LOWRIE, Secretary to Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, July 13, 1883

Mr. Lowrie to Mr. Frelinghuysen.

Sir: I am directed by the board of foreign missions of the Presbyterian Church to lay before you the inclosed paper, the copy of a decree concerning primary schools at Gaboon, West Africa, by the French Government. Similar regulations have been published at Kangwe, on the Ogove River, in the same dependency of France. Their object is to enforce the use of the French language exclusively in the schools of that part of Africa.

The board has reason to fear that this policy would severely embarrass the benevolent work in which, under its charge, some of our countrymen have been employed for a period of about forty years as missionaries. Education forms an important part of their work. At first our friends make use of their own language in some of their schools, but their main purpose is to employ the vernacular languages as the medium of all instruction. They have reduced the Benga and Upongwe languages to a written form, prepared grammars and vocabularies in both, translated the sacred Scriptures, and prepared some small books, all of which have been printed in these tongues. And they hope by their schools and books gradually to extend the benefits of Christian education amongst the native African people in their own every-day speech. To the great mass of these tribes English and French must always remain foreign languages, learned by comparatively few persons.

In the service of the board there are now twenty-three of our American citizens, men and women, aided by twenty-five Bengas, Upongwes and other natives, in some degree trained to be useful to their own people as teachers, &c., and having under instruction about two hundred children and young persons. The pecuniary outlay of the hoard for this good work last year was about $30,000, the gift of benevolent people in our country.

The board takes pleasure in acknowledging the courtesy and favor of many French gentlemen in public service in the colony of Gaboon, as shown to its missionaries. It cannot doubt that these missionaries will always be found worthy of the respect and confidence of the rulers of that part of the world; and it ventures to hope that the embarrassment now brought to your attention may soon be removed. Such a result would be welcomed by a large part of the people in this country who are represented by the board, no less than by its members, many of whom must be well known by the President, yourself, and other officers of the Cabinet. The board therefore feels the greater liberty in requesting the good offices of our Government, in so far as may be considered advisable, to obtain from the honored rulers of France the relief sought in this memorial.

With great respect, &c.,