
PARAGRAPHS 193 OUR GREAT NEED 197 ARTHINGTON MISSION--THE OUTLOOK 198 THE GENERIC AND THE INDIVIDUAL NEGRO 200 THIRD STATE OF OUR EXPERIMENT 201 AFRICAN NOTES--ITEMS FROM THE FIELD 203
THE FREEDMEN.
MAKE HASTE SLOWLY: Rev. J. E. Roy, D. D. 204 HAMPTON ANNIVERSARY: Rev. A. P. Foster 206 FISK UNIVERSITY 207 STRAIGHT UNIVERSITY 210 TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY 210 HOWARD UNIVERSITY 211 LEWIS HIGH SCHOOL--BEACH INSTITUTE 212
AFRICA.
SUNDAY-SCHOOLS IN CENTRAL AFRICA 213
THE INDIANS.
S'KOKOMISH, WASHINGTON TERRITORY 214
THE CHINESE.
OUR WORK AT THE CENTRE: Rev. W. C. Pond 216
CHILDREN'S PAGE.
ELEPHANT IN AFRICA 218
RECEIPTS 219
CONSTITUTION 222
AIM, STATISTICS, WANTS 223
NEW YORK.
Published by the American Missionary Association,
ROOMS, 56 READE STREET.
Price, 50 Cents a Year, in advance.
Entered at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., as second-class matter.
American Missionary Association.
PRESIDENT.
HON. E. S. TOBEY, Boston.
VICE-PRESIDENTS.
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.
DISTRICT SECRETARIES.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
COMMUNICATIONS
relating to the work of the Association may be addressed to the Corresponding Secretary; those relating to the collecting fields to the District Secretaries; letters for the Editor of the "American Missionary," to Rev. C. C. PAINTER, at the New York Office.
DONATIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
may be sent to H. W. Hubbard, Treasurer, 56 Reade Street, New York, or when more convenient, to either of the Branch Offices, 21 Congregational House, Boston, Mass., or 112 West Washington Street, Chicago, Ill. A payment of thirty dollars at one time constitutes a Life Member.
THE
AMERICAN MISSIONARY.
American Missionary Association.
We are glad that we can keep silent in regard to the closing exercises of our schools and let others praise us; strangers, and not our own lips. Nay, better than this, we can say that in many cases those whose praise we repeat, are no longer strangers. In place of some of the usual reports written by our teachers, or friends who have gone down to look into our work, having the greatest sympathy with it, we gather up what is said by the native whites of the South, many of whom have been most interested attendants upon all the anniversary exercises of the schools contiguous to them. We find no fuller or more sympathetic or enthusiastic reports in the Southern papers of the schools for whites than of ours for the colored people. We, therefore, ask the special attention of our readers to these reports this year, as showing the estimate the Southern press and people are putting upon our work.
It were sad to be forever on a journey, and never reach home, and so, while the church feels a sense of loss and bereavement because of his removal from its councils, we yet rejoice over his beautiful and useful life, and in the assurance that to him has been administered an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While, as he said, he "had his rathers," and would like to work for others, yet he was willingly and joyfully in the hands of Jesus. Much comforted by his wife's reply to his question whether she could give him up, "Yes, all I want is Jesus," he passed gently and sweetly away; a man of rare strength, whose death is a great loss, but, being dead, he yet speaketh, and his works follow after him.
When it became evident that disease was fastening upon him, the best physician of the city was called in and put in charge of the case. He became acquainted with the noble life of his humble patient, took the deepest interest in him, and attended him as faithfully as if he had been a wealthy and influential white man.
The door is opening wider and wider, while the number of adversaries grows smaller: many of them deserting, and becoming co-laborers with us in this work.
A most valuable course of instruction is mapped out here, combining the advantages of a literary club, with the spiritual aims of a missionary concert.
Today, eight European governments have from one to three exploring parties penetrating that vast continent for various purposes. The negro slave of America has become a free man, has the ballot in his hand, and the nation is under bonds to fit him for citizenship. He is restive in his present position. He has an instinct for home which does not find its full satisfaction either on the cotton lands of Mississippi, nor on the corn fields of Kansas or Indiana. What it all means, God in His own time will fully unfold. Meantime, the pressure of necessity is upon us to save ourselves from being trampled to death under the feet of these ignorant voters, led to the polls by unscrupulous demagogues. When we have done this, we shall have fitted an instrument for God's own right hand; whether for use in America or in Africa chiefly, we know not, and it matters not.
