Figure 1.-- This is a 1857 portrait of the Livindstin family back in England. The family loved in poverty when Livingston ent them home. When he eventually joined them. the book he oubklished allowed them to live a middle-class life. Note the youngest boy's plaid dress and matchiung pantalttes--something we havc not noticed before. We are not sure what the middle boy is wering. It may be a front-buttoning smock.

Dr. David Livingston was one of the most aclaimed individuals of the 19th century for his missionafry work, explotation, and anti-slavery campaigner. David was born in the Scottish mill town of Blantyre (1813). He grew up in poverty-stricken famioly Scottish family. From the age of 10 to 25 years, he worked in a mill. His father Neil Livingstone was a Sunday school teacher and teetotaller who was obbsessed with religion. This influenced the young David weo was also obsessed with science and nature. His father did not like this because he thought science was the anthiesis of religion, but despite this, the young Livingston comninerd the two. He would later shift from missionary work to expolortion. He first was excited about missonary work and when be leaerned that medical skills were necessary, he sudied to become a doctor while working 14 hour days in the mill. He was especilly interested in China, but with the Opium Wars he shifted to nAfrica. Robert Moffat, an important early frican missionry cused him to set his future on Africa with tales describing his remote station, glowing in the morning sun with "the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary had been before." The London Missionary Society (LMS) senty Livinngston off to Africa (1840). Heworked fr 10 years as a conventional missionary in southern Africa. He opened a string of stations, but produced very few converts. in "the regions beyond," where he settled down to station life, teaching school and superintending the garden. After 4 years, he married Moffat's daugther Mary (1845). The LMS eventually stopped financing Livingston because he was not a vey sucwsfuk nssonr--filing to produce converts. Livingston for his part became increasingly interested in exploration and anti-slavery work. He sent his family home to Britin to free him up for expoloration. Livingstone accomplished some of the most prodigious—and most dangerous—explorations of the 19th century. He finally reached the concluson that to attrct Africns to Christ he needed to develop he economy abd create prosperity. His solutuoin was to find a river that led into the interior and to open a 'Missionary Road' -— "God's Highway". He disaterously seized upon the Zanbezi. Despite his explprtions, Livingstom never realized that outhern frica was a vast ekevated olain. there were no great rivers leaduing into the South African interior. While failing as an explorer. Hi dispasrches from Africa would captivate the Briutish public and ignite the capaign against slavery.

Created: 6:43 AM 5/4/2022
Last updated: 6:43 AM 5/4/2022