He was slow, indeed, to disparage any form of worship--any form in
which men, however unenlightened, gave expression to their religious
feelings; but he could not away with the sight of men of intelligence
kissing the toe of an image of the Virgin, as he saw them doing in a
Portuguese church, and taking part in services in which they did not,
and could not, believe. If the missions of the Church of Rome had left
good effects on some parts of Africa, how much greater blessing might
not come from Protestant missions, with the Bible instead of the
Syllabus as their basis, and animated with the spirit of freedom instead
of despotism!
With regard to that part of Africa which he had been exploring, he gives
his views at great length in a letter to the Directors, dated Linyanti,
12th October, 1855. After fully describing the physical features of the
country, he fastens on the one element which, more than any other, was
likely to hinder missions--fever. He does not deny that it is a serious
obstacle. But he argues at great length that it is not insurmountable.
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