IN WESTERN AFRICA. 
289 
•«ons; and after morning service on the 22d of 
February these persons were baptized and organ- 
ized into a church. Mr. and Mrs. Hero’s names 
were also added, making a class of fourteen mem- 
bers at Mambo, with as many more who are 
worthy of being members as soon as they can 
free themselves from slavery and polygamy. 
ORGANIZATION OF MISSIONARY DISTRICT IN AFRICA. 
We did not decide to organize such a district in 
Africa until within ten days of the time it was 
'done. Our hesitation was mainly caused by the 
fear that the Church in America would not sup- 
ply the necessary funds to enable such an organi- 
zation to prosper as would be expected. There 
being, besides Brothers Gomer and Wilberforce, 
four native ministers employed in Africa, none of 
whom have been tried less than two years, and 
all of them expressing themselves willing and 
anxious to continue in the work, we thought it 
wise to organize a district, which we did March 
20th, 1880, the time that was chosen more than a 
month before for a meeting of all our teachers 
and missionaries at Shengay to adopt a uniform 
plan of school-teaching and working genera! iy. 
Accordingly, Rev. M. Sawyer, in charge of Bom- 
phetook, Rev. J. B. W. Johnson of Bomphe 
Town, Frank Dixon of Thumbah, and Lucy Curtis 
19 
