THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
1. West Africa.
II. Separate Fields of Labor. 1. Africa: The
Christianity which was planted in the fifteenth century in the coast region by the Portuguese through the Dominicans and Franciscans rapidly declined with the downfall of the Portuguese power, and only slight traces remain of it, obscurely intermixed with the older heathenism. In the eighteenth century, in connection with the French possessions in Senegambia, the Roman Catholic mission was resumed. It first became active when the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (founded by Father Liebermann, who was stimulated by the success of the Evangelical mission) took up the work in the apostolic vicariate constituted in 1842.
In the apostolic vicariate of Senegambia, with the apostolic prefecture of Senegal, the preparatory work of teaching and the care of orphans occupied the leading place. In one seminary, natives are educated as priests; besides this, some translations are made into the languages of the country and the institution does its own printing. The results seem slight, since in 1886 the number of Roman Catholics was given at a higher figure (12,000) than at present. The apostolic prefecture of Guinea, in the south, was established in 1897. For a long time previous the Evangelical mission on the Rio Pongas had worked in this field. In the vicariate of Sierra Leone the converts are mostly from the already evangelized population of the English colony. The vicariate of the Ivory Coast, founded in 1895 by separation from the foregoing, is still in its beginnings. The prefecture of the Gold Coast has been for a long time a successful Evangelical mission field. In 1879 the Fathers of the Holy Spirit entered it and later it was ceded to the Lyons Seminary. The prefecture of Togo, in the German protectorate, is an old Evangelical missionary field, but since 1892 the Steyl Mission House has sent missionaries there. The prefecture of Dahomey embraces the Frenoh protectorate, and was founded in 1882. The vicariate of Benin includes, since 1889, Lagos and the hinterland, where from the middle of the nineteenth century the Church Missionary Society has been very successful. The prefecture on the IiOwer Niger and that on the Upper Niger (Lokoja) are both in older English fields of labor. The prefecture of Eamerun was founded in 1890 in the German protectorate, where was an old field of the English Baptists, which was transferred to the Basel Mission. The totals for this region are: 73 stations (237), 185 priests (216), 7 native priests (252), 112 lay brothers, 226 sisters, 169 schools (729), 11,687 scholars (42,869), among these about 3,000 girls (15,440), 51,725 Roman Catholics (170,705 Christians). In 37 orphan asylums and 24 other institutions, there are over 1,300 children, many of whom have been freed by purchase.
Through the favor of the king of Portugal and the ardent zeal of the Inquisition, the old mission had great apparent success in the kingdom of 2. Western the Kongo ; this, however, was followed Central in the eighteenth century by a corn- Africa, plete reversion to heathenism, with the retention of Christian forms, as soon as the Portuguese withdrew. In 1865, the Roman mission was taken up again by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. On the Gabun, a countermission to that of the American Protestants was started in 1842.
The vicariate of Gabun, on the boundary of Kamerun, has its most successful station in the model colony of Libreville. Of the other nine stations, some are far in the interior, where they compete with the Protestant mission which has been taken over by the Paris society. It has 34 priests, 20 lay brothers, 27 sisters, 12,000 Roman Catholics. The vicariates of the Lower French Kongo and of the Upper French Kongo are both entrusted to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. From Brazzaville, the seat of the vicar of the Upper Kongo, the work is carried on among the cannibal tribes living on the Ubanghi. They report 14 scholars, 50 priests, 3,500 Catholics. The vicariate of the Belgian
Kongo (northern part) has 15 stations of the Congregation Scheutveld on the great river up to Stanley Falls, with 62 priests and 3,516 Catholics. The vicariate of the Upper Kongo (eastern part of Kongo Free State) is assigned to the White Fathers who work with 16 priests in 5 stations and have, in addition to 2,371 converts, over 5,000 candidates for baptism (1901). The prefecture Uelle, on the river of the same name, founded in 1898, has 2 stations of the Belgian Premonstrants with 12 priests and 600 converts. The prefecture on the Lower Kongo embraces the region of the old Kongo Mission, with 9 stations, 21 priests, and 5,689 Catholics. The prefecture of Upper Cimbebasia in Benguella is under the Fathers of the Holy Spirit, and has 6 stations with 16 priests and 5,000 converts. The totals are 67 stations (67), 204 priests (167), 4,070 scholars (6,737), among these 948 girls (2,845), 39,015 Roman Catholics (11,354).
The prefecture of Lower Cimbebasia in the northern part of German Southwest Africa has been since 1892 a field of the Oblates of the Immaculate
Conception, as is also the vicariate of
3. South the Orange River. In Cape Colony
and East there are the vicariates of the western
Africa, and eastern districts between which
lies the prefecture of the central district. The results, since 1837, appear to be slight. After completing the imperfect returns, the number of colored Roman Catholics may be estimated at 2,400. The propaganda here seems to be carried on principally among the whites, besides which there is great activity in education. The vicariate of Natal has been since 1850 in the hands of the Oblates of the Immaculate Conception, and the German Trappists have extensive agricultural and industrial enterprises. The vicariate of the Orange Free State (now East Colony) has been assigned, since 1884, to the above-named, as has the prefecture of Basutoland, where a successful French Protestant mission has operated since 1883; the greater part of the 6,000 Catholics now counted were probably derived from its adherents. The prefecture of the Transvaal has been under the same congregation since 1886. How many Europeans are among the 6,200 Roman Catholics is not apparent.
Totals for South Africa are: 82 stations (580), 174 priests (574), 161 schools (1,400), 7,493 scholars (87,421)*, among these 3,565 girls (36,333), 12,200 colored Roman Catholics (333,984). In East Africa, with eastern Central Africa, is the Zambesi mission of the Jesuits (since 1879), bounded by the Transvaal and by the Kongo Free State, with 3 stations and 1,200 converts. The number of native converts is unknown. The prefecture of Nyassa, west of the lake, has been a field of the White Fathers since 1897. The prefecture of Southern Zanzibar, in the southeastern part of German East Africa, is under the German Benedictines. In the vicariate of Tanganyika, on the eastern shore of the lake, the White Fathers have their seminary. It reports 2,436 catechumens. The vicariate of Northern Zanzibar embraces the northeastern part of German East Africa and the eastern portion of the British sphere of influence, and is worked by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and the Trappists. There is great activity in education, and the number of Roman Catholics increased rapidly from their 5,000 scholars. On the west this vicariate is bounded by Uganda, where there are the following missionary districts: The vicariate of the Upper Nile under the English Brotherhood of Mill Hill; the vicariate of the Northern Viotoria Nyanza, under the White Fathers; and the vicariate of the Southern Victoria Nyanza. The Roman mission had reaped a rich harvest from the remarkable movement of Christianization initiated by the older Protestant mission among the Baganda, and they have also made a clever use of the political conditions. The statistics give, for North-
* Statistics are lacking in reference to the former Boer Republics.