The lion as it fell. 
widely spread rule of a strong European 
race in lands like Africa gives, as one in¬ 
cident thereof, the chance for nascent cult¬ 
ures, nascent semi-civilizations, to de¬ 
velop without fear of being overwhelmed 
in the surrounding gulfs of savagery; and 
this aside from the direct stimulus to de¬ 
velopment conferred by the consciously 
and unconsciously exercised influence of 
the white man, wherein there is much of 
evil, but much more of ultimate good. 
In any region of widespread savagery, 
the chances for the growth of each self- 
produced civilization are necessarily 
small, because each little centre of effort 
toward this end is always exposed to 
destruction from the neighboring masses 
of pure savagery; and therefore progress 
is often immensely accelerated by out¬ 
side invasion and control. In Africa 
the control and guidance is needed as 
much in the things of the spirit as in the 
things of the body. Those who com¬ 
plain of or rail at missionary work in 
Africa, and who confine themselves to 
pointing out the undoubtedly too nu¬ 
merous errors of the missionaries and 
shortcomings of their flocks, would do 
well to consider that even, if the light 
which has been let in is but feeble and 
gray it has at least dispelled a worse 
than Stygian darkness. As soon as na¬ 
tive African religions—practically none 
The spears that did the trick. 
~rom a photograph by Edmund Heller. 
