FOREIGN MISSION STORY LESSONS THE CROSS "0 IN i ir coii'b LAND for the Kindergarten and Primary Departments in Baptist Sunday Schools Little Friend s m die Forest 0 BY MRS. HENRY W. PEABODY All about Makumba and her brothers who live in the African forest. How the little white girl came. How the brave boys who shoot lions got their school. The new song on the Congo River, the new church and the new home. How Mary came back. AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY Ford Building, Boston, Mass. WOMAN’S AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY Ford Building, Boston, Mass. 450 E. 30th St., Chicago, Ill. THE CROSS IN CONGO LAND ~ ■ ■= 1917-1918 = SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDIES PREPARED JOINTLY by the AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY and the WOMAN’S AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY For Charts, Lessons for Other Grades, Easter Concert Programs, Collection Envelopes, and other sup¬ plies, apply to any of the following: Department of Missionary Education,' 23 East 26th Street, New York City Literature Department, A. B. F. M. S., Box 41, Boston, Mass. Publication Department, W. A. B. F. M. S., 450 East 30th Street, Chicago, Ill. Rev. A. W. Rider, D.D., 313 West 3d Street, Los Angeles, Cal. Rev. A. M. Petty, D.D., 403 Tilford Building, Portland, Oregon One complete set of supplies furnished free to every Sunday School STORY LESSONS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE These story lessons are for the Kindergarten and Primary grades in our Sunday Schools. Since the time allowed for the lesson each Sunday is so brief, only five minutes, we suggest that the teacher simply read the story for the day and ask the ques¬ tions. It is better, of course, to tell the story with an¬ imation. Reference should be made to the pictures. It is hoped that the children will be interested enough to buy the booklet in some cases and so become bet¬ ter acquainted with the stories at home, or they might make an attractive Easter gift. They may be obtained at either of our Foreign Mission headquar¬ ters, at five cents a copy, thirty-five cents per dozen. We hope that impressions may be made on the children during this foreign mission period of our Baptist churches, and that they may learn to pray for Congo children. The large colored charts issued by the societies are most interesting and an extra set should be displayed in the Primary class if possible. A set is given free to each Sunday School and addi¬ tional sets may be provided at twenty cents for three charts in a set, post paid. The offerings are for the Missionary Work in Congo Land. Treasurers: Ernest S. Butler and Alice E. Stedman, Ford Building, Boston, Mass. NATIVE HOMES IN IKENGI, AFRICA CHAPTER I. Little Girls for Sale. Little Makumba sat on the ground eating peanuts. She was hungry. The peanuts were good. She had sweet pota¬ toes for dinner and peanuts for supper. That was all. She was such a pretty little black girl, with a shining skin, well oiled. Her teeth were white and her hair curled. She had no pretty dress, just a brass ring around her neck and her waist. Her mother worked in the garden. Her father was the big chief. He wanted to sell his own little daughter. She loved her mother. She was afraid of her father. He had gone out to hunt elephants so she was happy eating her peanuts and singing a little song, “I have no jiggers, I have no jiggers.” Jiggers are little insects that bite your feet terribly. This was the only song Makumba knew. She ate up all the pea¬ nuts, then her mother came back from the garden and Makumba crawled into the little house where her mother lived. Her father lived in the big chiefs house. Her broth¬ ers were in another house for boys. They had no school, no Sunday school, no church, no Bible. No one had told them how to be good. She did not not know about our dear Father in Heaven who takes care of us. Was there nobody in the world to go and tell little Makumba that Jesus loves her? QUESTIONS ON LESSON ONE 1— Who was Makumba? 2— What was she eating? 3— Where was her father? 4 — Where did he live? 5— Why did they have no Sunday School? 5 MAKUMBA’S BROTHER, MBOKO CHAPTER II. Makumba’s Brothers. There was the big brother, Bitum, who would be chief some day. There was the little brother, Mboko, who lived with his mother until the year before. Then he was nine and went to the boys’ house. Makumba was sorry. She liked to play with him. Now he was older he would not play with girls. He liked to be with the big boys. He learned to fish and soon would go to shoot deer and elephants. Makumba would work in the gardens with the women. Then her father would sell her. She woke up in the night. The moon shone in the door of the little house. She heard the men singing and beating the drum. A girl was sold, so they had a feast and dance. Some day she would have to leave her mother. Makumba cried very softly so she would not wake her mother, but her mother heard. She put her kind, loving, black arms about her little girl and Makumba went to sleep. But her mother did not sleep. Her heart was sad. She wanted to keep her little girl with her. But in that country they think it is right to sell their daughters for a few yards of cloth or a string of beads or a goat. Would your father sell you? Ask him. Are you glad you have a school and books and a home and Sunday school? It would be nice to share these things with little Makumba and her brothers. QUESTIONS ON LESSON TWO 1— How many brothers had Makumba? 2— What did the boys do? 3— Why did Makumba cry? 4— What do they pay for little girls in Africa? 