At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Daniel 6:4
Daniel’s conduct was above reproach. Mary Slessor’s conduct, as far as I have been able to observe, was also above reproach.
1. This paper, posted by themickey costs $35 for access. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Making-of-a-Missionary-Icon:-Mary-Slessor-as-of-Breitenbach/a9d183ca54167e6f583deb30fd7384746b655256
I did not read this article. However, just reading the Abstract gave some interesting information about what would be discussed. The issue appears to be that Mary Slessor was simply an ordinary missionary and not worthy of all the recognition she has received and suggests that the historical reality is a different picture than how she is portrayed.
And
Since I have not read the article, it is difficult to know just what “deliberate acts of invention” and “myth” are that they are referring to. However, I think this sentence in the Abstract probably sums it up:
Now this is actually very encouraging, because it validates that Mary Slessor was not alone in her noble deeds, but her self-less conduct was commonly seen in the other missionaries as well.
2. The following three quotes are from this article which was also posted by themickey. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43863309
This next article was concerned with the
The article goes into lengthy details of the various persons and events that led to the abolition of the killing of twins in the Calabar region.
It then states that Mary travelled to a remote area where the practice of killing twins continued and she was the primary influence of the end of this practice in that location.
What was interesting in reading through these 20 pages is the influence of such a long list of missionaries that worked to help the twins and mothers and teach the people not to fear the birth of twins. This also validates that Mary Slessor was not alone in giving of herself for the good of others, and once again, we see that her self-less conduct was commonly seen in the other missionaries as well.
Mary is later attributed with saving twins from twin-killing among the Okoyong people:
3. I’m not sure we know what Mary Slessor was referring to when she was overcome with grief at the loss of her family in Scotland and wrote that she had nobody to write her “nonsense” to. Perhaps she was trivializing the importance of the details she would write about to her family. She did recover from her grief and went on to become a judge for 15 years after writing this, so I think whatever she meant by it, that there is plenty of evidence of good that she did do, without relying on her own words alone for evidence. The quote is also found in the paragraph of another article. In this context, her choice of the word "nonsense" does not seem concerning to me.
While in Africa, she received word that her mother and sister had died. Now Mary had no one close to her. She was overcome with loneliness. She wrote, “There is no one to write and tell my stories and troubles and nonsense to.” But she also found a sense of freedom, writing, “Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain, and no one will be anxious about me if I go upcountry.” So, in August of 1888, Mary went north to Okoyong the ‘up-country’ of West Africa. It was an area that had claimed the lives of missionaries in the past, but Mary was sure that pioneer work was best accomplished by women, who were less threatening to unreached tribes than men. For 15 years she stayed with the Okoyongs, teaching them, nursing them and being a peacemaker, they eventually made her a judge for the whole region.
http://www.thetravelingteam.org/articles/mary-slessor
4. Descendants of her adopted family actually did come right out and make a statement that they desire to immortalize her.
The spokesperson for their organization, Mr. Adim Gabriel, said, “The family thought that they cannot allow the effort of this woman to just go in that way, so we should just do something that will immortalized her , something that can bring back her ideas. Mary Slessor memorial and heritage foundation officially will be launch on the 12 of December 2019.”
https://crossriverwatch.com/2019/12...ters-set-to-launch-foundation-partners-acroj/
Adopted Family
Over the years, many children were welcomed into Mary’s home and rather than them just living there, she adopted them as her own, playing mother and missionary at the same time. They included Janie Annan Slessor, Mary Mitchell Slessor, Alice McCrindle Slessor, Susan Slessor, Maggie Cunningham Slessor, Daniel Henryson MacArthur Slessor, Madge White Slessor and William MacTavish Slessor.
https://www.citylifedundee.com/2015/06/01/mary-slessor-mill-girl-missionary-and-mother/
Daniel’s conduct was above reproach. Mary Slessor’s conduct, as far as I have been able to observe, was also above reproach.
1. This paper, posted by themickey costs $35 for access. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Making-of-a-Missionary-Icon:-Mary-Slessor-as-of-Breitenbach/a9d183ca54167e6f583deb30fd7384746b655256
I did not read this article. However, just reading the Abstract gave some interesting information about what would be discussed. The issue appears to be that Mary Slessor was simply an ordinary missionary and not worthy of all the recognition she has received and suggests that the historical reality is a different picture than how she is portrayed.
