Congo (72) Luebo, Congo 4/10/1922 [DCS]

Luebo, Africa

April 10, 1922

Dearest Homefolks:

Your three last letters came today, and Oh! I was so glad to get them. One of them contained only the clipping from the Terrell paper with the pictures of some of my old schoolmates in it. Certainly was glad to get it. I suppose Virgie is a sure enough grown lady now, and she has a Military Academy boy for a beau. That used to be the highest of her ambition to have one of those boys for her beau, so I suppose she is perfectly happy. Don't say anything like that to her, though; she might not like it.

I note with interest the wedding of Carroll Rutledge. Hope he is doing well, for he seems like a fairly nice boy. I suppose they will live in Dallas. I'm always glad to hear news of the Terrell folks, you know that next to the Indian Village in my heart [sic.]. I don't know so many people, at least I have no very close friends there outside the kinfolks, but I like it just the same.

I was so surprised to hear that Mrs. Porter was taking such an interest in me, for she certainly did not seem at all interested in me while I was there. I liked her older daughter very well, but there was nothing like intimacy between us. We first met at the B.Y.P.U. pretty often. Of course, don't say anything like that to Aunt Hon and Aunt Minnie, but she always seemed kind of "ofish" with me, but I never knew why. As far as her boys are concerned, I don't know which one she meant, possibly the one that was in my class. He was about fourteen years old, toe-headed--white headed I mean and as ugly as "homemade sin." She had a very good looking boy who graduated in John's class, but I can't remember ever so much as speaking to him. I can hear some people say, well she did not have to speak to him; she might have flirted with him, but I didn't flirt with everybody in Terrell as "some" people thought. I was not an angel, I know, but I wasn't near as bad as you all thought I was. That's enough on that subject. I hope you will continue to like Mrs. Porter, as she can certainly give you a nice time, I imagine. They have such a lovely home, they say, but I've only been there at night, so I couldn't tell very much about it.

Stella wrote me of Edd's plan to go to school in Port Arthur and I wondered if he and Dedie had not kind of broken off. But I notice you don't seem to think so. I can't seem to convince myself that he wants to marry her when he could do so much better, it seems to me. O! well, that isn't my business, and it far from worries me., I hardly ever think to those people out there except Stella. I got a letter from Dedye D. a good while ago which I should answer, I suppose, but I have so many other that are more important and mean so much more to me that I don't know when I'll answer it. I get such nice sweet letters from Lucile, Evelyn, Eva, and Stella. She was praising Douglas to the skies, well I just feel that B. M. deserves so much more praise, but don't feel like doing it in a letter to her. Trying to surpass when there is no comparison. I did not notice that you had not been mailing your letters at Pinckney. I'm kind of sorry, as I'm afraid we have run things into the ground. Perhaps they are not as bad at Kiam as we thought for a while.

I find that it is not at all certain that Mrs. Martin is coming back out here. If she does, she is not likely to stay more than a year or so, they say she never has and has been out here three times. I have not played for church in a long time and never when I can get out of it, so don't say anything to Mr. Martin about that if you see him. They have appointed me, but I have never acted.

I don't want you all to think B. M. and I are extravagant, we live cheaper than anyone on our station except the Stegalls and as cheap I believe as they. We have plenty to eat, but a lot of it comes out of the garden and living is just cheaper out here.

Give my love to everybody please. This is just to acknowledge your letter. Want to write another soon.

Dorothy

Seems that I can ramble on and on without saying a thing. This is a "bum" letter. Dot

Congo (71) Luebo, Congo 4/10/1922 [BMS]

Luebo 4/10/22

Dear Mother and Daddy:

As I haven't had a typewriter handy tonight I'll have to manage with a pen this time.

We had another mail today, and I notice it came through in pretty good time, as your letters dated early in Feb. came today, making a few days more than two months.

The Allens and Longeneckers (and two children) ·arrived in Luebo this past Tuesday. They reached us a bit earlier than we had anticipated, but of course we were anxious for them to be here. The Longenecker family are planning to leave for Mutoto tomorrow; from there they go to Bibanga where they are to work. The Allens remain here at Luebo, at least for the present. Then we have news that Mr. and Mrs McKinnon are on the way out here and will no doubt be here sometime next month. Mrs. McKinnon left here about three years ago with cancer of the stomach. After several exceedingly severe operations, including a radium treatment, she seems to have gotten rid of the cancer.

We had five visitors from the Forminiere--an American Mining Co., at least made up of a good number of Americans--to stay with us from Sat. afternoon till this morning. We enjoyed seeing them, two ladies in the crowd, although we were put to it to find room for them along with our recent arrivals on the station.

