William Holman Bentley details his experiences as a Presbyterian minister and pioneering missionary in the Congo. This memoir provides a fascinating firsthand account of the challenges and triumphs of early Christian missions in Africa. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Excerpt from Pioneering on the Congo, Vol. 1: With a Map and 206 Illustrations From Sketches, Photographs and Materials, Supplied by the Baptist Missionary Society, Several of Their Missionaries and the Government of the Congo Free State A missionary naturally sees things from his own point of view but there should be much in this story of twenty years' work - in such a country and at such a time - which should appeal to those who take interest in matters geographical and ethnological, and in the progress and development of barbarous peoples and wild countries. We found the people practically untouched by any foreign influence; now all is changing and changed, and this alone more than suffices to compel one, who has been closely in contact with the native life, to state the condition in which the country was found and people, and to note how the great changes which have occurred have come about. I have also endeavoured to give, very briefly, the past history of the country during the 400 years since the coast was first visited by white men, so far as we have any reliable information; and I have ventured to gather together the hints as to the remoter history of the country itself, of its interesting peoples, and the formation of the Congo river. In writing this history I have had constantly to regret the frequent recurrence of the first personal pronoun; but it has been unavoidable. I write of what I have seen and known intimately, and it is because of my intimate knowledge that I have had to write. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Excerpt from Pioneering in the Congo But the line of missions has ever been slowly advancing, through the heroic faith and noble consecration of men and women called of God. This narrative tells of a notable advance of missions in Africa, and any one wishing to study the details of such progress will find here a mine of information. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
William Holman Bentley (1855-1905) was a missionary who spent twenty-one years in the area of the Congo. Originally published in 1900, this is the second of two volumes documenting the pioneering work of travellers to the area between 1879 and 1899. During that time it progressed from being virtually unexplored to a fully charted region with government officers, traders and missionaries operating far and wide. As the only foreign witness to the entire period, Bentley provides an authoritative account of the dramatic developments he observed in the Congo's geography, culture, religion and commerce. This volume traces the missionaries' journey to Stanley (Malebo) Pool, introduces their vessel, the Peace, reveals the progress made on the upper river and in the Cataract region, and investigates the policies of the Congo government. Providing a judicious account of a country in changing times, Bentley's memoirs remain significant for the historical study of Africa.
