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REPORT OF AFRIGAN MISSION

As your Secretary of African Missions., appointed at the last General

.. Conference, I take pleasure in submitting this report.

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Preparatory to going to Africa with Bishop w. H. Lambuth., I collected from

all sources $1250.30. The expenses connected therewith for clerk hire., travel.,

stationary., and postage was $408:,-28 leaving a balance :$:��with to make the . .

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. .- . .

tcip of $842. 02. This amount .be,d.pg. i&::;;ttl"'fio:lent by '150:�00 t() n;[eet the ac-tual

experises of �ravel., hb�,- et*.;· the d:eficit �-� &3n�rousl.y 8'1ppl.:led by

Bi$ho.p Lambu.th. Iii add$tion. to, this gift oi' 1µ�·,. all my spec.i£ie outfit for

the trip, such as a tent, hammock, medicine ., ciothes for the tropics, a cot.,

metal trunk, payfor·guides., ete • ., were almr.ist g;ive11 me. Had I be�ji compelled

to make the trip alone, I would have needed at least $3000. I shall never

cease to thank Bishop Lambuth and our -white brethren�

Of the gifts by my churchj those of the three conferences lll Georgia

&wunted to most, e.i.. $265.35. The reminder, except $150.00 .given by the

C. M. E-. Church miscellaneously, was given by white friends in response to

l.etters which I sent them. The amount was $S'34 •. 95.

As aforesaid but for the.gener.�1ssupplement by Bishop Lambuth this trip

of pioneering the :work could not have been Ii¥:ide.

I left New Yqrk, Sept·. 2$., 19ll. Crossing the Atlantic and reaching

London within seven days, I johi�d Bishop Lambuth there. After four days in

London., i1e went to A..-ritwerp, Belgium via Harwich w"ld the Hook of Holland. Our

�tfit begun in London, was not completed until we were at Luebo in Congo, ------------------------

.:.. Belge, some 1200 mi..2::.__::::..=_fr�om=-t�h�e:_c::..:o:..:a:.:.:s::..:t�.,:._=:a

:.::b:..:o..:u

:..::t-=-f-=-ou.:::.r::._.:a===n=d�__one half __cieg--l!ees-below

the equator. ·---··

We left Antwerp, ,�--" .... -�· ·-1·

··-·· ·-----.... / \ /

Belgi���U-·a'b-6ard the Belgium Steamer,

Elizabethville. Omitting all stops on the way we we11t down the Seheldt riv·er,

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passed the Bay of Biscay, across the Strait of Gibraltar, ·out into the Atlantic

on the African coast. The most important stops were at Vera Cniz; Teuritte,

one of the Canary Islands at Free Town, Sierra Leone, and off the eoast of

Monrovia, Liberia. Nothing but French and Flemist were spoken aboard ship.

Bishop and I spent our time in reading the French Testament studying Morrison's

Ba.luba-Lulua Grammar, and studying books on Africa, such as S��Livingstone 1 s, ------­

Greenfell' s, Bentley's and Drumr:nond 1.s..--Tbree -� -

the mouth of the Congo a.bout four and bne half degrees below the equator. Thence

we went up the ri 1rer to Matade and via rail for 240 miles. inland to Leopoldvill!L...._

We stopped here a.t an English Mission ten days. Thence we went � very s!J!;Ul steamers

t!om Kinshasa to Luebo, 1200 miles inland. 'rhis is the PX"esbyterian 1-f..ission begun

about 23 years age o;r]ev. Samel w. Lapsley of Anniston, Ala., and� a

oolored minister. · \'i!llite and colored Missionaries have from the beginning lmr'ked here

f)ide by side. �e trip up the Congo with its teeming crocodiles, hippopatomase, dug­

out oan��s. rloatL1g islands, �pools, was very perilous. It required .fourteen

�.:..