No doubt you understand now how we feel about your sending excerpts from our letters, as you used to do, and that we have not the slightest objection to this. We have been writing a few more letters lately, and also receiving more; the second perhaps in a measure due to the former.

We had already written you, but as it has been several days since we mailed your last letter, we wanted to include a few lines in the mail that leaves early in the morning.

As you are drinking so much good milk every day you ought to be gaining in weight. We trust this letter finds you still improving.

With love to all,

B. M.

Congo (70) Luebo, Congo 3/6/1922 [DCS]

Luebo, Africa

March 6, 1922

Dear Folks:

I am just going to try to answer some of your questions in this letter. Have just mailed one letter to you, but if I tried to catch up with all your letters I'd have to write one most everyday.

I enjoy all the newspaper clippings you send. That little cupie "Cheerful Cherub," I believe it's called, was so cute and just suited in this case exactly didn't it? Was glad to get the clipping of Miss Louise Evans' marriage. That's another case where the bride's father performed the ceremony. I'm mighty glad daddy did insist on performing ours now, but I'll have to admit I certainly did not approve of it at the time.

The "Dorothy Schlotter Aux." is not the only place our name gets misspelled, and there are people on this station who call our name Slaughter yet. Certainly must be a hard name to get. I would not change it again for anything, though. Sounds much better to me than "O! The Dickens!"

From what we hear Mrs. Kellersburger is in better health now; she is continually in our prayers. I don't believe Mrs. K. is the one Mrs. Stixrud meant. B. M. seems to think it might be Mrs. McKee, but we do not know. You know there are several out here that came against their parents' wishes. I thank God you and daddy are not that way. I don't believe I could stand it.

As to my weight, I have not weighed lately, but the last time I weighed I was about like I am in the summer time at home. I feel perfectly well, have a good appetite generally, but I'm just not meant to be fat. B. M. weighs quite a bit more than he did when he was out at home. I think our being able to get away and go hunting and take our dinner with us some Saturdays helps us both.

We are planning a little vacation of about two weeks some time in June. All missionaries are supposed to take a two weeks vacation each year. We want to go for about a day away, but the idea is to get away from everybody and take books to read, write letters and just have a good time by ourselves. Won't that be nice! Wish we could take you too.

You all seem to want me to be sure to know Wyatt is married. I think I have heard it several times and if I'm not mistaken he was married before I left. Lucile wrote me about it also.

Aviation service has been talked of for some time, but there is no telling when it will be. One of the men fell down at Kinshasa and tore his machine to pieces. If it is ever carried out, the line will be within a few hours of us. But I don't think it will be while I'm in the Congo.

Do you know who Frances Myer is? If you can find out, I would like very much to write to her. Dr. Smith knows them very well, and we talked about them when he was here, but he did not know what school she was in either.

That was certainly bad about Ed Willson losing his shingles. I can't say anything bad enough about those people, so I won't try.

Father, we thank you for your letter written in Livingston--we enjoyed it very much.

I would like so much to see your flowers. I have not been able to have any pot flowers; mine are all in the yard, that is they are mostly foliage plants. My monkeys won't let me have any in the house, I mean on the porch. They get loose sometimes, then it's goodby flowers.

I hope Aunt Minnie will not have to leave Kiam, if so I hope you go with her.

I am so glad to be getting the "Blossoms Home Echoes." Aunt Sarah is sending it to me.

Lovingly,

Dorothy

Congo (69) Luebo, Congo [BMS] [DCS]

Luebo, Congo BeIge, Africa,

March 6, 1922

Dear Friends:

It doesn't take the months long to roll by out here. We have now been out here a little over a year, although it seems like only a few months. It also seems little more than a month or so since we wrote you, though by the calendar it must be several.

You have no doubt all kept posted on Dr. Egbert W. Smith's visit to the African Mission field, our Secretary of the Executive Committee of Foreign Missions. He reached Luebo on February 7th, in company with some of our missionaries, two returning from furlough and two recruits making their first trip. The coming of Dr. Smith has been a long looked-for and prayed-for event for us, and his arrival was an occasion of great pleasure to us as well as to the natives.

The arrival of the "Lapsley" was quite an inspiring sight, as it always is. We can hear the whistle of the boat some 20 or 30 minutes before it reaches our beach, which gives us time to get down there for the beach is about a mile from our station). By the time the "Lapsley" came in sight around a bend, about a quarter of a mile from our landing, there were gathered something like 2,000 natives waiting to welcome them. As the boat drew near the shore this vast crowd began singing "Onward Christian Soldiers," after which there were loud cheers and shouts of welcome to those on the boat. Many of the natives had palm branches in their hands waving them.

