Kijabe
E.A.P. March 22 ‘05
Miss
Florence Minch,
Hooppole
Ill.
My
dear Florence;
Your
very long letter has just come. I am sorry Florence that you
use
such very poor Grammar for instance you say where you speak of
the
menagerie I must bring Lamb, zebra, monkey, and me. This is
absolutely wrong. You should say Lamb, zebra, me, and the
other
monkies. I hope it will not be necessary for me to correct you
again. You speak of making dresses for girls. Let me advise
you to
make them very plain. A great many people in this country
would go
into a fit if they saw anything else. Oh Florence you cannot
realize
how most white people here are against doing anything for a
native. We are trying to do all we can yet we must continually
hold back
fearing we might make ourselves seem ridiculous. I am so used
to
thinking of buying wives (I dont mean for myself) that I
almost said
I am willing to give two cows more for you because you take
such an
interest in making clothes for the natives. If ever I feel
proud of
myself it is when I can get a good suit of clothes for a boy.
Of
course with our allowance we get very little for this purpose,
but
when you get here we will buy the cloth and you can make the
clothes. In that way we can get many more. Florence if ever
you intend to be
my wife you had better get used to pinching a bit (I dont mean
to
pinch me). So many missionaries get so many things it seems to
me
they dont need, while hundreds of natives are going about with
nothing but a small ragged dirty piece of cloth hung over
their
shoulders. By the way when you visit your uncles and
grandfathers
just look around a bit in their old closets and see if you
cant find
some coats they dont need, but which would be good enough for
a
native boy to wear. Any style, shape or size would be very
acceptable. Also if you get time make some plain cheap white
coats. These look very pretty on boys. I wrote to Cora that
girls look best
in a plain white dress hanging from the shoulders. They are
not
accustomed to going to the opera, yet they look best if the
sleeves
reach only about half way between the shoulder and elbow. Dont
think
an old bachelor does’nt know anything about this. No doubt
many of
your ideas will change when you get here. Well I wrote last
time
that I would write again as soon as I heard from Mulungit. I
waited
and waited but no Mulungit came. Finally I heard that he was
at
Naivasha so yesterday I took the train to hunt him up. Well I
found
him last night about 10 oclock and had a long talk with him.
He said
he tried to come nearly every day but could not. The trouble
is
this. I said a long time ago that I did not believe the Masai
could
live on the Reservation. Well they have been there about one
month,
and now many are leaving. Instead of being so nicely settled
as I
supposed there is a greater mix up than ever. The greatest
trouble
now is their old feeding grounds are all in the hands of
private
individuals so they practically have nothing. Mulungit told me
that
the boys might stay on the Reservation hoping to get work
under the
Government, but he says all others will absolutely refuse,
preferring
death to the Reservation. Florence I dont like to complain yet
I
must say I am thoroughly sick at heart. Last night several
times I
was obliged to get out of bed, and go out doors and walk
about. I
just could’nt stand it in bed. The old chief Lenana and a big
sub
chief at Naivasha in whom lie all the hopes of the Masai are
both
receiving large sums of money from the Government so they are
perfectly quiet and say absolutely nothing. No one else dares
say
anything because they fear the chiefs, and Government men are
either
too ignorant or dont care to give the people what they
deserve. But
while it is sickening to see all this yet under it all God
gives me a
quietness which is most blessed. He gave me the assurance a
long
time ago that the Masai work must in time succeed. This fills
me
with great hope and I feel assured that all these difficulties
are
only an attempt on the part of the devil to upset the work.
The boys
I have with me are doing nicely and I am especially pleased
with my
native teacher Josiah Shanga. I have just discovered however
that he
is not a pure Masai but his mother was a Somali. The Somalis
you
perhaps know are the leading people on the Continent so this
mixture
is none the worse for the boy. I have written of so many
changes
that I will not give plans this time, but wait until things
are
settled more definitely. At present I will stay at Kijabe.
Mulungit
is making an attempt to get the boys together. If he succeeds
then I
will go where they are. If not I will try to get Mulungit back
again
and bring in as many of the boys as possible, and stay at
Kijabe. I
am afraid the Government will find the Reservation a failure.
You
said something about a sewing machine. I should say if you can
get
one bring one by all means. When we get settled I hope there
shall
always be from 50 to 100 boys and girls with us. If we keep
them in
any shape at all there will be plenty of sewing to do. All the
lady
missionaries have sewing machines. You also asked some time
ago
about fares to Africa. My fare was about $175 of course
including
board. I should say that one wanting to visit Africa and
return to
America, ought to get on nicely with $500 all expenses
included. I
promised a long time ago to send you some pictures. Well
finally
they came. I wonder if in any way there might be a possibility
of
getting duplicate copies. I should like my people in Wisconsin
to
have them. You will find numbers on the back. No. 1 is of
course
the people who did the work. By the way, that fellow sitting
on the
back looks as though he had a pain somewhere. He was just a
kid
following us so we dont recognize him as one of the party. No.
two
shows our Wandarobo guides and Mulungit. You notice the thick
tree
stump just back of the elephant. We stood there when the herd
rushed
upon us. You can get some idea as to how close they were. If
you
cannot get other copies please send either No. 1 or No. 2 to
my folks
in Wis. No. 3 is the Wandarobo, a tribe who live only by
hunting,
skinning the elephant and cutting up the meat. No. 4 is Mr.
Alexander holding a Colobus monkey which he shot. Notice the
beautiful white and black fur. One skin is said to be worth
$50 in
London. Mr. Alexander shot four that day. There are large
numbers
in the woods about us. By the way there is a path just back of
where
I am standing which is I think the most beautiful place I ever
passed
through. One of your first experiences will be to go over this
path
and see the monkies. No. 5 is a railroad bridge just below our
station under it passed the Thungitungi River. Of course it is
only
a small stream but has some very beautiful water falls. No. 1.
is
the one which I suggested some time ago would be beautiful if
enlarged, but enlarging is so expensive that I think you had
better
not try it. No. two shows a beautiful picture of Mulungit.
Dear old
boy. I hope I shall soon have him with me again. It has been
very
hard for me these days that he has been gone. It feels so
strange
not to have him here. I imagine these pictures are very
difficult to
paint otherwise I would suggest that Alice try some of them. I
think
when you get here with your camera we can get some beautiful
pictures
for painting. Well it will not be very long now before you
come. Wont I be a happy boy then. Mr. Hurlburt has as much as
said that
when Hunsperger gets here then he will make me locate at
Kijabe to
teach the Masai who stay here. Forty dollars a year has just
been
subscribed for Masai work and Hurlburt will make a special
effort on
behalf of the Masai at home so I feel quite sure that in a
short time
we will have a large work. It is possible also that our work
will
include the Wandarobo who speak the Masai language. Mr. Evans
and I
explored those 5 square miles of land and found large numbers
of
Wandarobo hidden away in the forests which we never knew. They
are a
fine people. We also discovered dense bamboo forests. You can
hardly imagine how pretty a bamboo forest is. The trees stand
so
thick that it is perfectly clean under. The ground is usually
covered with dense green moss, but you will see all this when
you get
here. The mail comes today perhaps I will get a letter from
you. Please excuse me for not writing oftener but I am
frightfully busy. We spend now every Sat. afternoon in prayer.
It is just time for
dinner. May God richly bless you in the few remaining days at
home
is the prayer of John.
Mr.
Hurlburt leaves next Wed. You will find a letter for Oneida.
You
may read it if you wish then seal the envelope, and send it to
her.
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