A PLEA FOR THE NATIVE 



399 



The economic waste of such government or non-govern- 

 ment as obtains in the rich Congo country, to leave out of 

 account its monstrous wickedness, must soon be evident to 

 intelligent men. 



The folly of submitting much of richest Africa to the 

 Portuguese, who seem to have learned nothing and for- 

 gotten nothing in three hundred years, will also in time be 

 apparent. The Congo regions and those parts of the coun- 

 try held still by the Portuguese, are in a worse than back- 

 ward condition. The tribes within them have at present 

 no chance, they are almost as ignorant and terror-stricken 

 as they were hundreds of years ago. They have gained, 

 so far as I could learn, nothing by passing under the con- 

 trol of selfish and brutal European powers. Nothing has 

 been done to help the native either in the Congo or in 

 Portuguese East Africa. To all intents and purposes he 

 is a mere slave, the slave of a government; that is to say, 

 a slave in far worse plight than is the slave of a master. 

 It is in the master's interest, however cruel he may be, 

 to protect his chattel, while government or corporation 

 slavery is only interested in forcing from him his stint of 

 ivory, rubber, or toil. 



The missionary represents the attempt of civilization 

 to make good to the East African a tithe of its responsibility. 

 Undoubtedly the present state of things there is bad. It 

 would be far worse if it were not for the missionary. 



He is, indeed, a light in a dark land. And these lights 

 are very far apart, and only feebly fed with the oil of reason- 

 able and necessary support. Still they shine, and there 

 is hope for the darkest places and problems in their shining. 



The missionary comes to Africa profoundly ignorant 

 of the real conditions awaiting him. He has had no train- 

 ing that fits him for the tremendous task he must take up. 



Mr. S., one of the ablest and most fully consecrated 

 missionaries I ever met in my life, said to me: "They send 



