The Christian Nations and the Dark Continent.
By Editor
England thus far has held the balance of trade in African colonies, but she now has a formidable rival in Germany. It is stated that German literature on African colonial possessions, in both quantity and quality, surpasses the English. But the two leading articles of trade with African nations is rum and cotton cloth. For instance, in 1891 Germany imported into Kamerun 4,547,059 marks' worth of goods. The mark is worth about 25 cents. Of this amount 593,687 marks, or 13 per cent, were for spirituous liquors, not including beers or wines. In 1894 Germany took into Kamerun goods to the amount of 6,497,414 marks, of which 981,061, or over 15 per cent, were spirituous liquors. The liquor trade increased in the four years nearly 400,000 marks ($100,000). In Togo the increase in the liquor trade was from 496,734 marks in 1891 to 676,013 in 1894. Of all goods the last year named liquor formed over 30 per cent. This liquor is nearly all drunk near the coast. Of what effect is the Gospel among alcoholized negroes or opiumized Chinese? "Christian nations" are responsible for both. It is thus that the Americus Pen, a live paper edited by J. H. Dismukes, in the interests of Americus, Ga., and vicinity, and of the colored race in general, has this warm and kindly word of greeting for our paper:— "SIGNS OF THE TIMES, a religious newspaper published weekly from Oakland, California, is one of the best of its class published in this country, or probably in the world. No person can read its solid, palatable and instructive pages without growing wiser, stronger and better. We have always viewed, at this immense distance, the state of California as a fairy land of sunshine, freedom, health, and plenty; we never knew or thought of Oakland, but now we love Oakland, and desire to see it more than California, because the SIGNS OF THE TIMES is printed and sent out from its bosom." Thanks, brother; we hope the Signs may be so true to God and his word that its influence will ever increase for good.