Extract of a letter from Mr. Goodman, circa 1853

Bassa Mission Mr. Goodman of the Missionary Union, writes in the following strain: “We are most agreeably disappointed at finding everything here so much better than we had anticipated. The country, the weather and the people, far excel what we had been led to expect. Nor do I believe that such feelings as were ours at home, are by any means rare among American Christians, or even among those who are looking forward to missionary labors. To us, Africa was the land of death, the abode of every foul and hurtful beast; a land of sandy deserts or of unbroken swamps, overrun by an innumerable multitude of creeping things, where existence was only tolerable, not enjoyable. To us, Africa is not, perhaps the very reverse of all this, but nearly so. It is a goodly land, a land fertile, and fruitful of many things that render life not only endurable, but blessed. There are a few spots, even in our own land, more beautiful than some parts of the mission premises. The St. John’s is a noble and beautiful stream, and the mountains, visible from our window at a distance of eight or ten miles, rising far above the adjacent country, lend additional attractiveness to the scene. In a word, we feel at home and happy.” Home and Foreign Journal September 1853 p. 11