You will no doubt have a detailed account from Dr. Smith of his experiences on the way out; how they had to wait two weeks at Kinshasa for a boat; farther up on the river got stuck on the sand banks twice, and once for two whole days.

The night of Dr. Smith's arrival, he began the Conference. He had sent out some time previous a questionnaire covering every phase of our work, and which we had gone over before his coming. So in these Conferences with Dr. Smith, we went over these questions carefully, thus giving him a fair knowledge of our work, including many details. This was not done hurriedly, and as every part of our work was covered, the reports on these conferences should give our Committee and Church a complete account of our work, methods, plans, and problems; and we might add that Dr. Smith is a genius at getting to the heart of things with questions. His long experience with Mission work, and his recent trip to our Missions in the Far East are manifest. Of course, these conferences on Luebo station cover largely the work of our station, and he will hold these conferences on each of our four other stations. He will return to Luebo as he goes out.

All the morning long we have heard the firing of guns, some times five in rapid succession. They are shooting these guns at a mourning party for the death of a young man. The noise of the guns is connected in some way with the aim of driving away the evil spirits who are supposed to come after a person's death. The gun is really a combination of their old custom with the white man's from seeing the government officers fire the salute over their dead comrade's grave.

The evil customs connected with these "mournings" are the source of great temptations to the native Christians and of oftentimes great wickedness to those who engage in them; some of which are ridiculous, but the larger part are the kind of wickedness that Paul describes in the last half of first Romans. Many of them have been redeemed from the grasp of these terrible vices, but in comparison to the population, only a few, and thousands of them are still dying in such sins. Pray for them. A few days ago, one of our workmen, who is on my workline and who is not a professing Christian, asked me to be allowed to go on a journey, stating that a close relative of his wife had died in a village some distance away. When I told him about the wickedness of these mournings, he said, "Yes, but if I don't go and take part in this mourning with my wife, what will the people say, her relatives and mine who are now there? They will accuse me of deserting my wife, and will try to take my wife away." Thousands of these villages have never had a teacher or evangelist, and do not even know that there is a Better Way.

We have just received news from Mutoto that a dormitory of the Morrison Memorial Bible Training School was struck by lightning. I should have said two dormitories. Ten of the students were shocked, but no one killed, and the two buildings were burned to the ground; they were built of sun dried brick and covered with grass. We have just been making every effort to improve this school, and to increase the number of students, and now with no finances in view for rebuilding, it looks like a hard burden for our brethren at Mutoto, and for us all. It has been our aim to put up permanent brick buildings with tile roofs in the next few years, but it looks as though we were financially unable to begin this year. Temporary quarters are being erected in the shape of mud huts.

We want to again urge our friends to write to us. We have received some very kind and encouraging letters from friends, for which we are most grateful.

With our best wishes and prayers for each of you, we are

Yours in the Masters service,

Mr. and Mrs. B. M. Schlotter

Nashville, Tennessee, May, 1922

Any letter with five cents postage or postcard with two cents postage, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. B. M. Schlotter, A.P.C. Mission, Bibanga, Kabinda, Lomami District, Congo Beige, Africa, via Cape Tow, will reach them in due course of mail.

Congo (68) Luebo, Congo 3/2/1922 [DCS]

Luebo, Africa

March 2, 19922

Dear Sarah:

I got your letter a long time ago, but I have many letters to write and not much time to write. I am teaching in the native school. Do you know what native means? We call the black people of this country natives; they learn very well; and I like to teach them. I have only girls in my class; there are sixteen in all.

The people in this country are very different from ours, as they do not speak our language, and they do not wear many clothes, for this is always a warm [climate]; we never have winter, so they do not need many clothes. In many ways, Africa is different from America.

Even the animals are different from ours. I will send you a picture of me and my little pet monkey, he is a very nice pet and I want to bring him home with me when I come. It is not a good picture, but I thought you would like to look at it. My husband goes out into the forest and kills monkeys sometimes, only the ones he kills are much larger than this one. They are about the size of possums at home.

I hope you will be at Kiam when I come home for I would like very much to see you then. I will go home about two years from now, I suppose. Do you like where you are living now better than Polk Co? I think the Indian Village is a mighty good place to live.

