BISHOP’S ADVENTURES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22296, 23 June 1934, Page 23

BISHOP’S ADVENTURES

TRAVELS IN THE SUDAN LIONESS AND THREE CUBS DASH INTO THE BUSH. THe Bishop of Croydon, Dr Edward S. Woods, who returned a few weeks ago from a three and-a-half months’ tour ot missionary stations in the Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya, announced his intention to issue a public statement on the much-dis-cussed subject of the position of the natives of Kenya following the discovery of gold there. “The subject is far too important for me to make anything other than a carefully considered statement,” the bishop said to an Evening Standard representative. " I spent three weeks there investigating missionary and political problems, and especially problems connected with the new goldfields at Kakamega. There is no doubt that there has been in this country a good deal of misapprehension and misunderstanding about the question.” During the 17,000 miles’ journey the bishop saw a great variety of big game. In the course of a night drive in Southern Sudan he encountered a lioness with three cubs. “In the glare of the headlights, he said, “we saw the lioness standing motionless before us. Then she dashed into the bush and the cubs scampered along the road in front of us for some distance. “ It might have been more exciting for me, as an inexperienced hand, but for the fact that my host, Archdeacon Shaw, who was driving, is a famous big game shot. I bad one day’s shooting myself and probably looked very undignified crawling across the scrub in shorts. I bagged, two Orobi bucks and a Kongoni buck. It was great fun. “ I should like to refer to the very much overdone criticisms on the general principle of the effect of missionary work on the native mind. Some people may say that a semi-educated native is no better, and perhaps worse, than one who is left in his natural state. Obviously, a native who has just been brought into contact with Christianity must have his shortcomings. “ On the other hand. Government people and man after man in the Administration tell me that they would far rather have, a Christian African boy than a pagan for the job of minor official. They are far more capable, trustworthy, and reliable.”