The Old and the New. 
ONE afternoon just after school was over for the 
day, I went to the farthest end of our mission 
grounds at Oron and saw a young fellow with only 
a strip of cotton cloth around his loins, yet strutting 
about as much as to say : I am lord and monarch 
of all I survey, my right there is none to dispute." 
Just why he should give himself such lordly airs 
I was, at first, puzzled to know. But when he came 
nearer I found that his body had been decorated 
with many coloured chalks, and I was sure if I 
could get to know the reason for that, it would also 
explain his proud and defiant mien. And I got to 
know before very long. He was exhibiting him- 
self that day, and in that fashion, to advertise the 
fact that he had entered the Egbo Society, and 
was thenceforward entitled to the respect and privi- 
leges and power attaching to that secret and influ- 
ential society. It cost a large sum of money to 
buy " admission, but the young fellow considered 
it cheap at the price. Probably he had a father 
who had been saving ever since his son was born 
to purchase this great privilege for him. Upon 
making judicious enquiries, I found out more 
about Egbo than meets the eye of the traveller-in- 
a-hurry, or the man who never lets his curiosity 
send him poking and prying into matters. It ap- 
pears there are quite a number of grades of mem- 
bership, and the passage upwards from one to 