5— Would your father sell you? TRAVELING IN A HAMMOCK IN AFRICA CHAPTER III. The White Man. One morning Makumba’s brothers came running into the hut and called her mother. She was cooking dinner some corn and sweet potatoes. The little boy, Mboko, was frightened. I think the big brother was afraid, too, but he tried to be brave. He was a brave boy. One day he saw a lion in the path in the forest. The lion roared, but Bitum did not run away. He took his gun and shot the lion dead, but he was afraid this morning of the white man. Once some white men came to a village near and carried off all the boys and girls and sold them for slaves. They were bad men, and all the people were afraid of white people. Bitum and Mboko said to their mother, “The white people are coming; they will steal us.” Their mother said, “Run and hide and if the white men come I will see them. They will not take a weak woman like me. Besides, your father will soon come and he will shoot them.” So the children ran out and hid in the long grass. Then they heard the big drum, beating, beating. The white men came into the town and went to the chiefs house. But these were kind, nice white men and there was a lovely white lady and a little white girl with them. Makumba’s mother peeped out of the door and when she saw the white lady she said, “Why, she loves her baby as I love mine. She is good. I am not afraid of her,” so she went out and the lady smiled at her and spoke to her. She spoke the Congo language and soon Makumba’s mother was talking with her. QUESTIONS ON LESSON THREE 1— What did Makumba’s Mother cook for dinner? 2— Why were the boys afraid of white men? 3— Where did the children hide? 4— Who came with the good white man? 5— Why was not Makumba’s Mother afraid? 9 THE LITTLE WHITE GIRL AND HER MOTHER CHAPTER IV. The White Lady. After a little Makumba’s mother ran in the house and got some bananas and gave them to the lady, who walked over and sat down in the doorway. Some other women came, too, and looked at the white lady. They laughed at her queer dress and shoes and hat. They loved the little white girl. She wore a pretty white dress and was so clean. Makumba, hidden in the tall grass, heard the white man talk to her father and then her father asked him to come to his house. He went. Makumba’s father came out soon and called her brothers. The boys went to the chief’s house, but Makumba crept round by the door near her mother and watched the lady and the little girl. Pretty soon the little girl, whose name was Mary, saw Makumba. She said, “Oh, Mamma, there is a little girl.” She went over to Makumba and put out her hand. Makumba was afraid, but the little girl was so sweet and when she saw Makumba’s fear she asked her mother for a picture book. Makumba had never seen a book or a picture. She forgot to be afraid and the two little girls sat on the mat together and looked at the pictures. Pretty soon Mary’s father came and said, “The chief has asked us to stay. We will put up our tent and spend a few days here.” Makumba saw them talking. She hoped they would not go. Mary’s mother called her, but they did not go out of the village. They went over to the tents to make their beds and get their supper. Mary loved to live in a tent, but she got so tired riding in a hammock. She liked to get down and walk and play. QUESTIONS ON LESSON FOUR 1— What did Makumba’s Mother give the white lady? 2— What was the little white girl’s name? 3— What did Mary show Makumba? A —What did Mary ride in? 5—Where did she live? 11 A MISSIONARY ON A TOUR, AFRICA CHAPTER V. The Camp in the Forest. The black men came singing through the long grass, carrying the tents. Some men had boxes on their heads. There were things to eat in the boxes, bread and tea and canned milk and fruit. Makumba’s mother watched them put up the tent and open the boxes. The men built a fire and Makumba’s father brought them some sweet potatoes and eggs. Mary was so hungry, but she waited while supper was cooked over the fire. Then they sat on the mats they had brought and ate their supper. All the people watched them. Makumba had some peanuts. She was saving them to eat for her supper. She liked peanuts. She wondered if Mary liked them. She wanted to give her nuts to Mary. She liked her, but she was afraid. After Mary had her supper she said to her mother, “I will go and say good night to Makumba.” Her mother said, “Yes, and then Father will have prayers.” Mary went over to the little house to say good night. Makumba was alone on the doorstep. She had something in her hand. Mary said, “Good night, Makumba,” and the little black girl put out her hand and gave the package to Mary. It was the package of peanuts. She gave them to Mary because she loved her. Then Mary’s father had prayers and they sang. Makumba listened. She did not understand prayers, but she loved the singing. It was in her own language, “Jesus, loves me, this I know.” Makumba sang the chorus, too, and by and by when she curled up on the floor by her dear black mother she sang softly, “Yes, Jesus loves me,” just as Mary did. QUESTIONS ON LESSON FIVE 1— Who carried the tents? 2— What did they have in the boxes? 3— What did Makumba give Mary? 4— Why did she want to give Mary something? 