AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN'S. 



397 



" The Bari war was now over ; on every side 

 the natives had been thoroughly subdued." ' 



Subdued ! yes, possibly, but not brought over 

 to respect and affection. It is surprising that 

 Sir Samuel Baker should not have been able to 

 see that his proceedings among the Baris, judg- 

 ing from his own " unvarnished tale," were noth- 

 ing to boast of. " It is probable," Livingstone 

 generously says, " that actual experience will 

 correct the fancies which he (Sir Samuel) now 

 puts forth as to the proper mode of dealing with 

 Africans." 2 We cannot help feeling that the 

 erroneous theories held by travelers as to the 

 African seduce them often into serious blunders 

 and grievous wrongs, making the nationality and 

 religion they represent an opprobrium, and ex- 

 posing themselves or their successors to needless 

 peril. 



It is owing, in a great measure, to the inade- 

 quate theories held by those who undertake to 

 deal with the African, whether as friend or foe, 

 that while in the colonies along the coast Euro- 

 pean influence and teaching furnish new elements 

 of commercial and religious life, they are helpless 

 to raise the people above the " mimetic " stage 

 and endow them with creative or reproductive 

 power. What we want is, that the foreign infor- 

 mation introduced should properly educate the 

 people — that is, should be so assimilated as to 

 develop, and be fertilized by, native energy. We 

 want so see the foreign leaven so introduced as 

 to spread beyond the coast, transcend the mala- 

 rious regions of the continent, and, taking pos- 

 session of the healthier and nobler tribes of the 

 interior, leaven the whole lump. In order to 

 bring about these results those who from abroad 

 assume to be teachers and guides should study 

 the people so as to be able to deal scientifically 

 and not empirically with them. By this we mean 

 that they should study the laws of growth as they 

 affect or pertain to the negro race. The present 

 practice of the friends of Africa is to frame laws 

 according to their own notions for the govern- 

 ment and improvement of this people, whereas 

 God has already enacted the laws governing in 

 these affairs, which laws should be carefully 

 ascertained, interpreted, and applied ; for, until 

 they are found out and conformed to, all labor 

 will be ineffective and resultless. We may be 

 told that this is a very difficult if not impossible 

 task for the European to perform, and that it is 

 very far to look ahead to the time when the negro 

 shall be able to do this work for himself. This 



1 " Ismailia," vol. ii., p. 428. 



2 "Last Journals," vol. ii., p. 155. 



may be so ; but what we are aiming to show is, 

 that in this direction, and this direction only, 

 lies the hope of Africa's future. Her ultimate 

 usefulness and happiness will be secured, so far 

 as human instrumentality can bring them about, 

 on this line ; and this is a subject to be carefully 

 studied, especially by the missionary, if Chris- 

 tianity is to take root at all in Africa, or to be to 

 the native anything more than a form of words. 

 A little common-sense will do more for this coun- 

 try than a great deal of moral preaching and the 

 loftiest philanthropic purpose without that ele- 

 mentary but rare quality. 



We do not expect to see this continent or any 

 large portion of it under one government, either 

 foreign or indigenous. But we do expect to see, 

 following the extinction of the slave-trade and 

 the introduction from abroad of facilities for in- 

 ternal communication, the iucrease of intelligence, 

 the development of wealth, and the growth of 

 free principles. We expect to see the native 

 tribes or communities so evenly balanced among 

 themselves as to bury forever in oblivion even 

 the tradition of tribal or individual aggression, 

 with a public sentiment so elevated and purified 

 that the general sense against wrong or injustice 

 of any kind will preponderate and render impos- 

 sible the existence of single malefactors who now 

 have it in their power to distract extensive re- 

 gions and check the operations of husbandry. 

 And we should expect to see in Africa all the 

 progress we have indicated above as the result of 

 a few years of internal tranquillity and order, 

 which the continent has never within the memory 

 of man enjoyed. There will be an exhibition of 

 virtues not dreamed of in the Caucasian world, a 

 sudden development of energies latent for ages. 

 " Ethiopia shall suddenly stretch forth her hands 

 unto God." 



Next, then, to the exploration of the country, 

 the most important preliminary to the general 

 civilization of the African tribes is the suppression 

 of the slave-trade. And it is fit that the nations 

 of Europe should unite for the extinction of the 

 horrible traffic. Shem and Japheth have largely 

 participated in the guilt of the enslavement of 

 Ham. Shem, having lagged behind Japheth in 

 the march of enlightenment, persists in the per- 

 petration of the hideous wrong. But under press- 

 ure the dilatory brother is being urged on to his 

 duty. 



Africa has been spoiled by all the races alien 

 to her, and, under their stimulating example, by 

 her own sons. Other races have passed through 

 the baptism of slavery, as a stepping-stone to 