Jwe spent� a� in the Kassa� D�_strlat, whs� two moI"l's colored

missionaries. Rev. and IA.rlEd.miston were at work with othar ;--mite Missionaries.

The Souths;rn Presbyterl.an_�_,. showed us evel4y kindness. &om Luebo we went afoot among

wild beasts, wild men, cR!lilibals and c2.Dnibalistie, sixty-one days covering some-..... -----

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900 miles. We cli!:nbed o'\hei:•s over bridges made of vines, and crossed still others

in native canoes, ate besides our canned foods, grub worms; snails, cassava, pine apple�

bananas, rubber fruit, in fact anything we could- get that was eatable. We i)reached ------ . -very msny times to the men of our own Caravan and to the other natues. Meanwhile I

did fthat I could i..-ri collecting a Batetela vocabulary, i'l,rmulating a grammar and--------------

wri tL�g the first Epistle to the Corinthians and the Epistle to the Romans in the C:.

Batetela language. HoweV'er crudely done a beginning was made. At the enct o ,1,,f

march which brought us 2100 miles into the interior in the Sankuru we __".�-upon �( 6; r_Wembo-Niami, the mighty medal chief of the Bs.tldtela tribe, a chief� �j p(./ and abo�, women and children. Here we found one of the finest places

in all Africa, one of the finest tribes to work among, affable, brave fine of

;J.

physique, acute mentally an�sive to the gospel-. Here ve obtained a concession. ' .

. -

Here we drove down a stake in the town named Wembe-Niama after the.Chief. Here· the

��N-�tb and the C.M.E. Church propose to �"Ork together, just as soon

as the latter is ready, missionaries are already there, . a.nd it is to

be hoped. that during the forth Goming quadrennium we ean send out men there. Several -� .

of our men ,r�just ;;-;.zng the bidding of their �hurch to join their white brethrenV#l t- ;a P /2 f c;q_ ---

there • .;:....:our bumble sc!"'1ant is pledged to that work ju.st as soon as the C. M. E.

. Church can enter the f'ield. Under the general cooperation between the churches

plans and policies will soon be agreed upon and I confidently prophesy that it will

not be mn;r 100ons before we can do our part.

JOHN W. GILBERT, Secretary Af:tn.can Mission

Resc-lved. that ju.st as soon as possible the C. M, E. Church send missionaries

of our church to Africa to do work in cooperation With the M. E. Church, South,

under such policies as may be agreed upon by the joint Commission or both chu�hes.

J. W. GILBffiRT.

f :;r;;:r C,; •Y� ?f"&y/q" REPORT OF AFRICAN MISSION J,r�v ltv l,-��t,,

_,-(4i'- ��,-� �·I

Q,� � �.,, t-ft- As your Secretary of African Missions, appointed at the last General

•rr;)(, OJ Conference, I take pleasure in submitting this reporto

Preparatory to going to Africa with Bishop W. H o Lambuth, I collected from

all sources $12500300 The expenses connected therewith for clerk hire, travel,

stationary, and postage was $408 0 28 leaving a balance wherewith to make the

trip of $8420020 This amount being insufficient by $150 000 to meet the actual

expenses of travel, board, etco , the deficit was generously supplied by

Bishop Lambutho In addition to this gift of his, all my specific outfit for

the trip, such as a tent, hammock, medicine, clothes for the tropics, a cot,

metal trunk, pay for guides, etc., were almost given me. Had I been compelled

to make the trip alone, I would have needed at least $3000 0 I shall never ''

cease to thank Bishop Lambuth and our white brethreno

Of the gifts by my church, those of the three conferences in Georgia

amounted to most, eoio $2650350 The remainder, except $150 000 given by the

C. Mo Eo Church miscellaneously, was given by white friends in response to

letters which I sent them. The amount was $834.95 0

As aforesaid but for the generous s upplement by Bishop Lambuth this trip

of pioneering the work could not have been made0

I left New York, Septo 2$, 1911 0 Crossing the Atlantic and reaching

London within seven days, I joined Bishop Lambuth there o After four days in

London, we went to Antwerp, Belgium via Harwich and the Hook of Holland o Our

outfit begun in London, was not completed until we were at Luebo in Congo,

Belge, some 1200 miles from the coast, about four and one half degrees below

the equator.