5— What did Mary sing? 13 SAWING LUMBER BY HAND CARRYING POLES For the New Church Building at Melet—Too Economical to buy a Wagon CHAPTER VI. The New Song. In the morning the drum was beaten, all the men and women came to the chief’s house. The boys and girls came, too, but they stood outside. The white man spoke in the Congo language. He said, “Would you like a school for your boys and girls ? In the Ikoko town we have a school. The children learn to read. They learn also to work. They are not wild and wicked. You, too, may have a school for your children. They will learn and you will have a better town.” The chief said, “The boys may go to school, but why should a woman read? Women and girls are like monkeys. Do you teach monkeys?” The white lady spoke then. She said, “No, women are not like monkeys. They can learn. If your women are wise and good you will have good homes. Women must teach children, so women should be wise.” The chief said, “Can you read?” The white lady said, “Not only I, but my little girl, can read in the Congo and the English.” The chief said, “We will hear her. If she can read, then our girls can go to school.” So Mary came to her mother and took the book. It was a Congo New Testament. She read her favorite story about Jesus and the shepherds and the star. All the black people listened and the forest was still. Then Mary’s mother said, “You may sing, Mary,” so Mary sang her favorite son £* “Jesus when He left the sky And for sinners came to die, In His mercy passed not by Little ones like me.” Makumba crept out from the crowd. Mary called her. She forgot all the people and the big chief, her father. Then Mary sang the song she sang the night before and little Makumba sang with her,— “Jesus loves me, this I know.” Makumba had learned a new song. All the people were surprised and the chief was proud and said, “This is my girl. She can learn. We will have a school.” QUESTIONS ON LESSON SIX 1— What did the white man ask the chief? 2— What did the chief say about girls? 3— What did Mary read? A —What was Mary’s favorite song? 5—When Makumba sang what did the chief say? 15 CHAPTER VII. How They Built the School. The men went into the forest. They cut big trees. The boys helped. They brought the logs to the town. All worked hard. The women cooked a great feast. The chief said, “I will give the men some beer.” The white man said, “No, if we come you must not drink beer any more. It makes men foolish and bad.” So the chief promised that he would not let his town have beer. The boys were glad to have a school. A tall, fine black boy was to be teacher. He was strong and could shoot well. He could read and sing. The boys liked their teacher. When the school was built they made a little house for the teacher and his wife. She was a girl from another town. She wore a dress and she could read and sing. Makumba loved her. She thought, “I cannot be a white girl like Mary. I am a forest girl, but I can learn and be like this girl.” So Makumba took a bath every day. She combed her hair and she asked her mother for some cloth for a dress. Her mother gave her some red cloth she bought from a trader. The teacher’s wife showed her how to sew and she came to school in a clean dress. She tried hard to learn to read. She could sing before she could read. After a year she had finished the first reader and Mary’s mother came to visit the town again and gave her a Testament. Mary was not with her mother. She had gone to America to stay with her grandmother and go to an American school. She cried when she had to leave her mother and father in the forest and go away on the ship. Her mother took her in her arms and told her how sorry she was to let her go. Mary said, “You come, too.” Her mother said, “If father and I go away the little black children will have no friend to tell them about Jesus and to give them schools. Shall we leave Makumba?” and Mary said, “No, Mother dear, I will go and learn fast and then when I grow up I will come back to Africa and help you,” and mother said, “Yes,” but mother was so sorry to let her little girl go. , QUESTIONS ON LESSON SEVEN 1— Who built the school house? 2— What did the white man tell them about beer? 3— Who was the teacher? 4— What did Makumba think when she saw the teacher’s wife? 5— Where did Mary go? 17 ■:V c. m a rt CJ *n 4 ) B < J2 irT 9 . JS bo < w Pi u. < W S M £ « ^ H < s c N c « o. o w U w H C o to W M « * 3 ! O M CO co i-4 w & < w o 5 1> C/3 aj o CHAPTER VIII. The Church in the Forest. Ten years later Mary was twenty years old and came back to Africa with her father and mother. The people were glad to see “Missi Mary.” She loved to teach them. One day they went through the forest again to Makumba’s town. The old chief was dead and Bitum was chief. He could read and write. He was a Christian now. He would not sell his sister. Christians do not sell girls. Makumba had a nice, little house. She married a Christian man who was the preacher. They had built a big church. A thou¬ sand Christians come to that church. The children had Sunday School. Mary staid in Makumba’s house. It was clean and there was a bed for Mary. They had a nice dinner, fish and corn and sweet potatoes. Then Makumba brought a basket of peanuts and gave them to Mary. She smiled and said, “Do you remember when you first came to our town?” Mary said “Yes, you gave me all your peanuts. You were a kind little girl. You were not selfish.” Makum¬ ba said, “I will never forget you, the little white girl in the white dress. I thought you were an angel and I was afraid, but when I saw you eat the peanuts I knew you were a little girl like me. Then you sang and I found that I could sing, too, and I knew I was not a monkey, but just a little girl like you. Then I said, T will learn, I will know Jesus.’ Oh, if you had not come, Missi Mary, I would not have known Jesus. I could not have gone to school. I would have been sold to a,bad man far away. I thank God every day that He sent you into our forest.” Then Mary was glad and she said, “I will stay and go to other towns and tell the other little girls and some day all the people in the forest will find the way to Jesus. The children in America will send money for my house and food and for books.” And Makumba said, “Then I will pray every day God bless the children in America.” QUESTIONS ON LESSON EIGHT 1— When did Mary come back to Africa? 2— What did she do? 3— Where was Makumba? 4— What did Makumba say to Mary? 5— What will you do for Makumba? 19 S6-5M-10-15-191? VERMONT PRINTING COMPANV, BRATTLEBCP^