OCR Text |
Show SUNDAY, Feb. 4 It was very dark tonight but the Natives had invited me to attend their Protestant Protes-tant church, so I struck out along the road and stumbled gropingly along in the utter blackness not being exactly sure just where I was to find the church. Guided by singing which came floating out onto the night from a small building, I made my way to it after falling over fences and brush. I walked to the door and peeked In. Twenty or thirty natives were squatted on the floor, the air blue with cigarette smoke. Seated at a table toward the front of the room was a monkish-looking old man attired in a long priestly robe. He was evidently teaching the congregation con-gregation from the Bible .though T nl4 rrot Vmf BTia t'hps fif whnfc speak French? No. A fellow sitting back of me tapped me on the shoulder and inu. vited me to go drink coffee after-meeting. after-meeting. I politely answered "Aita-Next "Aita-Next he made it tea, and when I declined that he said "chocolated Not defiring to go with them after meeting, I still refused. Whereupont a neighbor of hi3 said, "Moromona All with'n hearing distance smiled and nodded, and that was that. The procedure of the meeting was for the congreation to sing a. hymn or two, after which the head man arose and invited a epeciflo group to bring their donation or offering forward and lay it on th-table th-table where the thirteen brethrea. would scrambb for it. Each member mem-ber proudly slammed down his coik on the table with all the nose It was possible for so small a coin, to make. This done, they would re- -turn to their places, the assemblage assem-blage would sing another song or-two, or-two, then the head would call an -other group to bring their offering offer-ing forward. This continued until; all the groups had paid. When the section I was seated with was called call-ed ,one man tried to get me to p up with them and pay my donation. dona-tion. I just eat still and grinned not having any francs with mo, and not being disposed to contribute contrib-ute to that unknown cause, anyway. I didn't like the way thoso thirteen brothren fought for the money. Every way I turned ray head I could see people discussing me. It would almost seem as though I were the first white man to attend their church since the first protesu tant missionary left for home. I spied our landlord and nodded recognition to him .whereupon those clpse to him, seeing that ha knew me, began plying him with questions. After the money was counted, the chairman oroae and read off the amounts the various groups had contributed. When, after two hoars of pitting on the hard floor I grew weary, and -left, they wer still going strong. . 0.; he was reading and saying. Ha smoked two cigarettes while I stood watching not even bothering bother-ing to remove the fag from his lips when he was speaking, but leaving it dangling from his mouth while he squinted an eye to keep out the curling smoke. I looked the group over, much to their discomfort, and not seeing my landlords or their families, I concluded this must not be the place I jn.s seeking. With difficulty difficul-ty Irfind my way out of the lot and continued down the road, finally fin-ally comiDg to a large hall wherein where-in were seated probably 250 natives on the floor the space of which was nearly all taken up. On a sort of retrum at the front were seated seat-ed tlftrteen men behind a long table? ' I spied a vacant place near one of the doors, and, slipping In, I was in the act of sitting down when a man saw me and beckoned me to come sit by him. I did so. My entrance caused no little stirabout stir-about half of the singers stopped singing and turned to stare at roe. My now-found friend by whom I sat was an object of nvy, having hav-ing to answer questions from all sides -about tbla . white .; intruder. Was , I --an; American?-, Ye. Did I |