Write to me again sometimes. Your friend,

Dorothy

Congo (67) Luebo, Congo 2/25/1922 [BMS]

Luebo, Feb. 25, 1922

Dear Mother & Daddy:

The past few weeks have certainly been busy ones for all of us here at Luebo. The coming of this party, and then the full-week Conference with Dr. Smith, have kept us going at full speed. The party with Dr. Smith arrived on February 8th, and with him were Dr. & Mrs. Stixrud, Miss McKay (teacher, and probably to remain at Luebo), and Miss

Porter, trained nurse. As we have been looking forward to this visit of Dr. Smith, it certainly has been a great pleasure and treat for us to have him actually on the field, and the man all of us would prefer out of the entire Committee.

Dorothy will no doubt tell you all about how happy we both were to get your kind and thoughtful remembrances to us. The dresses for Dorothy are fine, and she was very proud to get them, as well as myself. Dr. Stixrud brought me a silk shirt and a fruit cake as a gift from you, and for-which I want to thank you many times. As we are keeping the Club this month, the fruit cake came in very well.

Well, as to Dr. Smith's visit. Dr. Smith is not limiting his time, but wants to get away as soon as possible without passing over anything. We began our Conference the night of his arrival, and finished on the morning of the 17th, having two sessions daily; from 8:30 till 11:30 in the mornings, and 7:30 till 9:30 in the evenings. He sent out in advance a questionnaire containing 100 questions, and which covered practically every phase of our work. We went into detail with every nook and corner of our work, and with his gift of getting a hold on things and knowing how to get the information out of others with questions, I suppose he has an accurate knowledge of what has been done, is being done, and is being planned, for our field. Being familiar with all the other fields in the east, their-problems and plans, it didn't seem difficult for him to grasp the situation.

One of the greatest benefits we feel from his visit is the spiritual atmosphere that comes with him. His stay has meant a great deal to us. On the 17th he left for Lusambo on the Lapsley, where he will stay about a week or less, and from there he goes to Bibango, which will take him about six days; at Bibango he will perhaps stay a week; from Bibango he goes to Mutoto. At each of these stations, he will hold a conference with the members of the station as he held with us. Then after his Conference with Mutoto he will remain there for the Meeting of what we call our Stated Meeting of our Ad-Interim Committee, which in effect is a semi-Annual Meeting of the Mission. As this meeting was scheduled to be held just about the time Dr. Smith was to be at Mutoto, they have arranged for him to be present at this meeting of the Ad-Interim Committee. After this meeting at Mutoto he will return to Luebo, and from here go to the Bulape station, which is only two days from Luebo. Then he will return to Luebo to go down river by the first steamer, back to Europe.

Just now we have been having station meetings at nights to clear up some of the matters brought up at the Conference with Dr. Smith. And as we are having the Club this month, that means that we have very little time to ourselves, or for anything like letter writing.

You asked us in one of your recent letters to be sure that we let you know that we received that certain letter. I haven't the date before me, but am sure you know to which letter I refer. As it seems to me we have all of us misunderstood each other, and as we have already explained to you in detail just what we meant, and that we have no objections to your using the letters in the manner which you said you had been using them, I'll not go into any further explanations. I want to assure you though, that there has been no effort on the part of either one of us to make trouble out of nothing, but it was merely a misunderstanding of what you meant. I trust you will see it this way.

We have both been keeping well; Dorothy hasn't gained any, but has had fairly good, that is, just about as good as usual--which means that I don't want to exaggerate, although I believe she has been in what you might call good health. I have gained a few pounds.

With love to all.

B.M.

Congo (66) Luebo, Congo 2/8/1922 [DCS]

9:30 A.M., February 8, 1922

Dearest homefolks:

It's some exciting time here at Luebo this morning. A message came at 12:30 last night saying the Lapsley was coming into Luebo this morning so we are listening with all ears. I guess there will be one of the biggest crowds of natives down to the river as we have told them about Dr. Smith and they are very much interested, in fact everyone is excited. I'm sitting out on my porch, so I'll be sure and hear it blow. The Lapsley has a very distinct blow, and one does not have much trouble telling it from the other boats. It is a double whistle--one blows a while then they both blow together.

I had my back room all fixed up nice and ready for Miss Porter, but last night, B.M. went to shut the windows and left Pussy in; she slept in there all night on the bed , and this morning there was a "wet place" under her so all the linen had to be changed. , (Such is life, not only in the Congo, though, as I have had such things happen at home in, America.)

I have started to fixing my porch to use as a place to sit. B.M. is putting up the swing and Stegall send me four pretty chairs from the Industrial school, made of “nkodi” -- looks like wicker furniture --only understand they are not that fancy. I already had two, which I bought.

