"THINKING BLACK"

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2200, 13 July 1914, Page 5

"THINKING BLACK"

A MISSIONARY AND HIS MESSAGE. In a striking address in the Town Hall yesterday afternoon, Mr. Dan Crawford, F.It.G.S., and pioneer ir.ftto the heart of Central Africa, told of ■ tho difficulties to * be met by those who go out to make the-Word of God pre-eminent in tlu; .heart of tho Black .jVlan. .L'he subject of tlie address was "111iiiking Black: AVliat "is at the Back of the Black Man's Brain." Tlio Prime Minister <the: Right Hon. W. 'F. Jlassey) presided, and the hall was full. Mr.- Massey,'in introducing Mr. 'Crawf ort ],, said that a pleasant duty devolved on him in doing so. As Prime Minister ho wanted to welcome Mr. Crawford to New Zealand—(applause)— and tell him liow much tho citizens of NewjZealand appreciated his work as a missionary. Mr. Massey referred in appreciative terms to missionaries of the past, to Livingstone, Marsden, Selwyn, and others. . ... Mr. Crawford received a warm W£tcomo on rising to speak. He said that his homo was. in 'the-middle of Africa;. Dr. David Livingstone fejl short of that middle by. 200 miles. Dr. Livingstone; was known by many names in Africa One was the "dew drier," .in that he went first and was ■ the pioneer. -Tho missionaries went before, the swashbuckling explorer, and even before the man who carried the flag. The title of his address was "Thinking Black." To require the- facility for thinking black, he had to leave the method.of-"think-ing white,". so as to get to the back of the black man's brain. Mr. Crawford told a story to show the difficulties in the. .way of tho missionaries. Ho; was in a .near camp, and preached, about, the dying of the Son of God,'arid his victory. :■ "And then a man; Malemba .was-his name,".said Mr. Crawford, "gave mo a knock-down blpw;; • That splendid,, chocolate-coloured cannibal' said to me: 'Now. I know th© Season' ,why- you white pwple- are such a bad lot.' I said: 'AVhat do you mean?' <'AA'hy,' came the rdply, 'you-went away, and murdered the very best One,, and, not content with that, you ha ve crossed land "and sea to tell us you- did, it.'. Mr. Crawford had to object to the halfquoting of his sermon, and ixjin'tcd out that Christ had pardoned/liis murderers. He told' them, that, they were committing certain-crimes-in thoir camp, that -day, and were, crucifying Him - a'feain. ''Aiid the same thing is-going on in Wellington to-day," he said. . '"Good old Malemba," continued tlie; speaker,., "I saw that man come: really and truly hounding into the' Kingdom of God, and it was a joy to mo to greet tin as 'my brother in the Lord.". . ' ? . : Concluding,■ Mr. Crawford said: '"I am-.oiily' a ..wild man ,ffom'. tho .woods, J •and I burnt my boats. I have.not woi'n, a collar for twenty-three years', and I saw niy. first railway train the other day for tlio first time in that twenty-three years.' Put I have made my roads a«d my houses; My motto has been', what going .to be the motto of AVellingtori some day: l 'Tho soul of all improvement is the improvement of the soul!'' 1 have got thirteen'languages, but I put all my eggs in the one basket, and I have 'become a 'translator of the Word-of God.". In his final'words,; he said : "Tlio wdjvcl of God i«. better than, the squeak of puny man. You are not going, to let Shakespeaje into .your schools, : .and let Tennyson in, and then' kick the AVord of God out. Do uot.do it!", (Applause.) In" the evening the seating capacity-of t-lio'Towii Hall taxed, when Mr. Crawford'delivered; another -Interesting 'address; Professor vD;'-K.' Picken presided. , The title to tlic -address was "The' Nearest Place to the l Bottomless Pit," and-tlio speaker 'fleiffiv in',an interesting; , maimer,, with'conditions in the' black man's l coun-'. 'try. '".This evening Mr. ' Crawford will deliver another address. The lan■torr.. recture which was .to have taken ,place to-night ,will be given to-liioiTow owning, -