Mystery becomes opportunity. Mr. Mott’s book, “The Pastor and Modern Missions,” contains the following summary: “One hundred years ago Africa was a coast line only. Even one generation ago, when Stanley emerged from that continent with the latest news of Livingstone, nine tenths of inner Africa remained unexplored. More than 600 white men have given their lives to explore this one continent. Now, however, H. R. Mill, D. Sc., formerly librarian of the Royal Geographical Society, can well say, ‘The last quarter of the nineteenth century has filled the map of Africa with authentic topographic details, and left few blanks of any size.’ Bishop Hartzell says: ‘Yesterday Africa was the continent of history, of mystery, and of tragedy; today it is the continent of opportunity.’ When Stanley, starting in 1874, made his journey of 999 days across Africa, in the course of 7,000 miles he never met a Christian. There was not a mission station, or church, or school on all that track. Now the chain of missions is almost complete from Mombasa to the mouth of the Congo, and there are scattered through inner Africa hundreds of churches and Christian schools and over 100,000 native Christians.”
“Three distinct Africas are known to the modern world—North Africa, where men go for health; South Africa, where they go for money; and Central Africa, where they go for adventure. The first, the old Africa of Augustine and Carthage, every one knows from history; the geography of second, the Africa of the Zulu and the diamond, has been taught us by two universal educators, war and the stock exchange; but our knowledge of the third, the Africa of Livingstone and Stanley, is still fitly symbolized by the vacant look upon our maps which tells how long this mysterious land has kept its secret.” So said Henry Drummond in “Tropical Africa” in 1888; the mystery is now revealed; we see an open door for the gospel of love, light and life.
The African work of our Missionary Union is in the Congo Free State. The mission was adopted by us in 1884. There are now 8 stations; 31 missionaries and were last year 306 native helpers; 13 churches with 3,3692 members; 135 schools, with 4,456 pupils. [Transcriber’s Note: obviously, 3,3692 is a misprint. 3,692 members seems most likely (= about 250 per church), but 33,692 is also plausible.]
Rev. Henry Richards
Who says that the next 25 years will surely determine what Central Africa is to be. Considering what has been done in Uganda and Congo land, we ought fully to expect that the gospel tree will have so grown that its branches with healing leaves will overshadow the whole land.
