At first the Missionaries had occasionally asked the natives, “For what purpose did we leave our homes to come here?” The latter, who never leave their friends except when driven away by war, replied, “You came here because there was war in your country.” But as the evangelistic work was steadily conducted, it gradually became more hopeful. At sunrise we had prayers, at which all the workers were present, and such of our pupils as lived close at hand. Before sunset there was a similar service. At mid-day I preached to the natives. On Sunday we had two native services, and after one of these the natives began to hold a little prayer meeting of their own. Statements that are taken for granted in a Christian congregation at home will not pass here. Instead of allowing that he is a sinner, the ordinary native maintains that he has never done anything wrong: although he will admit that a great many other people have sinned. Out of compliment to the traditional policy of the English in this country, the natives say that it is bad to sell people: to possess slaves is quite right—every rich native has his wealth invested in this species of goods—but to buy or sell slaves is wrong. Hence when a man goes over to stock his farm or his harem at the great slave mart in the Mangoni country, he declares that he goes there to redeem (kuwombola) people! “The Mangoni had captured slaves, he goes to release them!” But he does not venture to pretend that he gives these “ransomed” persons their liberty (62). Another thing which the natives condemn is war. The party that first arrived in the country had made the evils of war a very common subject of meditation. They almost betrayed a personal interest in doing so, for they would frequently say, “Remember, now, that if one Englishman be killed, twenty will come to his funeral!” This statement of itself would be enough to frighten the native from trying his slugs on the white man! The negro was also told that the white man had acquired clothes and money and all such good things because he was a man of peace. “We,” it was said, “come from a country which does not fight.” If the black man had known anything of English history, I fear he would have drawn a different conclusion, and been much perplexed at the coolness with which his instructor repeated the questionable assertion! In the same way the exhortations to civilisation were of a doubtful nature, and could only proclaim how little the foreigners knew of the natives’ condition. I refer to subjects like these because I have ever felt that a Missionary is in a doubtful position except when he sets himself to deliver his _one great message_. After he has exhausted that theme, it is time enough to take up others. Many think that barbarians might be improved if a Missionary confined himself to purely secular teaching. But the purely secular instructor would find it difficult to meet the objections of his audience.