His daughter is to take her turn at the school next year, to be followed by another son. Since he bought his land, eight years ago, twenty-five other colored men, his neighbors, have purchased, and paid for, land in lots of from 5 to 50 acres each, while some thirty others have contracts for similar lots. All this within eight years, and along with it has been a progress in education and general thrift which is most hopeful. The editor met four graduates on the same boat with Mr. Sykes, on their way back to Hampton to attend the graduating exercises, "whose intelligence and gentlemanliness were most marked." He adds as the result of his observations, what a recent excursion into the South enables us to confirm, "In Virginia, the colored people are rapidly rising in intelligence, in comfort, and in wealth; and the feeling of the whites toward them is quite as kindly as could be expected."
And the contrast suggested is one that it would be well for those who are impatient of the negroes' slow progress to follow out to the minutest detail. He writes: "It is impossible for a visitor from the North not to compare their position as a race with that of our ancestors two hundred years ago, when starting an American civilization. The Southern negroes have probably as much comfort about them as most of our early forefathers, as good houses, as good furniture, as many cattle: but they have not the intelligent educated upper class, which founded our great colleges and which molded our whole population. This influence they must get from abroad. They need it, and they appreciate and want it; and no more needed and fruitful work can be done by our benevolent people than to provide the Southern negroes with Christian education."
OUR GREAT NEED.
The Association was urged forward, by the zeal of the churches at the last Annual Meeting, to enlarged plans for the year, requiring enlarged gifts from the churches. This enlargement on our part has been made; it is necessary that yours shall now correspond, or disaster will follow.
Owing to the fact that our schools close in the month of June, and our accounts with our workers must be settled, our need is specially great at this time. The long spell of dry weather has affected our collections in the country churches; and there is danger that we shall suffer, as our benevolent societies do in the presidential year, from absorption of public interest in political affairs; and so we must urge again upon our friends the fact that our great and most pressing need is "money."
ARTHINGTON MISSION--THE OUTLOOK.
To those who are acquainted with the fact, that there is not a single Protestant missionary in the Nile Basin proper, from the Albert Lake to the Lybian Desert, the subject of this article will be of profound interest. Is Ethiopia stretching out her hands to God, or will she do so soon? For a reply to these questions, the eye turns, just now, to this Association and the progress of the proposed Arthington Mission. We have considered Mr. Arthington's proffered aid, and have sounded the call for men and means. Expectations have been raised, money has been contributed, and the service of experienced missionaries tendered. There have been so many disasters in connection with Central African Missions, so much delay has been caused by unexpected obstacles, and such sacrifices of health and life have been experienced, that we have felt constrained to proceed with the greatest caution. The courage and faith of God's people may be sustained for a time by displays of enterprise, daring, and readiness to give one's life for a good cause. Indeed, such exhibitions are essential; but a time comes when nothing will satisfy but solid success. Our earnest prayer from the beginning has been, that we might be led to enter upon work in the Nile Basin, if at all, in a manner that would give promise of great and permanent usefulness. We have, therefore, endeavored during the past year to gather information from every available source, and, especially, from persons who have been engaged in the service of the Egyptian Government. In this, we have been fortunate.
Col. C. C. Long, of New York, who visited Mtesa's kingdom on the Nile, has kindly responded to our calls upon him, whenever questions of interest about which he was informed, have arisen. More than a year ago, we submitted to him in writing a list of thirty-nine questions for the purpose of obtaining information on every matter of interest in connection with the Mission. To these questions, he responded fully in writing.
Last autumn, Col. H. G. Prout, who had served for two years and a half on Gordon Pasha's staff in ancient Ethiopia, established himself in New York. At our request, he gave us several interviews of great interest and profit. During his stay in Central Africa, he had carefully surveyed the route from Souakim to Berber, of which we have a full report. He had also surveyed the countries of Kordofan and Darfur, after which, with a view to the acceptance of the governorship of the Upper Nile Basin, he proceeded to Mrooli, by way of the White Nile and the Albert Lake, traversing the country we propose to occupy. He kindly reviewed with us the responses given by Colonel Long, and added valuable information.
Prof. Chase, on his return from Africa to London, submitted the information, received from Col. Prout and Col. Long, to Gordon Pasha, who at that time was in England, and from him gathered in writing additional and valuable knowledge of the country, and the methods of procedure necessary for entering it. Prof. Chase also obtained an interview with Dr. Felkin, of the Church Missionary Society, who had just returned from Mtesa's kingdom, by the way of the Nile and Souakim. From these gentlemen, and the current literature of the year pertaining to the Nile Basin, we are prepared to re-affirm and supplement the statements made by us a year ago:--
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page