Boring, C. O.

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MASSAQUOI AND THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA.AN ECHO OF THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS.BY C. O. BORING.A RECENT series of experiences has brou£:^ht to mind one ofthe signal events of the Parhament of Rehgions in 1893.Those famihar with the addresses of notables on that occasion willprobably recall Momolu Massaqiioi who represented Liberia. Thisyoung man appeared in the robes of an African chieftain and wasnot only spectacular but attracted attention by his figure and intelli-gence.A brief history of Massaquoi might be interesting at this time.His mother was chieftainess, or as we say queen, of the Vai tribesconsisting of several associated tribes situated about five days jour-ney east of Freetown. When twelve years of age he had his choiceof accepting his mother's religion, Voodooism, or his father's re-ligion, Mohammedanism. However, he had met a lady missionaryof the established Church of England and had been warmly attractedto Christianity, and therefore at this crisis chose to abandon hiscountry for the time being. He made his way through the des-perate forests (and Sir Samuel Baker says they are indeed des-perate) which lie between his country and the coast. There he suc-ceeded in reaching an American vessel whose captain took pity onhim and at his earnest request carried him to America.The captain brought him to the Bishop of Baltimore of theEpiscopal Church, who sent him to the Gammon School at Nash-ville, Tenn., a Methodist institution for colored students, where hereceived a liberal education.While attending the Parliament of Religions he was a guestat my home for a time and I enjoyed my association with him. Hegave me a number of illustrations of their life and manners andamong other incidents related one which I believe worth repeating.MASSAQUOI AND THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. 163MOM.OLU MASSAQUOI.From a recent photograph.164 THE OPEN COURT.The Voodoo doctors were greatly perplexed and angered bythe impression Christianity was making upon their people. Threeof these wise men met by appointment and told the people that ithad been stated by the missionaries that Jesus was three days inthe grave and then arose from the dead. They would demonstratethat they were more powerful than Jesus for one of their number-would be forty days in the grave and would then rise from thedead. After a series of incantations and ceremonials one of theirnumber was selected and was put into a deep sleep. His tongue wasturned back in his mouth, and the body being now in a perfectlyrigid and apparently lifeless condition, he was placed in a box. Thepeople were requested to bring stones to cover this box and thento set a guard so that there might be no deception. At the end offorty days the stones were removed, the box opened, and the Voo-doo priest taken from it. Various incantations were resorted to,and then one blew into his nostrils and commanded him to return tolife. To the great surprise and terror of the natives he did so.When this anecdote was reported to Professor Starr he statedthat he had heard similar stories regarding India and that in everycase the tongue was always reported as being turned back in thethroat.^During the Parliament of Religions, the Liberian governmentcabled Massaquoi that his mother had been killed and it was neces-sary for him to return. I received one letter from him after he had^The experiment of burying people alive in a state of stupor is founded ona principle similar to the hibernation of bears and other animals during winter;but it is difficult to perform in so far as this state is not a state of Hfe but ofsuspension of life which has been called lifeless, but not dead. This suspen-sion of the vital functions is not absolutely complete but nearly so. The his-tory of fakirs, by no means religious or even pious men, has been repeated ongood evidence, and many of their tricks have been reviewed in detail in aformer number of The Monist (X, p. 481) by the German Sanskritist, Dr.Richard von Garbe, in an article "On the Voluntary Trance of Indian Fakirs."These fakirs who allowed themselves to be buried for a money consideration,after fasting for a time, would subject their bowels to a rigorous expurgationso as not to leave the slightest vestige of material that could cause putre-faction, and then would cause all the openings of the body to be closed withwax and finally the tongue to be put back in the mouth, so as even to cut offthe air supply from the windpipe. In this state the man was put into a coffin,buried, and grass was sown over the grave. Sentinels were kept at the graveday and night, and among the witnesses of one case in particular there wereBritish officers and magistrates of high standing. After a fortnight, or evenlonger, the fakir was exhumed, and the resuscitation to life began with gentlemassage and warming the body. The first symptom of returning life appearedwhen the wax stoppers blew out of the ears with a slight explosion and thetongue regained its natural position, whereupon the lifeless fakir began tobreathe again. Nourishment was given carefully, beginning with very smalldoses, and the buried man would live many years and never show; signs ofhaving received any injury.—ed.MASSAQUOI AND THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. 165returned to his tribe, which was to the effect that the people hadbeen greatly broken up by the inroads of savage tribes. He had beenfurnished firearms by the Liberian government and was drilling hispeople in their use with the hope of repelling invaders.We heard nothing from him after that letter until this winter.When Prof. Frederick Starr of the University of Chicago startedfor Africa I wrote him urging that he attempt to find Massaquoi,and by a curious accident he did so just as he was about to leaveLiberia. The following letter relates the incident:"Freetown, S. L., Oct. 31, 1912."My dear Mr. Boring:"Just by chance, the last day I was in Liberia, I had a long talkwith Mr. Massaquoi—Prince M. of whom you wTote me. Depend-ing upon the information I had, I wrote discouragingly to you inJune. Prince Massaquoi is all right, although he does not use histitle. He ruled his people for quite ten years after you knew of himas Paramount Chief. He now lives in Monrovia, and is the secondman in the Department of the Interior—well known as a faithful,hard working and reliable official. He is a man of great influencewith his people, the Yai, and the government