Ch 4 Trials and Errors

My wife Jan’s father, J. Dale Armstrong, was a third generation American Scot; his father was a blacksmith in southern Illinois. When Jan read the stories about Livingstone, she immediately recognized her father: determined, stubborn, tight-fisted. A few of the stories she told me about him are as painful as some of what we hear here about Livingstone.

Livingstone was clearly no fun to live with. But ironically he seemed to understand and relate well with African friends: remember his conversation with the rain-maker. And, whether we now decry or laud his efforts, he prepared the way for many more European missionaries and settlers to enter Africa. He was an enigma - and some of the confusion begins to clear when we remember what his culture was and where he came from.

Send me your reactions at [email protected]. Visit my website at https://globalhealth757.wordpress.com/ .