{Footnote: Nkodi means a wicker chair or similar to one.}

Sunday

This is where the whistle started blowing and I was too excited to write more, in fact I got ready to go right down to the boat as you have just about time enough after the whistle blows to get to the landing. We started to having our meeting that very evening, and Dr. Smith did not even give us time to follow out our plans of welcoming him, but they did serve their cake and drink that night after the meeting and Mr. Vinson presented the Dr. with the key of the station, (one very large key made of the wood of one of Montgomery Wards goods boxes), and the other was an ivory key, (very small), made by an industrial school boy. Wish I could remember his talk well enough to tell you, for we laughed ourselves sick. Perhaps B.M. can tell you. It has been over two weeks now since that evening. Our meetings are ended and Dr. Smith and the Lapsley carrying Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland and their household to Lusambo left yesterday. I mean day before yesterday.

We feel very much benefited by the meeting. I learned more about our station, the work, etc., than I could have ever learned elsewhere. Dr. Smith is such a good man, and so alive spiritually. His presence alone would do one good. However, it has stirred up things that make the future of this station look somewhat gloomy, but I hope it won't be so bad as might be expected.

Now I don't want to wait a minute longer to thank you for that box you sent me. I'll let B.M. speak for himself. You cannot know how much I appreciate it. I like the dresses so much and they fit me perfectly. I have not worn the organdy yet. The linen dress is just a beauty, there is so much work on it and I'm afraid too much money. believe more compliments have been passed on the little gingham, but I have worn that more than any. I'm afraid to say which one I like best for they are all so pretty. But the dinner sets were what I really needed more than anything and oh! that set you made does look so pretty on my table and I am so proud of it because my mother made it for me. You must have spent lots of time and work on it. Thank you a thousand times. I have used it only twice so far because there are five of us when the club is here, and they are more like homefolks. The other set is on my table now.

One certainly gets lots of use out of an oilcloth set. I used the set the evening Dr. Smith ate with us, as two of the men were invited out to supper. I have enough stockings now for all of Luebo station. ?? Carroll sent a half dozen twice and you sent me some. The way stockings wear out out here, I don't think I have too many, though.

I'm going to close this letter now and write you a long one real soon. After Dr. Smith's two weeks of meetings, we have had station meeting nearly every night to discuss and note on things that were brought up in these meeting with him, seems like we have absolutely no time we can call our own anymore.

All your letters were so sweet and dear to me. Want to look over them again and· see if there are any questions I have failed to answer.

Lovingly,

Dorothy

Congo (65) Luebo, Congo 2/3/1922 [BMS]

Luebo, Feb. 3, 1922

Dear Mother & Daddy:

In just a few more days, we shall finish up our first year at Luebo, for we arrived here on February the eleventh of last year. But it doesn't seem to me like a year since that time.

We had a little pleasure this afternoon in the arrival of the box that Carroll sent; it came in good shape. The shoes are a trifle large for Dorothy, but I think she will be able to wear them all right. They certainly are nice shoes, and good material. There was also a pair of Keds. There was quite a nice assortment of candy and mints that we are enjoying. Some of the chocolate candy was rather dilapidated, for it is not good health for chocolate candy to take such a long, warm trip.

Just at this moment we are in the state of a large expectation, for we are looking for the party of missionaries any day now, in which party is Dr. Egbert W. Smith. We have everything ready and waiting for them. The visit of Dr. Smith means quite a bit to us and is an important event in our mission.

This is the "Club" month at our house again, which term I believe you understand. We still have three members, but Mr. Gilliam will soon be leaving for Mutoto, where he was recently stationed, and which reduces the "Club" to two members. Mr. Gilliam was placed at Mutoto to take charge of the Normal work at our Bible Teacher's School, "Bible

Training School," or to be more accurate, "The Morrison Memorial Bible Training School." I want to send you a copy of our Minutes of the recent Annual Mission Meeting. While this is not secret matter, still I'll ask that you do not pass it around. Anything that you wish to mention to others of a general nature contained in these minutes will be O.K. These were printed on our press, which you know is one of my jobs. We are now at work on our new Constitution and By-Laws of our Mission.

We take pleasure in reporting the arrival of a new missionary, brand new, in the person of Miss Annie Boyd Cleveland, who arrived at the home of the Clevelands Saturday a week ago, Jan. 24th. She and her mother are both fine; I saw Mrs. Cleveland out on the campus with her this afternoon.

When this reaches you it will no doubt find you at the beginning of Spring, April, I suppose, with the woods beginning to put on new clothes and appearance.

With much love to all,

B. M.