We left Antwerp, Belgium Oct. 146h, 1911 aboard the Belgium Steamer,

Elizabethvilleo Omitting all stops on the way we went do1/'Jll the Scheldt river,

passed the Bay of Biscay, across the Strait of Gibralter, out into the Atlantic

on the African coast o The most important stops were at Vera Cruz, Teuriffe,

i' one of the Canary Islands at Free Town, Sierra Leone, and off the coast of

Monrovia, Liberia o Nothing but French and Flemist were spoken aboard ship.

Bishop and I spent our time in reading the French Testament studying Morrison 1 s

Baluba-Lulua Grammar, and studying books on Africa, such as Stanley's, Livingstone's,

Greenfell 1 s, Bentley's and Drummond 1 s a Three weeks after leaving Antwerp we entered

the mouth of the Congo about four and bne half degrees below the equator. Thence

we went up the river to Matade and via rail for 240 miles inland to Leopoldville.

We stopped here at an English Mission ten days. !hence we went by very small steamers

from Kinshasa to Luebo, 1200 miles inland. This is the Presbyterian Mission begun

about 23 years ago by Rev. SaJ1D.1el W. Lapsley of Anniston, Ala., and_W. H. Speppard, a

colored minister o White and colored ¥.d.ssionaries have from the beginning worked here

side by sideo The trip up the Congo with its teeming crocodiles, hippopatomese, dug­

out canvas, floating islands, whailpools, was very perilous. It required fourteen

days. We spent ten days at Luebo in the Kassar District, where two more colored

missionaries o Rev. and Mr� Edmiston were at work with other white missionarieso

The Southern Presbyterians showed us every kindness. From Luebo we went afoot among

wild beasts, wild men, cannibals and cannibalistic, sixty-one days covering some

900 miles o We climbed ouhers over bridges made of vines, and crossed still others

in native canoes, ate besides our canned foods, grub worms, snails, cassava, pine apples,

bananas, rubber fruit, in fact anything we could get that was eatableo We preached

very many times to the men of our own Caravan and to the other natives. Meanwhile I

did what I could in collecting a Batetela vocabulary, fnrnro.lating a grammar and

\ writing the first Eoistle to the Corinthians and the Epistle to the Romans in the J .

� ,.

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Batetela languageo However crudely done a beginning was ma.dee At the end of our

march which brought us 2100 miles into the interior in the Sankuru we came upon

Wembo-Niami, the mighty medal chief of the Batetela tribe, a chief of 47 towns

and about 250,000 men, women and children. Here we found one of the finest places

in all Africa, one of the finest tribes to work among, affable, brave fine of

physique, aeute mentally and responsive to the gospel o Here we obtained a concession.

f Here we drove down a stake in the town named Wembo ... Niama af_ter the Chief o Here the

. .

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M. Eo Church, South and the C.M.Eo Church propose to work together, just as soon

as the latter is readyo Eight white missionaries are already there, and it is to

be hoped that during the forth coming quadrennium we can send out men there o Several

of our men are just waiting the bidding of their church to join their white brethren

thereo Your humble servant is pledged to that work just as soon as the C o Mo E.

Church can enter the fieldo Under the general cooperation between the churches

plans and policies will soon be agreed upon and I confidently prophesy that it will

not be ila.ny moons before we can do our part o

JOHN W. GILBERT, Secr.etary Af:Mcan Mission

Resolved that just as soon as possible the c. M o E o Church send missionaries

of our church to Africa to do work in cooperation with the M. E. Church, South,

under such policies as may be agreed upon by the joint Commission of both churches.

J. w. GILBERT O