The call of the dark continent : a study in missionary progress, opportunity and urgency . revent a general has the West African forest rungwith the strange cries of the Mumbo Jumbo(or some similar invention)—a strange,shrouded figure, who, with his attendants,approaches a village after dark, and singlesout an offending wife, who is at oncestripped and ferociously flogged. In Africa the polygamy question holdsmuch the same relation to the nativeChurch as the caste problem does in who would otherwise join theChurch are hindered by their unwillingnessto abandon the hab
The call of the dark continent : a study in missionary progress, opportunity and urgency . revent a general has the West African forest rungwith the strange cries of the Mumbo Jumbo(or some similar invention)—a strange,shrouded figure, who, with his attendants,approaches a village after dark, and singlesout an offending wife, who is at oncestripped and ferociously flogged. In Africa the polygamy question holdsmuch the same relation to the nativeChurch as the caste problem does in who would otherwise join theChurch are hindered by their unwillingnessto abandon the habit of polygamy, andthus polygamy is a great hindrance toprogress. On this account many Euro-peans, and even native Christians, considerthat it is a great mistake for missionariesto refuse to admit polygamists into theChurch, arguing that it would be better toreceive them, and educate the risinggeneration out of the practice. At a largemeeting of office-bearers of our nativechurches held in Lagos a few years ago,Mr. Findlay was pressed to urge ourMissionary Committee to relax the rule. Conditions Affecting Work in Africa 217 which forbids the admission of polygamiststo membership. A Sunday-school super-intendent, class-leader, and local-preacherwho first rose to advocate this, referred tomonogamy asa European custom, whichought not to be forced on a foreign peopleto whom it is unsuited ; and when a showof hands was asked in favour of this view,all but five or six hands went up. Butthose who know the situation best areconvinced that, though the proposedchange of policy would facilitate theentrance of many chiefs into the church,it would also open wide the doors to allthe gross evils that are the inevitableaccompaniment of polygamy. In order to enter the Church of Christas full members, many Africans have putaway all their wives but one. It mustnot be supposed that this inflicts cruelwrong upon the discarded wives, though itmay do so in some cases. In Africa thewomen are not dep
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