[Sidenote: An African Republic.] The Republic of Liberia was established in 1821 “to be reserved forever for the settlement of American freed slaves.” The little republic contains about fifty thousand of the descendants of these early settlers and about two million aborigines, who are divided into eight tribes. Among them fetish worship, superstition, polygamy, tendency to constant strife, and other characteristic African faults abound. In this republic the mission of The _General Synod_ was founded by the Rev. Morris Officer in 1860. Mr. Officer had served for a year and a half as a missionary of the American Board, but his heart longed for a mission of his own Church, and his diary shows his deep satisfaction when he was authorized to begin. He describes the making of roads, the planting of banana and coffee trees, sweet potatoes and flowers. He tells of the first children in the school, forty boys and girls captured from a slave ship. When he decided upon a site for the mission he knelt down among his native helpers and prayed for God’s blessing upon the new endeavor. In a year and a half Mr. Officer was compelled to return on account of ill health. In the meantime reinforcements had arrived and the sad and stirring history of this little mission had begun, a history which might be celebrated, in the words of a writer for the _Missionary Review_, in some spirited poem like “The Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava.” Of eighteen missionaries sent out during the first thirty-six years, six died within two years after reaching the field, while eight returned within three years with greatly shattered health. [Sidenote: An Ideal Missionary.] In contrast to this shadow we have the history of Doctor David A. Day, who lived and labored for twenty-three years in this dangerous country. A man of strong body and fine mind, Doctor Day was an ideal missionary. Possessing deep faith with which to meet serious problems, and a keen sense of humor with which to meet smaller difficulties, he labored until he was worn out. Returning to America when he dared linger no longer, he died almost in sight of the home land, his wife, whose devotion was no less than his, having died two years before. Mrs. Day was made of the same heroic stuff as her husband. As the end of her life approached she urged her husband to remain in Africa where he was so much needed rather than join her, great as was her desire to see him. How many noble missionary wives have made similar sacrifice!