Text 7 Livingstone and Stanley

Two of the greatest explorers of Africa are Livingstone and Stanley. Both forced themselves to the front among great men by sheer personal ability, exhibiting throughout their careers an extra­ordinary amount of determination to achieve success in whatever they took in hand.

Livingstone was a Scotchman, born in 1813, and at the age of ten began workin a factory. In his free time he studied, not only the more usual subjects, but also Latin and Greek. Later he took his degree in medicine, and then became a missionary in Africa.

In that vast continent he undertook and successfully fulfilled several journeys of explo­ration, but at the end of the seventh decadeof 19th century he disappeared for some years while on an expedition to discover the sources of the Nile. 'r

Stanley was a Welshman of poor parentage. When 15 years old, he sailed to America as a cabin boy. There he was adopted and edu­cated by a merchant whose name — Henry Morton Stanley — he assumed, discarding the name of John Rowlands, by which he had hitherto been known. On the death of this merchant, he became penniless again, and for a time made a living by selling newspapers in the street.

After the American Civil War, in which he fought, he became a newspaper correspondent, and in 1869 Mr. Gordon Bennett, owner of the ‘New York Herald,’ asked him to ‘go and find Livingstone.’

Stanley undertook an expedition, in search of the great explorer, whom he found at the end of 1871. Having assisted him, Stanley re­turned to England in 1872, while Livingstone continued his work of exploration. In the fol­lowing year Livingstone died in the heart of Africa. His body was brought to England, and laid among the many other great men at Westminster Abbey.

Stanley conducted several other useful expe­ditions in Africa. When exploring for an international society, president of which was the

King of Belgium, he was instrumental in founding the Congo Free State.

On his return he was received with much honor in England, and sat in the House of Commons for 5 years. He died in 1904, having been knighted a few years before his death. He, as .well as Livingstone, has left us several valuable literary works dealing .with the heart of Africa.

Text 8 Grace Darling

In the beginning of the 19th century on one of the Fame Islands off the coast of Northumber­land, a girl was born at the Longstone Light­house. Her father, William Darling, was lighthouse keeper there for many long and lonely years.

Sometimes, alas! the monotony of their life was broken by a shipwreck in their neighborhood, but sometimes they were happy enough to rescue the sailors and passengers from the unfortunate ship.

Grace Darling, the keeper’s daughter men­tioned above, was about 23 years old when, in 1838, S. S. Forfarshire was wrecked in sight of their lighthouse. Grace could see some people clinging to parts of the wreck, and she begged her father to try to save them.

The old man was no coward, but he felt it would be madness to try to reach them in his little boat, and he told his daughter so.

Then Grace said she would go alone, and at last her father could resist her no longer.

Oh, may they be able to last till we come! cried Grace, and then she and her father found themselves in their little boat, the sport of the angry sea.

At first they made a little pro­gress, but then the sea seemed to drive them back. Although it had seemed, and still see­med, an impos­sibility, they at last by almost superhuman ef­forts reached the sailors, and found that there were 9 still alive. These were got with difficulty into the boat, and after some hours were landed at the lighthouse. Many, alas! had been drowned before the wreck was seen from the lighthouse, as the night had been very dark. ’

For many days the whole country rang with the name of Grace Darling, and her exploit is a worthy monument to the unselfishness and bravery of her sex. May her name live for ever!