Liberia ^ 



(2) There is still rather a tendency towards abuse of alcohol, 

 in which of course it may be said that they are no worse or 

 even a little better than the Europeans on the West Coast of 

 Africa. (3) They are too American in their devotion to frothy 

 oratory and floods of eloquence in print, orations on this subject 

 and on that. Over and over again one is reminded of the 

 American scenes in Martin Chuzzlewit as one passes through 

 the coast regions of Liberia. (4) They are too much given up 

 to politics, after the American fashion ; and with a zest for 

 unproductive disputation and ridiculous hair-splitting on public 

 questions goes an American facility for — how shall one phrase 

 it delicately ^- — making politics more openly a trade than they 

 are yet made in England. 



We are given to boasting in our own country of the 

 pure tone of our official life and its relative freedom from 

 corruption — in plain words, the more or less unbribable nature 

 of our officials. This happy state of affiiirs is brought about 

 not by any deeper attachment on the part of the Briton to 

 abstract morality, but because for a long time past we have 

 realised that to secure impartial and incorruptible officials we 

 must pay men sufficiently well to place them above temptation. 

 This principle is not yet realised in some parts of Europe and 

 America, and certainly not in Liberia. In these regions it is very 

 often impossible for a subordinate official to live within his 

 means, on his official income ; consequently, in some cases, severe 

 temptations are put in his way to add to that income by illicit 

 means. There are of course officials, high and low, in Liberia of 

 absolute integrity, and as high-souled in their ideals as the men 

 we have in our own service. But, again, there have been in 

 the past others — as there would be in England under similar 

 circumstances — not above taking a monetary inducement to 

 depart from their strict duty. This has been hitherto one of 



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