BLACK MISSIONARIES FOR AFRICA—THE BISHOP CROWTHER PLAN.
REV. G. D. PIKE, D.D.
If God “hath set bounds to the habitations” of the different races of men, or to any race, that fact should enter into our plan of missionary work. It is our duty to succeed. How to do it, is worthy of our greatest thought and most earnest prayer. When we take the road to success in God’s work, we find heavenly attendants all along the way, and abundant supplies of grace and every needful thing. Just now the great question before the Christian world is, “How to succeed with missionary work among the recently discovered Pagans in Equatorial Africa.” Attempts have been made on the borders of this country for hundreds of years, but no permanent success has been achieved inland. We have learned, however, two things. One is, that white men and mulattoes are, as a rule, incapable of preserving their health and lives in the climate of tropical Africa; and the other, that the genuine negro has a constitution entirely fitted for its vicissitudes. “Negroes for Negroland” must be emblazoned on the banner of the successful missionary army, as it goes forth to battle against sin through the Dark Continent.
The history of every missionary endeavor of long continuance among the negroes in tropical Africa warrants this conclusion. But have negroes succeeded as missionaries? They have not had much opportunity for doing so, as but few missions have been committed to their care. Public sentiment has been against them. The theory of manning stations by black men is comparatively recent. Our great societies, however, are forced by the unfolding of providential events to weigh the evidence in favor of the theory. The only question left to be settled pertains to the negro’s aptitude and capacity. Can he achieve success in the domain of missions? We are fortunate in having an illustration which enables us to answer this question in the affirmative.
In 1821, an African lad was captured in a village about 100 miles from the Bight of Benin, and put on board a slave-ship, from which he was subsequently rescued by the English government and landed at Freetown. Here he was received into a mission school under the care of Mr. Weeks. In 1825, when 15 years of age, he was baptized, and sent to England to study. Soon after, a Bible-school for training native students to preach was established at Sierre Leone, and the young African, who had been named Samuel Crowther, was recalled and placed in this school, where he remained as student and teacher until 1841. At this time, Lord John Russell’s famous Niger Expedition selected Mr. Crowther as interpreter, and while exploring the territory on the west bank of the Niger, he became exceedingly interested in the people living in the villages of the country. When the purpose of that expedition was abandoned, Mr. Crowther gave himself to missionary work in the towns he had visited. To fit him more thoroughly for this, he was sent to England, where he remained till 1843. He then returned to his chosen field, reduced the language of the people to writing, and preached the Gospel to them in their native tongue. At one of his preaching stations, he discovered his mother, brother and two sisters, who had been held in slavery for many years, and procured their ransom. Among his first converts in the great town of Abeokuta, was his own mother. At this place, he commenced preaching in 1845. In 1861, there were reported to be 1,500 converts as the result of his labors. In 1864 he was consecrated “African Bishop of the Niger.” Since then he has proceeded with his great work with many additional facilities.
Some friends in England have secured for him a steamboat, valued at more than $22,000, by which he is able to visit his mission stations, now nine in number, located along the river, and superintend some 22 native preachers and helpers under his charge. At an early age he married Asano, a girl delivered from bondage at the same time with himself, and instructed in the same school. Several children were born to them, and some of these, at least, are very worthy and helpful to their father.
Here we have in a nut-shell an illustration of how the work may be done. Representatives of the inland tribes may be gathered into suitable schools, taught the things which pertain to the Christian faith, and practiced in the arts of teaching and preaching, under the supervision of wise and experienced missionaries, and then returned to their tribes to declare the good news of a salvation which, through the blessing of God, they have experienced. The illustration we have chosen would indicate that it were wise to establish the training-school in Africa itself; and the fate of scores of white missionaries and others of our race, who have perished on account of the climate of Africa, points to the wisdom of selecting black men as teachers in these training-schools, whenever suitable persons for the position can be found among the colored people.
The venerable Dr. Moffat affirms that black missionaries for Africa is the “Divine plan.” Dr. Blyden tells us that the climate of Africa recognizes only pure negroes with favor. It conforms to no prejudices or customs of society in assigning mulattoes to the negro race. Unmixed black men alone are welcomed with long life and happiness.
God sets bounds to habitations, but the love of Christ in God is unbounded. The good tidings of great joy has no metes. The heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth are within the borders of the kingdom. The elect and precious are separated by no climate or partition walls. They shall come up from the North, South, East and West. We can only hope to succeed in doing our part towards hastening the consummation when we have fallen into line with the logic of events, and have accepted the new phases of work for the negro as they are providentially unfolded.