depends much uponhim. When I realized who he was, I got out your letter and read itto him to his sincere pleasure."Very truly yours,Frederick Starr."Two months later I received a letter from Massaquoi himself,• written from the office of the Interior Department of the Republicof Liberia:"Monrovia, December 31, 1912."Dear Mr. Boring:"I was much pleased when calling upon Professor Starr, to behanded a letter written by you in which you inquired of me ! I havefelt all along that some of my American friends still remember mebut not knowing their addresses I could not write them."Since I left Chicago many changes have taken place. I suc-ceeded both my mother and father in different chiefdoms— myfather's country being the largest. I removed there (in the BritishProtectorate) but for wdiat Great Britain calls "political reasons"I was deposed by the British Government in 1906."I am now in Liberia where my late mother ruled a (native)166 THE OPEN COURT.tribe, and his Excellency the President has appointed me a nativeexpert and Assistant Secretary of the Interior."When I hear from you, I shall write again. Professor Starrwill show you a letter on some business which I trust you will findtime to help attend.- I am trying to turn many people to Americaif possible, and this is one of the ways to do it."With kind regards to self and family, I am, dear Mr. Boring,"Yours sincerely,"M. Massaquoi."Upon Professor Starr's return to Chicago I met him by appoint-ment and we reviewed many incidents. He has also furnished mewith an interesting communication by Massaquoi to the Journal ofthe African Society with reference to the character writing of theVai tribes.The Vai characters which they use in writing are phonetic andextremely characteristic. Massaquoi informed Professor Starr thatthe people generally were well acquainted with these characters andread the Koran and the Bible readily in them. He tells an inter-esting anecdote of Dassia, a chieftain of the Tama country in Liberia,who once visited a school at Cape Mount where Massaquoi wasteaching a Vai class. A copy of a portion of the Iliad was handedto Dassia which he readily perused and was greatly affected by it.The tears rolled down his cheeks while he turned to the teacher andmade the inquiry which thousands of students of all languages haveasked: "And where were Plelen and Paris all of this time?"The family of Massaquoi inherited the chieftainship and werean old family who had been long upon the ground. In explainingthe classification of his country Massaquoi tells the story of theMaui tribes (Mandingo) who once occupied the plain from Tubato Wasara and beyond. They were a tall, handsome and enterpris-ing race of people with a knowledge of agriculture, cattle raising etc.They heard stories about the great body of salt water and startedan emigration to it. On the way the tribes divided and one portionfound the sea. One of these thrust his spear into it and said, Mausa*It seems that in Liberia there is a species of pygmy hippopotamus weigh-ing only about 400 pounds, though otherwise identical in character with thelarger form. It is therefore a real curiosity that would be appreciated inmenageries connected with circuses and municipal parks. These animals areeasily cared for and readily domesticated when they become tame. They wereformerly very difficult to capture, but Massaquoi has learned an easier methodand would therefore undertake to furnish one to any city or firm that woulddesire it. He estimates that the cost of procuring and transporting one animalto New York would be about $8000.MASSAOUOI AND THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. 167inu ila goi, "Truly thou art a ruler." This was the founder of thefamily which afterward was known as "Massaquoi" and which be-came the ruling dynasty of the northern part of the Vai territoryknown as the Galinois country. Other branches settled elsewherebut they have all remained acquainted with one another.When Professor Starr met Massaquoi in Monrovia he learnedmuch that was of great interest to me and will probably be to othersat this time. In Monrovia they are much alarmed over the possi-bility that the government of the United States under the new ad-ministration may practically abandon Liberia to its fate.' This Mas-saquoi states would not only be a great wrong in itself but wouldresult in much harm to that country.In order to comprehend the situation it must be understood thatthere are now living in Liberia about 12,000 fairly educated personswho are descendants of the original American negroes sent toLiberia. In addition there are about 30,000 Africans who havebeen affected by the outside world, making in all about 42,000 per-sons who form the ruling and advanced class in that country. Be-hind these are about 1,000,000 natives who look to Liberia for theirprotection, for Liberia is the lone star of liberty hi Afriea. If itwere understood that the United States had withdrawn its protec-tion, either Germany, France or England would certainly makesome excuse to intervene and possibly to take possession of thatland.* * *Since writing the above, a significant despatch from Monroviaunder date of February 5, informs us that the Liberian troops underthe command of Major Ballard, a United States officer loaned to theLiberian government, defeated the Kroo natives at Rock Call. Thesame dispatch states that "the recalcitrant Kroos were responsiblefor the recent arrival of the German gunboats Panther and Eber,to defend German colonists who had informed the German govern-ment of their danger."In all probability another and more important reason for thepresence of gunboats at this time is the anticipated change in theattitude of the new administration of our government upon thequestion of defence of Liberia from so-called civilized nations. Letus remember that England has a force on the east, France on thenorth in Niger and on the south in Sierra Leone. Not alone tosave Liberia from annihilation, but also possibly to save a war ofnations our policy should be a determined stand for the little republicof black men.168 THE OPEN COURT.A word of warning at this time may be very valuable, and thisProfessor Starr is giving to all he can reach. We sincerely hopethat what he says may be heard and that our nation may find itpossible to protect this country from invasion in the future betterthan it has in the past.

Massaquoi and the Republic of Liberia.

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Massaquoi and the Republic of Liberia.

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