Day dawn in Africa; or, Progress of the Prot. Epis. mission at Cape Palmas, West Africa

Front matter

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COME OVER AND HELP US.

« Go ye into fill the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”— St. Mark 15 : IG.

Contents

CHAPTEE I.

PAGE

Consecration of the first Bishop of the Cape Palmas Mission, in 1851 — Summary of the work accomplished previous to that time — The Cavalla Home described, 11

Chapter II

Return of the Bishop to Africa — Enlargement of the Mission planned— Brief account of the African Colonies, and their early connection with our Mission — Sierra Leone — Liberia — Present and future prospects of the Colonies, 19

Chapter III

Establishmeiit of the first paper and printing-press — Return of Ku Sia and Bidi Wall, (native pupils,) to the Mission — Departure of Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Hening for the United States, and sickness and death among the other Missionaries — First Confirmation in the Mission — Consecration of St. Mark’s, the first Colonial Church — Enlargement of the Mission — Reopening of the Taboo Station, under interesting circumstances — The Bishop’s . Report for the year 1853, 33

CHAPTER lY.

Habits of the Grebo People — ^Houses, furniture — Towns — Farms — Bathing and anointing — Kroomen — Polygamy — Treatment of wives and children — ^Hospitality — Appearance of the People— Their dress — Food and drink — Cheerfulness — Fondness for fables^ — Boat songs — Produce — Division of families — Property— Government— Short account of the Grebo People, by Bishop Payne — “ Kvn 45

CHAPTER Y.

Superstitions of the People — Description of Nylma'' or

“Grand Devil” — Witchcraft and its origin — Their ideas of

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CONTENTS.

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death— or sassa wood ordeal — Triumph of those who escape death— Singular manner of pointing out a criminal— DeydbOj or fetish men — How trained — Gree-grees^ or idols, described— Amusing superstitions— Secreting the sick — Description of the or devils— Transmigration of souls— Invo-

cation of the dead- — Messages sent to the spirit world— Description of the burial of a king— Their dread of death, 68

CHAPTER YL

Awakening in the heathen towns— Conversion of Hyano^ an aged deyd^ or demon man^ — Baptism of Eyano and Gidawud% young converts from heathenism— Account of the Christian supper preceding each communion — Description of the Christian village— History of Yuwa^ an aged female convert — The Christian Church of five in the heathen town of Nyaro^ 81

CHAPTER VII.

Petty annoyances of Missionary life — The African study — Looking a hobo hai — Dashes ’’—Amusing visit to a native Governor — Massacre of the crew of the ship Heroine — Rescue of one of the number, now a member of the Mission, 95

CHAPTER YlII.

Ordination of native deacons — Ordination of Rev. G. W. Gibson, a colonist — Arrival of eight Missionaries- — death of one of the number— Tours into the interior, by one of the native deacons—Scenery on the Cavalla river— Sinoe— Description of Bassa Cove — ^Clay- Ashland— Death of the Missionary Physician, 113

CHAPTER IX.

Ordination of Messrs Pinckney and Green, (Colonists)^ — Religious interest at Cape Palmas— Sickness among the Colonists — Blind old Rachel, her happy death — ^Letter from Monrovia— A Letter from Rev. R. Smith— Death of a Missionary at Rocktown, 129

CHAPTER X.

Removal of Rev. Mr. Rambo to the new Station at Bassa Cove- — Opening of the Orphan Asylum at Cape Palmas, by Rev. Mr. Scott— Successful labors of the native deacons at the Cape- — Extracts from the journal of Rev R, Smith, 140

COOTENTS.

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CHAPTER XL paok

Description of Mt. Vaughanj the first home of the Missionaries—

The High School— Beautiful road— Reopening of the Mission Station at Rockbookah— Death of another Missionary, Rev. R. Smith— Return of Missionaries to the Mission— Hat ive Female Boarding-School at Oavallar— Review of the work in the heathen towns, 155

CHAPTER XII.

Interesting Convocation of August, 1855 — Reports from the Grebo^ Bobo, and Flabo teachers — Reports of the Foreign Missionaries, I'll

CHAPTER XIII.

Description of the Orphan Asylum at Cape Palmas — Death of a Missionary at Bassa Cove, Mrs. Rambo— Reports of the native ministers, ..... 190

CHAPTER XIY.

History of the little slave, Conversion of a deyd at

Taboo — ^Opening of a new Station on the Cavalla river, in the Babo tribe^ — Rocktown and Fair Haven— Address of a native Grovernor— Review of the year 1855, 208

CHAPTER XV.

Incidents of Missionary life— Ordination— £/c^e— A new way to release prisoners — •“Prisoner palaver Death of a Missionary,"

Mrs. Y. H. Hoffman, 224

CHAPTER XYI.

Thanksgiving day in Africa— A faithful convert— Increasing efficiency of native laborers— Tours into the interior — Loss of a female teacher at the Orphan Asylum, 236

CHAPTER XYII. .

Yisitation of the Bishop to Monrovia, Since, Bassa Cove, and other remote Stations of the Mission— Description of Bassa Cove, and the beautiful Dja mountain — Lower Buchanan— Rev. Mr, Russell’s Station, Clay- Ashland — Arrival of Rev. Mr. Holcomb from the United States — -Description of the Bcissa tribe — Tour to the St. John, or Dja mountain — Proposition to open there a new central station, 249

CONTE]S"TS.

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CHAPTER XVITI. paob

Rumor of war between the colonists and natives — Conversion of many of the children at the Orphan Asylum — Interesting details—Candidates for confirmation — Outbreak at Cape Palmas — War between the colonists and natives — Burning of the native towns at Cape Palmas — Burning of Mt. Yaughan, 261

CHAPTER XIX.

Further details of the war — Progress of the work in the Mission — ^Peace declared — The Maryland Colony at Cape Palmas united to the Republic of Liberia — Mission work among the natives at the Cape resumed — Unusual prosperity of the Mission Schools and Churches — War overruled for good — A Letter from a native African, recently converted ~ Demolition of idols, 214

CHAPTER XX.

The field widening — A new Mission Station opened in the interior,

(at Mt. Netea) — Interesting letter from the native catechist stationed there — Account of the Bishop’s tour up the Cavalla, to Mt. Neiea — Appeal for more Missionaries, .291

The design of this little work is to make known to the reading public the present highly encouraging state of one of the most interesting and important Missions of our day.

It was undertaken with the conyictionj that the way “ to imbue Christian men with the missionary spirit, is to acquaint them with the missionary enterprise and that the interest felt in the missionary work must very much depend upon a knowledge of its details and progress.

The history of the first years of our Mission,* (beginning with its establishment in 1836,) has already been given to the world by one of its members, who has faithfully and ably described the night of patient toil and suffering. Ours is the pleasant task to tell of the day dawn which is now stealing over the borders of this large, dark, and mysterious continent.

From the interesting reports given by our fellow-laborers, and from scenes which we ourselves have witnessed, we have prepared this volume, with the hope that it will be blessed by God to the stirring up of the careless, to the encouragement of the desponding, and to the increased gratitude of the Church.

As our object is history, not biography, the obituaries of deceased missionaries have been necessarily brief. This history embraces the last six years, beginning with the consecration of Bishop Payne, in 1861. During these years the progress in the Mission has been unusually encouraging. Those who so long “sowed in tears,” have now begun to “reap in joy.”

Another object in presenting this record to the public at present, is to solicit assistance. The field is now white for the har-

* History of the P. E. Mission In Western Africa, by Bfrs. E. F. Hening.

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