220 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. [chap. xi. 



cordially echoed the remark, saying he often hoped that 

 his sons might follow the same course of study and devote 

 themselves to the same noble profession : — 



" In the country to which I went," he continued, " I endeavoured 

 to follow the footsteps of my Lord and Master. Our Saviour was a 

 physician ; hut it is not to he expected that His followers should 

 perform miracles. The nearest approach which they could expect 

 to make was to hecome acquainted with medical science, and endeavour 

 to heal the diseases of man. . . . One patient expressed his opinion 

 of my religion to the following effect : ' We like you very much ; you 

 are the only white man we have got acquainted with. We like you 

 because you aid us whilst we are sick, but we don't like your ever- 

 lasting preaching and praying. We can't get accustomed to that !' " 



To the United Presbyterians of Glasgow he spoke of 

 mission work in Africa. At one time he had been some- 

 what disappointed with the Bechuana Christians, and 

 thought the results of the mission had been exaggerated, 

 but when he went into the interior and saw heathenism 

 in all its unmitigated ferocity, he changed his opinion, 

 and had a higher opinion than ever of what the mission 

 had done. Such gatherings as the present were very 

 encouraging ; but in Africa mission work was hard work 

 without excitement ; and they had just to resolve to do 

 their duty without expecting to receive gratitude from 

 those whom they laboured to serve. When gratitude 

 came, they were thankful to have it ; but when it did not 

 come they must go on doing their duty, as unto the Lord. 



His reply to the cotton-spinners is interesting as 

 showing how fresh his sympathy still was with the sons 

 of toil, and what respect he had for their position. He 

 congratulated himself on the Spartan training he had got 

 at the Blantyre mill, which had really been the foundation 

 of all the work he had done. Poverty and hard work 

 were often looked down on, — he did not know why, — for 

 wickedness was the only thing that ought to be a 

 reproach to any man. Those that looked down on cotton- 

 spinners with contempt were men who, had they been 



