The Henry Reed" of the Am. Bapt. Mission "The Pioneer" of the Congo Balolo Mission MISSION STEAMERS ON THE BANKS OF THE UPPER CONGO, CENTRAL AFRICA Th The Agreement of Russia and England as to China is a satisfactory settlement of a question which has imminently threatened to involve the leading nations of Europe in war. If these nations had come to open conflict regarding their rights in China, other nations would have ranged themselves on one side or the other, and besides the leaders, Germany and France and perhaps other European countries would have been involved. A general European war with its awful miseries would have resulted. This peril is now happily averted. With Russia and England agreed about China, no other nation or combination of nations will protest to the point of fighting, and peace in Asia is assured for the present. This MAGAZINE has never been greatly impressed with the idea that China is to be divided. The partition of Africa is another matter. Africa has more than six hundred tribes and races and was certain to be partitioned. The only question was how and when it would be done. The people of the Chinese Empire are largely homogeneous. They have maintained a stable government in the same form longer than any people on earth. It was difficult to believe that such a people would be divided and parcelled out among the leading nations of Europe as Africa has been. It is therefore a relief to learn that Russia and England have not only agreed among themselves as to their spheres of influence in China, but have agreed also to uphold the integrity and independence of the Chinese Empire. So the only government existing on earth which is old enough to be mentioned in the Old Testament is still to continue. The he Editorial Department is purposely abbreviated in this number of the MAGAZINE because of the large space needed to report the donations received in two months, one of which (March) is the most fruitful month of the year. world, it is quite safe to say, that is changing so rapidly and so fundamentally as this Congo country is. On the whole, the changes are for the better, notwithstanding there is much left to be desired in many respects. The railway alone is revolutionizing the conditions of life out here. It is doing great things for the natives by getting into them the idea that labor is not merely respectable but is a marketable thing, and incidentally that knowledge (to read and write) is power and ready cash. In fact, it is to the Congolese an ever-varying object lesson as to the advantages and responsibilities of a civilized life. Not in a century could they otherwise have learned so many things of service to them as a people awaking from an age-long, torpid slumber. Would to God that all they have learned were equally beneficial to them. Alas! much it would be well for them to pray day and night that they might unlearn and forget; still," what is the chaff to the wheat?" saith the Lord. The tree of knowledge ever brings forth the the two kinds of fruit. To eat of it means acquaintance with the evil as well as with the good, but the evil is not omnipotent and eternal, while the good is, thank God! As Of course from the white man's standpoint the railway is a boon and a blessing, chiefly on account of its saving time and the awful wear and tear of a road journey. regards time the difference is great, for whereas by rail the journey from Matadi to Stanley Pool is accomplished in two days (of daylight), by road one must reckon three weeks. The saving as regards expense is not so great as one could wish, for the fare for the 230 miles or so is no less than one hundred dollars plus one franc per kilo for all baggage over two hundred weight. On the other hand no road apparatus is needed, such as a tent, cooking utensils, provision boxes, bed, etc., etc., which amount to not a little on a journey such as that. above all by rail one avoids the drenchings and scorchings, camping during a tornado, waiting days, it may be, for a swollen river to subside, and days more, perhaps, for the subsidence of a high temperature in fever, etc., etc. Yes, undoubtedly, the rail way is a great boon. But I was glad to notice that the regulations with reference to the importation of gin, etc., beyond the Kuilu river are being strictly enforced. At the Kuilu station an official came forward and searched the baggage wagon for any spirits in hiding, or for which no special permit was forthcoming. As a body of passengers, I am glad to say that we came safely out of the ordeal. One of us, however, was found to have several demijohns of wine or liquor, but he triumphantly produced a license and the myrmidon of the law straightway became power. less. But although allowed to carry his liquor over the border by special permission it did not follow that our fellow-passenger would therefore be allowed to sell it to the natives; on the contrary, he was only permitted to take it into the forbidden area upon his guaranteeing that such was not the purpose. Altogether, we must agree that the law is a good one. It may not be possible to make a drunken people sober by act of parliament, but good laws can do a great deal toward keeping a sober people sober, and the Congo tribes are not naturally a drunken people. It would be a grand thing if the Government could see its way to extending the prohibition area to the entire Congo Independent State. It would be a great gain to the cause of humanity, and very little loss to anybody in the long run. The Nkisi station is within three hours of our mission station of Kifwa where Mr. and Mrs. Frederickson are laboring. Here the wolf lies down with the lamb, and the lion eats straw like the ox; that is to say, the Jesuit priests are within two hours of Mr. Frederickson but do not come into collision with him nor he with them. The railway is the boundary line across which the priests do not come, while on the other hand Mr. Frederickson's work naturally develops in the other direction. I should like to think that this millennial state of things has come about through the wolf having changed its nature and become lamb-like; but with recent Malagasy history in mind one cannot help feeling some skepticism as to that being a satisfactory account of this abnormal state of things; and indeed it is said on good authority that the reason is rather to be sought for in the fact that the Pope has made a law dividing that part of the Congo (besides other districts) to prevent quarrels between the Jesuits and other 1 Catholic missions. By this law the Kisantu, or north-side-of-the-railway priests, may not cross to the south of the line and intrude within the borders of the other Catholic mission on the south side at Kimuanza in which district lies Mr. Frederickson's work. It is somewhat flattering to find that the Jesuits are following the example of the Protestants in one respect, viz., in the matter of village preaching-places. But the difference is very material, too, for whereas Mr. Frederickson's village chapels have been built by