burnt down twice, once by lightning, and once by a
servant. From the windows stretches quite a fairy view of
the surrounding country, the house being situated on the
top of a hill. All the doors and windows are of the
mahogany of the country,. and of rosewood. In the
dining-room there is a superb sideboard and table, also
made from native wood, and of perfect workmanship.
What struck me most was the simple elegance and
good taste reigning in this pleasant household. Pretty
services of china appeared at meals ; spotless, well-washed,
and embroidered table-linen, all so clean and well kept
that you could hardly believe yourself in the heart of
Africa. But from this description my readers must not
imagine that a missionary’s life is all rosy. All the little
refinements of civilized life are only obtained at an
enormous expenditure of time and trouble, during the
rare intervals of leisure that the constant labour connected
with the Mission leaves to Mr. and Mrs. Shaw. They are
never idle for a moment; and when one thinks of the
pecuniary resources at their disposal the result is simply
marvellous. To say that I was feasted, petted, and spoilt
at Urambo would give but a very poor idea of how I was
treated. I shall never forget the kindness I received
there; kindness'offered'so cordially and so generously
that I shall ever be touched by its recollection.
Mr. Shaw is one of the few missionaries I came across
who realized that his duty did not consist in baptizing the
greatest possible number of natives, and thus being able
to show that he had converted so many heathen. His
conception of the duty imposed on him by his calling was
loftier: he took great interest in the welfare of the people,
without distinction between those who attended the
Mission and those who declined to do so. He tried to
educate the people by teaching them to lead cleaner and
healthier lives than they did when he first came among
them ; he taught many of them trades, and showed them
how to use what Nature had given them. As I said
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