This article contends that the shaping of Mary Slessor into an iconic female missionary exemplifies the ‘deliberate acts of invention’ involved in the creation of imperial heroes and heroines.
it aims to ‘deconstruct’ the myth of Mary Slessor, indicating the dissonance between myth and historical reality
Since I have not read the article, it is difficult to know just what “deliberate acts of invention” and “myth” are that they are referring to. However, I think this sentence in the Abstract probably sums it up:
It contends that there was little that was unique in her practice as a missionary.
Now this is actually very encouraging, because it validates that Mary Slessor was not alone in her noble deeds, but her self-less conduct was commonly seen in the other missionaries as well.
2. The following three quotes are from this article which was also posted by themickey. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43863309
This next article was concerned with the
unfounded claim that Mary Slessor was the most important dramatis personae in the campaign for the abolition of the killing of twins in Calabar. p139
It then states that Mary travelled to a remote area where the practice of killing twins continued and she was the primary influence of the end of this practice in that location.
What was interesting in reading through these 20 pages is the influence of such a long list of missionaries that worked to help the twins and mothers and teach the people not to fear the birth of twins. This also validates that Mary Slessor was not alone in giving of herself for the good of others, and once again, we see that her self-less conduct was commonly seen in the other missionaries as well.
Among the missionaries and other Europeans who took an active part in the campaign for the abolition of twin-killing in Calabar before the coming of Miss Slessor in September, 1876 included Rev. E. W. Tarret (who saved twins at Ikotana), Rev. and Mrs. William Anderson, Samuel Edgerley, William Jameson, Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland, Mr. and Mrs. Newhall, Samuel Duncan, Mary Johnstone, Henry Hamilton, Rev. Zerub Baille, John Baillie, David Lewis, Marjory Barty and Euphemia Johnstone. The efforts of these people made twin-killing unpopular in Calabar and punishable by death long before the arrival of Mary Slessor.Pg 152
Mary is later attributed with saving twins from twin-killing among the Okoyong people:
Mary Slessor realized that she would make little impact if she remained in the comfort zone of Calabar where Christian values were already imbibed, with some Efik sons serving as ordained ministers in some interior stations. She was therefore willing to take charge of any new station opened in the interior of Calabar. This became possible in the autumn of 1888 following the opening of a new station at Okoyong on August 4, 1888. Okoyong people are a brand of the Ododop group, which came from the Rumby Mountains, and drove people fromthe narrow strip of land between the Calabar and Cross Rivers, which lies behind Creek Town and Ikoneto. Goldie writes that “Mary Slessor found all the horrors of heathenism, witchcraft, the poison ordeal, twin murder, and hard drinking, in full swing at Okoyong.” Mary Slessor was able to selflessly and successfully fight against these practices in Okoyong. As Mrs. Waddell and Mrs. Goldie had achieved in Calabar, Slessor was able to convince people among the Okoyong to bring their twins and orphans, who in former times would have been killed, to her. Slessor then reared them with love and compassion. At the time the abolition of twin-killing was taking place, Okoyong was not a part of Calabar. Hence Slessor did play an important role, but not at Calabar where others had been responsible for the abolition of twin-killing. Pg 155
While in Africa, she received word that her mother and sister had died. Now Mary had no one close to her. She was overcome with loneliness. She wrote, “There is no one to write and tell my stories and troubles and nonsense to.” But she also found a sense of freedom, writing, “Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain, and no one will be anxious about me if I go upcountry.” So, in August of 1888, Mary went north to Okoyong the ‘up-country’ of West Africa. It was an area that had claimed the lives of missionaries in the past, but Mary was sure that pioneer work was best accomplished by women, who were less threatening to unreached tribes than men. For 15 years she stayed with the Okoyongs, teaching them, nursing them and being a peacemaker, they eventually made her a judge for the whole region.
http://www.thetravelingteam.org/articles/mary-slessor
4. Descendants of her adopted family actually did come right out and make a statement that they desire to immortalize her.
The spokesperson for their organization, Mr. Adim Gabriel, said, “The family thought that they cannot allow the effort of this woman to just go in that way, so we should just do something that will immortalized her , something that can bring back her ideas. Mary Slessor memorial and heritage foundation officially will be launch on the 12 of December 2019.”
https://crossriverwatch.com/2019/12...ters-set-to-launch-foundation-partners-acroj/
Adopted Family
https://www.citylifedundee.com/2015/06/01/mary-slessor-mill-girl-missionary-and-mother/
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