African Missions.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 37, 12 September 1901, Page 15

African Missions.

THEBK iB perhaps no recent field of missionary labor in pagan lands (writes the Rev. D. J. O'Sullivan, of the Afrioan Mission Society,) whioh furnishes such extraordinary records as that of the Guinea Coast in Western Tropical Africa. Fifty years ago there was not a single Catholic mission along that ooast. The estimated population was 40,000,000 — all fetish-worshippers or Mohammedans. The Lower Guinea natives were only known to the oivilised world for their human sacrifices, for their innumerable and grotesque formß of idol-worship, and for their slave-trade. Their country waa chiefly notorious for a climate which was perfectly harmless to themselves, but mofit deadly to the white man. It was deservedly named the ' White Man's Grave.' No earthly consideration oould induce any sane man of the white race even to think of settling permanently in Western Africa. The climate forbade him under pain of certain death. The Catholic missionaries alone paid no heed to that prohibition. Thanks to their ministrations among the native tribes for the past 45 years, those regions of Lower Guinea which bear the well known names of Dahomey, the Gold Cosst, Lagos, the Busin of the Niger River, the Ivory Coast, and Benin, contain three vicariates apostolic, governed by three bishop* and two prefectures-apostolic. These ecclesiastic divisions count 30,000 Catholics, 110 priests, 80 religieuses, 47 churches and chapels, 53 schools, 51 orphanages and dispensaries, two leper houses, and other minor institutions.

A DEADLY CLIMATE,

The establishment of these missions along the Guinea Coast has been the work of the Society of African Missions of Lyons, France — a congregation of priests who devote themselves entirely and exclusively to the Dark Continent, and who have prominently identified themselves with its western regions for nearly half a century The results which they have so far obtained have been dearly purchased. The death-roll of the Society counts over 200 priests and Bisters — victims to the deadly climate of Africa. First on the lißt is the name of the venerated founder, Bi-hop de Marion Bresillac, who died at Sierra Leone in June, 1859, only four weeks after his arrival on the Coast. Three of his priests and a lay brother died within the same month. The brother only lived three weeks from the date of his arrival, and the priests six weeks, five months, and four months respectively. The Bishop and founder of the Society received Extreme Unction at the hands of the last of his dying companions, who survived him only ont- day. Both were interred, neoeaßarily, without the rites of the Church. Their graven were blessed the following year by Rev. Father Borghero, another member of the Society, who had come to continue what they had soaroely been permitted to begin. From the date of this terrible check to its efforts the history of the work of the Afrioan Mission Sooiety has been one long, continued record of privation, suffering and death. The average length of the life of the priests who died on the Mission or who returned in shattered health to die at home has been only two years and ten months ; that of the Sisters haß reached four years. The average of the priests who succumbed to the climate haß been 30 years ; that of the Sisters 28. Of a death list of over 200 fifty died within a year from the date of their arrival on the Mission, and only nine survived 10 years.

EGYPT.

In Cairo there is a seminary presided over by th" Prefect- Apostolic of the Egyptian Delta. This portion of Egypt has also been confided by Propaganda to the African Mission Congregation, and has formed another of its fields of labor for the past 24 years. The results obtained in that time are represented by 10 churches and ohapels, one ecclesiastical seminary, one college, 10 schools, and six free dispensaries for the sick poor. At one of the missions — that of Tantah — at which the writer passed several years, the school attendance has now reached 700. The Catholic population of the Prefecture is about 9000 ; the Mohammedan population is 3,000,000. A daily average of 400 Bick poor receive treatment from the Sisters in the dispensaries, at which there is also a yearly average of 4500 dying infants baptised. The personnel of the Prefecture consists of one Prefect Apostolique, 43 priests, and 75 Sisters — all members of the African Mission Society.

The Valley of the Nile., which was once so profoundly Christian and Catholio, is now entirely Mohammedan. Until recent yearß it was one of the great strongholds of Moslemism in the East. Under the action of certain European influences, notably that of the British Protectorate, its Moslem fanaticism and anti-Christian prejudices are, however, now fast passing away. The country is rapidly undergoing an evolution, and is becoming every day more and more European. This evolution offers golden opportunities of giving, to a certain extent, a Christian tendency to the current of civilisation. The religion of the prophet is losing its hold upon the more enlightened sections of the people in proportion as European civilisation finds its way among them, and there is every

reason to believe that this movement will continue until the fables of the Koran and the religion whioh they compose have become past history.

A controversy having arisen as to the religion of the Heralds in the Heralds' College, the London Tablet haß made enquiries, from which it finds out that the 13 Heralds of the College eight are Protestants and five Catholics. Ihe voting power of the officials is not equal, three who are called ' Kings' having two votes.

The London Daily Chronicle fays: 'There are on our planet four Englibh-»peakiug Cardinals iv al. Of ilir fuur the American Ciirdinal is decidedly the leant formal and formidable in manner and attitude. He is the only Cardinal in ail histoiy, one may safely assert, who has ever been caught peated in the chair of a weighing machine in a station on our Underground Railway. The Catholic Times is inclined to think that Cardinal Logue's manner and attitude is quite aa wanting in formidableness and formality.

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