File:Missionary Visitor, The (1905) (1905) (14765397622).jpg

Identifier: missionaryv6bret (find matches)
Title: Missionary Visitor, The (1905)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Brethren's General Missionary and Tract Committee
Subjects: Church of the Brethren Priodicals Church of the Brethren- Missions
Publisher: Elgin, Ill.: Brethren Publishing House
Contributing Library: Bridgewater College, Alexander Mack Memorial Library
Digitizing Sponsor: LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation

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ptember, 1905 cannot be hoped that the ancient andlong-cherished custom will pass awaywithout a long course of Christian teach-ing and moral training. Lobolo.—A gift for a wife is alsoa prevailing custom among the natives,quite repugnant to our ideas of the prop-er method of securing a wife. It virtual-ly amounts to the giving, by the futurehusband to the father of the girl, a sumof money or of cattle as an equivalentfor what he is to receive. While thispractice is less objectionable than that from the stranger a present for the be-stowal of his daughters hand. It would,in some way, compensate the father forhis loss, and show, to some extent atleast, the appreciation of the future son-in-law of what he was to gain by themarriage. In time this practice becameso fixed among the people that it is apart of their social fabric. In the bestsense the contract is not to be regardedas the sale or purchase of the daughter.The woman does not become the slaveof her husband. He may not sell, in-
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A MOTHERS MEETING, AFRICA. of polygamy, it stands in the way of aspeedy reformation of the social condi-tions now obtaining among the natives.The practice is as old as the history ofthe race. Abraham sent rich presentswhen he would secure a wife for his sonIsaac, and Jacob wrought at hard laborfourteen years for Rachel. The customprevailed in Germany until recent times,and may still be found in Christian Nor-way. Is it not a matter of surprise thata father, who has tended and cared forhis daughter till womanhood, and whohas been cheered by her presence in hishome, should be over-willing to accept jure, prostitute, maltreat or misuse her,all of which he might if she were hisslave. In case he misuses her beyond allhope of reconciliation she may return toher fathers house and claim his pro-tection and the husband loses both hiswife and lobolo. On the other hand,if the separation results from the wifesmisbehavior, the lobolo is returned tothe husband. No woman, so separatedfrom her husban

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