"Mohr to Basel"

Discussing the occurrence of the deaths at Begoro and Abetifi remembers how Inspector Josenhans had said in one of his lectures in the Missionhouse in Basel that each new station cost at least one life. Explaining the delay in presenting final building accounts for Begoro he says that Glatzle died before many of the small finishing jobs had been done. With the new groups of Christians in the outstations to instruct and baptise Mohr has not had much time for this type of work, and there is no-one in Begoro to whom he can hand it over even under supervision. Glatzle had trained no Begoro carpenters - all had come from Accra. The Accra men had returned home several months ago. In Dwenase 6 people presented themselves for baptism, though three lapsed because they said they needed a catechist to help them stand firm against the heathen. (Mohr reports this as a widespread stand in the Dwenase-Abompe-Anka-ase and Osino areas, and says that a new catechists for each area would find results came quickly. There is a demand for schools inter al). Also young boys in Dwenase, who are pawns, are running away to come to school in Begoro, and have been sent back 3 or 4 times. One has indeed succeeded in getting permission to attend school by persistence, and the others are waiting for a suitable opportunity to try again. The Dwenase Christians regularly go to Sunday Services in Fankyeneko and also visit that place several times a week for instruction. But such moving about opens them to the taunts of the heathen - on the whole it is thought to be an evil (by the heathen) if they receive their instruction in another place. The chief of Dwenase has argued that they are avoiding their duties at townsmen thereby. An additional complication is the enmity which exists between some of these towns; for example in the past the grouping has been Begoro against Osino and Fankyeneko. This year it is Begoro and Fankyeneko against Osino. There has been blood shed over the question of the ownership of a certain stream disputed between Osino and Fankyeneko, and though in Accra the case has been judged in favour of Fankyeneko the Osino people are not at peace with this, and anyone from Osino going to Fankyeneko for baptismal instruction is liable to be beaten and fined on his return. It is to this letter that a map of the Begoro mission area is appended.

06.10.1879

06.10.1879

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