Liberia: Description, History, ProblemsStarr, Frederick
History
Liberia: Description, History, Problems
Starr, Frederick
Liberia
Living in the same neighborhood with Dr. Lewis is Jacob Logan. His
father was a Liberian, his mother a Bassa; his father represented a
class of which we hear much in the writings of authors who criticize
Liberian affairs--civilized Liberians who relapse. He lived the native
life and his son Jacob was brought up amid purely native surroundings.
Jacob Logan today speaks excellent English, writes and reads the
language perfectly well, knows Liberia and the outside world, having
been to Europe. Yet he maintains the state of a native chief. He has an
excellent house, which he calls “Native Vindicator’s House;” he is
legally married to one wife, but has the reputation of maintaining a
considerable body of native women; he has a quantity of dependents,
known everywhere as “Jacob Logan’s boys.” They work for him, and when
they hire out to others he receives their wages; they are subject to his
orders; they live in his house or on his property until married; after
they are married they still retain relations with him. On his part Jacob
owes them advice, shelter, direction, assistance; when they wish to
marry he provides the money, for they must pay for wives; if they are in
trouble he must help them; if they get into legal difficulty he must pay
their fines. These two men are representative, no doubt, of a large
class. They have great influence and it certainly is to the advantage of
Government that their influence be utilized in its favor. If they are
well informed in regard to governmental policy and favorable to it, they
can do much.
Is it desirable that Liberians and natives intermarry? It is certain
that the native endures the climate better than the newcomers; it is
true that he has far more energy, vigor, enterprise--in case his
interest is once aroused. There can be no question that close breeding
among the little handful of Liberians is fraught with danger; mixture
with the native stock would give, in many cases, good results. There is
always, of course, the danger in such mixed marriages of relapse to
barbarism. The Liberian who marries a native woman might lead an easy
life among her people in the bush. This danger is a real one and needs
to be avoided.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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