Dawn in darkest AfricaHarris, John H. (John Hobbis)
History
Dawn in darkest Africa
Harris, John H. (John Hobbis)
Africa, West; Africa, West -- Description and travel; Ethnology -- Africa, West; Slavery -- Africa, West
One interesting feature about this cemetery is that it is enclosed with a
stone wall, about four feet high, and all white men may be buried within
the compound, as also respectable natives—respectability, so my native
guide informed me, being determined by church-going. Natives, therefore,
who were not attendants at church, were buried “outside the wall.”
Looking over I could see some scores of graves of natives who, not having
attended church in life, were divided in death from the church-goers by a
foot of stone wall.
Merchants and missionaries would do well to watch more closely the
mortality returns of Government publications, for there alone may be seen
recorded the effect of furloughs on the health of Europeans. In the slow
moving times of twenty years ago, men went to the coast for long periods,
and many a missionary and merchant stayed until he died. Government
officials, too, were kept at their posts until death carried them off, or
they were invalided beyond the possibility of a return. It is instructive
to note that mortality is much lower among Government officials, arising
beyond question from the fact that they serve short periods, generally of
one year only, and then take a furlough in Europe. For many reasons the
figures for the years 1901 and 1910 may be regarded as average records.
The death-rates among the whites in the two colonies of the Gold Coast
and Southern Nigeria, showing a remarkable improvement, are as follows:—
Southern Nigeria. Gold Coast.
Death Rate. Death Rate.
1901.—Officials 24 per 1000 34.96 per 1000
Non Officials 47.1 ” ” 56.30 ” ”
1910.—Officials 6 ” ” 11.41 ” ”
Non-Officials (not available) 16.52 ” ”
Most merchants argue that they cannot afford to bring their men to Europe
for short furloughs every year, but one or two good houses are making
the experiment with not a little satisfaction to themselves in more than
one direction. In the first place a better type of man offers for a
short agreement, and then there is the consideration that by preserving
the lives of those they have trained, merchants thus avoid the constant
re-equipment of new men, the cost of which is very considerable. Nor is
the financial aspect the only feature which is proving satisfactory.
These merchants find that they reap great commercial advantages over
their competitors by being able to hold more frequent consultations with
their men. After all, the incidence of cost in connection with passages
to and fro is comparatively insignificant on the whole expenditure of the
far-reaching commercial enterprises of West Africa.
To preserve the white man’s life in Africa, other elements are equally
essential. The dwelling-house, recreation and provisions are features
sadly neglected by the majority of whites.
[Sidenote: AN AFRICAN HOME]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account