Watchman Of The South

CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN LIBERIA

Liberia is perhaps better supplied with the Gospel, than many places in Christendom.

Including Cape Palmas, Liberia has a population of two thousand five hundred colonists, all told. The towns and settlements of Liberia are Millsburgh, Caldwell, New Georgia, Monrovia, Marshall, Edina, Bassa Cove, Bexley, and Sinoe: the whole having about two thousand colonist inhabitants; and the Maryland Colony at Cape Palmas, with five hundred settlers.

At and in the vicinity of those towns, the various christian denominations spend annually not less than sixty thousand dollars in missionary operations; supporting twenty or more foreign missionaries, and a great number of colonists as preachers, teachers, and assistants. The education of youth, is principally if not wholly in the hands of the missionary societies, as also the supplying the destitute and needy.

Methodist E. Mission. The missionary society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, has mission houses, school houses, and churches in nearly every town in the Colonies, and several houses and churches in native towns: in all twelve or thirteen churches, five school houses, eight mission houses, several rented dwellings and school rooms, eleven schools, one seminary and twenty or more persons, the most of whom are heads of families in its employ.

Membership, nearly one thousand.

Baptist Church.—The Missionaries of the Baptist denomination have concentrated their efforts in and around Edina, where they have a fair membership, mission houses, schools, and a press for publishing the Scriptures in the Bassa language, which they have already translated. They have a flourishing school of native youths. The Baptists have a church at Millsburgh, Caldwell, New Georgia, Monrovia, Edina, Bassa Cove, a missionary at Bexley, and we think a small society at Cape Palmas. The Baptist churches above named except at Edina, and Bassa Cove, support themselves, with a praise-worthy zeal, without foreign aid.

Membership, three hundred.

Presbyterian Mission.—The Presbyterians have a flourishing mission at Fair Hope, Cape Palmas, under the superintendence of the Rev. J. Leighton Wilson. The mission buildings at Fair Hope, include dwellings, school houses, church and other houses for the press, residence of the pupils &c. At that place there is a school with nearly thirty boys and twenty girls all natives; many of whom have made great proficiency, and a number have from time to time left the establishment with a fair education. Mr. Wilson with the assistance of the Prot. Episcopal Missionaries has published several elementary school books, also a dictionary, and is now engaged getting a part of the Holy Scriptures through the press; all the above having been translated into the Grebo language. They have mission stations at the native towns, Rocktown, and Fishtown, and prospering schools at each. These stations are near Cape Palmas.

The Presbyterians have a church at Monrovia, Edina, and Fair Hope; the two former supported by the colonists.

Membership about fifty.

Prot. Episcopal Mission.—This mission is located at Mount Vaughan, Cape Palmas, and having two native stations at some distance, called Graway, and Cavally. The mission buildings are said to be (for we have never visited Cape Palmas) commodious and elegant. They are comprised in dwellings, church, school house. &c. &c. The schools at Mount Vaughan, Cavally, and Graway, are flourishing. The mission generally prosperous and greatly prized by the citizens.

The Episcopalians have no churches or schools in the colony except those above mentioned. Their operations are quite extensive, and all concentrated around Palmas.

Membership not known—say thirty.