Thinking black; 22 years without a break in the long grass of Central ...

A PAGE OF HISTORY 419
any coal, only forest faggots, and these lie soon runs
through, owing to his deforestation for corn -growing.
Here, then, in lack of firewood we see another factor
driving him on. Face this moving-on problem.
Up go the stately buildings of the white man and
down go the mud huts of his black neighbour. No. 1
just getting in as No. 2 is moving out. Alone the
Missionary finds himself, the clannish coalescence of his
parishioners outwitting his plans. Leading up to this
point, all has been hypocritical silence, and the foreigner
with innocent serenity thinks his black neighbours are
a fixture, so he settles down to build, which also, alas
means building to settle down. " Strangers and pil-
grims,'* yes ; but the Devil has all the pilgrims and Christ
all the strangers, for we saints are anchored with
impedimenta when the sinners—the natives—are up and
away. There on the off'-bank of a brawling stream you
have the pro tern, native village only a few thousand
yards distant in measure but many thousand miles in
mind and manners. Behold the grotesque contradiction
of the thing !—a middle-class Missionary acclaimed as the
local Carnegie, staggering rich, no poverty of the Cross,
no stigma of shame, but contrariwise a grovelling negro
lauding him as lord and master—a poor enough start for
the dear old Gospel. So very much is the African a
servant of servants that he outwits the Missionary, who
should be a servant of all ; and here in this initial wrong
Christ is wounded in the house of His friends, Christianity
equating wealth, not poverty. Bring the African to book