Sierra Leone, West Africa
By D. C. Babcock
FREETOWN.—We have read with much interest the little leaflet, “Blazing Light in Korea,” and it brings joy to our hearts. Surely the work will soon be finished, and the Lord will return for his dear people. Some must be gathered from the Sudan, but the work seems so large and difficult. It is not like China, Japan, Korea, or India. These countries have systems of education, and the people can generally read their own tongue; not so with dark, dark Africa. Imagine yourself in a hut village in the dense forests of Africa, eyes staring at you from all directions, and not one soul of them can read one word of their native tongue, and you unable to talk to them. The picture is dark. I fear a mistake has been made in not putting native men into the work. Those who have known the truth for years, might do a good work if encouraged. We must have help some way. West Indians may stand it. All mission stations located in Sierra Leone build, in the top of the mountains, what they call sanatoriums,—small buildings,—and when one of their workers gets sick or run down, they send him there, away from his work, where he can recuperate. There is quite a settlement of English people on the mountain (the men engaged in government work), and they tell me they live there as well as they can in England. I believe something like that should be arranged before other workers are sent here. If we could go up on the side of the mountain, we could get good air, and thus gain our former strength. Our prayer is that the sickness and sad experiences we are passing through may teach us the lessons we need, and bring us closer to God.