the natives voluntarily the others have been erected by compulsory labor, and this to the native mind makes all the difference.' One of the hopeful features of the work at Kifwa is the extent to which it is being carried on by the natives themselves. Mr. Frederickson was able to decide to leave with me for our meeting on the Upper Congo feeling every confidence that the preaching and teaching would go on regularly in his absence. The missionary who does the most work is the one who sets most to work. This is the principle that is being acted upon at Kifwa and at every other successful mission station. Eldad and Medad prophesy and are not rebuked but encouraged. The results are blessed in a high degree. I venture to prophesy that we shall yet hear glorious tidings from Kifwa. It is remarkable the amount of work that has been done at Stanley Pool; but to appreciate it fully one must remember that Stanley Pool is to the Upper Congo what Matadi is to the lower river, i. e., both are starting-points for the interior and primarily receiving and forwarding stations. For evangelizing it is badly situated now as the original population has migrated and one has to go quite a distance to reach the nearest villages. But keeping this in mind we are able to see how well Dr. Sims has combated against very serious disadvantages, for he has now a flourishing boys' These children are most of them captives and waifs from the far interior. In their various expeditions against the Arabs and others the state has found itself burdened with the care of a number of children of both sexes, and they have been only too glad, therefore, to hand them over to any missionary who would give a reasonable guarantee that they would be fed, clothed and taught. Some of the boys are tailors (and girls too), while the most of them learn brickmaking, the bricks made by them having been used in the erection of quite a large proportion of the houses built at the Pool, not only at our mission but at other establishments. There are not a few who consider that our Protestant missions are too one-sided and do not aim sufficiently at the practical and useful. Without entering into that question it is very certain that Dr. Sims' work is not open to that criticism. At the same time it is by no means without its spiritual side, there being, if I remember well, some thirty to forty church members, the fruits, chiefly, of the school work. The "Henry Reed" came down from Bwemba specially for us, in charge of Mr. Billington but with Mr. Glenesk on board. The steamer is in first-rate condition considering her age. She is after all this time as comfortable and useful a boat, all round, as any of those running for the missions, and more than equal to any of her class outside the missions. Everybody praises Messrs. Billington and Glenesk for the good work they have put in in connection with her; in fact, since they took her over last she is practically a new boat. Dr. Sims decided to go to the meeting of the brethren with us, so altogether we were six missionaries from the Pool to Bwemba. I trust we were wise but we certainly were merry. At Bwemba we had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Billington, Mrs. Glenesk, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Christopher. Bwemba the Henry Reed." There are several encouraging features in the work at Bwemba, but notably the earnest, hungry way in which the people listen to the preaching of the gospel. We were there on a Sunday when they crowded into the mud-walled chapel until there was only standing room and not very much of that. For more than half an hour they drank in, apparently, the good news Mr. Glenesk had for them. There were no signs of listlessness or inattention, but the most of them seemed as if they were there to get what they could and I think well appreciated what they did get. But the town meeting in the afternoon was even more satisfactory than the morning at the station, for as soon as they found that there was to be a service the people gathered around us and not only listened, but seriously, not to say anxiously, discussed the message. Both Mr. Frederickson and myself felt that those people are on the very verge of a breakdown in favor of Christianity. God grant it, and soon, if his will! What splendid opportunities there are for earnest men to evangelize along the banks of the upper river from Bwemba onwards! There seemed to be here and there streets of houses miles long. Should one prefer not to walk, there is the river, from which the houses are never more than three or four minutes away; or if by land, there are no toilsome hills to climb and descend nor any difficulties whatever worth speaking of in getting to the thousands of people. Many of these people are being ministered to continually from our own and the English Baptist stations. Good gospel seed has been sown and plenty of it, and there are signs even now of a plenteous harvest not very far off. Though it tarry, wait for it! As regards population, the riverine people are after all by no means the most At the back of Bwemba and right over to Lake Leopold there are a great many towns and some of them quite numerous. large for Africa. I heard of one town of six thousand and another of ten thousand inhabitants. The future of the Upper Congo work is with the tribes at the back of the mission stations. Almost everyone begins to see this. When we started again we had Mr. and Mrs. Billington with us. Mr. Billington, of course, was captain, while Mrs. Billington acted as housekeeper and provided for our ever-recurring wants. Every evening we halted at some good place so as to cut firewood during the night sufficient for the following day's steaming. The crew of the steamer were natives of the Upper Congo who seemed to understand their duties, and on the whole did them well and without fuss. When we reached Irebu we heard that the meeting was to be at Ikoko and that we were expected to run on to the Equator and bring down Mr. and Mrs. Banks, a matter of eleven hours up and five to six hours down to Irebu again. We found Mr. and Mrs. Banks at home and well, and easily persuaded them to come along with us to Ikoko. Off Irebu Mr. Banks told me of a fortunate "hit" that he made at Irebu in the early days. Mr. Petterson then came up by canoe to Irebu from Stanley Pool and camped there. The natives were not cordial yet at first they were apparently friendly; but towards evening things began to look serious, for missiles were thrown and it seemed as if it was their intention to surround the party. The Irebu people had a bad reputation as an unfriendly and warlike people, so the missionaries were anxious and watchful. At length some of the people commenced an attack on the mission boatmen, when Messrs. Banks and Petterson decided to get away to an island near. night the war drums were beating, thousands of warriors collected and the morning revealed them preparing to attack in force. Just at this moment a wild duck made its appearance at some considerable height All |