LOVE UNKNOWN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15513, 21 January 1914, Page 7

LOVE UNKNOWN.

"<W , -. i . ... .;■ ■■■■, ONE POUND, FappiwiFi. STRANGE AFRICAN"TMB^... . % Interesting experiences of' pioneCT- mis- -■„ sionary work among African natives- tom ' .- narrated to a Melbourne A^s-represen- • "M tative by the Rev. K.B.- Hamilton, who 'M has returned to Melbourne after -spending -'i two years among native tribes living to the north of Uganda, about. -Sfcmfea ; :ff south of Khartoum. This-country; Iwonly . 1 .been taken over by., the -Anglo-Egyptian :• Government since 1908, and 'r anes had visited it until' two ■Australians, %M Mr. Hamilton and the E. £. "Gore 01 Sydney, went there, 'under -.the "W ''^ turn of the ' Anglican. (Suiwt Missionary, - Society.. The. country is,, very --^ , with-a rainy season- extending ■ from-Mayi ? 5 ; until October,sand frith * climate & j*n? :*4 ducive to malaria' that wnM SfefK**, S mitted.to stay in it Ohm* 1» '* montns. '.. " -■---■■=-*■'» : ■"* '■>■ j; The journey down, saicbdifr. ••Hamilton - was made by rail,* and thea-by- Steamei on S -^i^ 00 -' /?- b6ast M '" ted <* tone ! ! "fie because of'tnl £3 v^^^ fortuna tely.,tb ai fly^ hicfr , coa .. m veys the sleeping : to- be, found there. The Government had erected huts along the, iwmUwSmSfft *3$ s^e- that. .MggS ;; , Pioneer• missionary work rWly'eoleisted m compiling, a dicuonary r ;;w' - , naive language could beW&torwkfaX ■ - 2&J?? tttt ™ at0 J °»j«t of teaching, tne i natives to read and write. At the mission station boys were taught English; -'which, *- the Government was 'Wicul, to' spread widely, the medium of conversation fene andS ;A ? blCj cf *^>M*imtm and. whites know »metiunW*,The-*ttfHfm--' :: = was m the midst of. the Azandi, an £a£ % Sv"s People/ who hU-origS. 8 ally come down from the aorta of Alricl conquering as they advanced. ; — "' .the difficulties to,be met™ obtaining a I written language soon became evident- -* natives were able to give words iorooaciete things like buffalo or elephant/ but' abstract words they. could Jonly: explain the idea, by giving a sentence;,. l6s word " he. was explained by. the - sentence, lam not telling the truth*"and that was as far as it was possible to so- tha adiecuve "dirty" was also beyond their explanation; they seemed,--unable;."to ' ' easpwhat was wanted, if the word ' was m the language. By accident "lie" came out SOme &5* afterwardsSwge^k:->:* 25? D w f , accus ld of not., speaking- -ha truth, and he replied in his- ownAue! fair* not telling lies." Noticing ar?hnthe right-word was and ' the right word was obtained*, •- *■• —f$ Like other Primitive people', -continued iad fi ° word, -for - love,, probably because., so ; ethereal a fisted between children and -parents r bub S were mere chattels. -To teach Christianity, the gospel oflove, to ' people who did not know itsmeaning./was a difficult matter, and -rather .disastrous' consequences resulted to .their conception ot it when his colleague explained love as the sentiment existing between a husband and wife. It was found, best, v to.:tek a to illustration the affection between, allies . Of their customs beforehand -after* cemm under British rule, Mr,. Hamilton had some interesting things to te11.,--They were reported by travellers. .to be cannibals, and, according to the, cannibal- -custorn, ..they filed their front.teeth. Prpbaoly thev used to eat their- enemies, killed.' in battle, but the practice has died-out..-.* lm religion they were animists,, believing in the influence of evil spirits. Their love of fiffhting now found its" outlet in litigation, to which they were extremely partis 1 It was no uncommon sight to see hundreds waiting outside the Mahmour's court with all sorts of grievances to be settled although most of them -related to their wives. For a few spearheads, "and, now ; that the Government have introduced , coinage as a means of exchange,' for. 331, a wife could be obtained, and each mari . bought as many as lie - could -afford. j Yambio, the famous chieftain,, who wave . his name to the district, Had, a.thousand. [ It naturally followed the, women aid' all , the work. Agriculture was lately purl sued, the country having ; a" rich, "-fertile soil. Bananas, imported'.originally, from i Fiji, were grown in every village,' and . other favourite fruits were the; paw-paw, ; j sriiav-a, and sweet potato',""known fo'the . i* -, natives as the river convolvulus . The. " ■ men hunted the elephant for the ivory %9 tusks, tracking it until it > fell 1 down: from ' ' exhaustion. Sometimes . thev fired- -the .;• grass and burnt them, but'.' this -was.- very :1; ' wasteful, as frequently l the tusks wera .-.-; I immature. When an elephant, reached'hia > 200 th year his tusks were » worths.a; "largo • ..- sum. but those of females or young -ok- I ■ Dhants were useless for market purposes.' ft:f Possessed of good appreciated the benefits of An-ild-EiyvDßia-a , - rule, and, keenly realising .the-value-of money, were dpvelopini;-,eonsideiSble .-skill 'i in obtaining it by trade. .-:-- .--..;• ■ "■ ." .•■'..-. " _ s The latest saying.: "Ha-.e you had ie* at "The Broadway"!. 1 ■•• ■'■.;'■- : :vi^'r''''r^^m^m^m . % '