A PLEA FOR THE NATIVE 369 



So far, at least, as Africa was concerned, she was not a 

 missionary church. And even before the Mohammedan 

 invasion swept her down, she was, as all non-missionary 

 churches must sooner or later become, a church decaying 

 and ready to perish. 



North African Christianity of long ago is represented 

 to-day by the Coptic Church of Egypt, and the Christianity, 

 such as it is, of the mountaineers of Abyssinia. Favoured 

 by their mountain fastnesses, the Abyssinians have hero- 

 ically, for more than twelve hundred years held their own, 

 a nominally Christian country islanded in a dark sea of 

 Mohammedanism. But that the religion the Abyssin- 

 ians profess is much in advance of that of his Moham- 

 medan neighbour he so cordially hates, few who know him 

 well will be prepared to admit. Nor does the Copt repre- 

 sent a high moral standard. In Africa, Christianity may 

 be said to have failed. Its tribes have had no saviour, 

 governor, or guide. For ages, so far as we can tell, its teem- 

 ing millions have stood still. 



How was it in those far-away days, when the man was 

 slowly rising from the clod, when first there came to the 

 half-beast savage a dawning sense of law and beauty, 

 that these unguided feet halted or went astray ? Did some 

 far forefather throw life's once-offered chance for himself 

 and his offspring away ? Why for all other peoples has 

 existence been on the whole an advance, while for these 

 gentle, lovable, dark men, who are so easily made happy,, 

 who up to their lights perform man's duty so well, there 

 has been no progress, no marching forward but merely 

 an age-long period of "marking time"? 



The hopes and longings that in other branches of our 

 race ripened to fruitage, have never, so far as we can tell, 

 blossomed for them. Or if they blossomed, the fruit 

 withered in the green. 



Why has no influence from within or without drawn 



