United Brethren Historical Center

Peace and Progress

Following the “Hut Tax” War of 1898, the missionaries, “Heroes of the Cross,” in Sierra Leone and the Gbangbaia district praised God for a period of “peace and progress.”  

New buildings were replacing the ruins left from the uprising. Rice farms were producing bountiful harvests again. The canoes and gig boats were freighting their precious cargos of food and other produce from Bonthe, Freetown, and other market centers. The excitement of the “Old Days” was returning as people waited to see the purchases packed in hampers and Madra handkerchiefs, which often served as an all-purpose container.  

The school children were also no longer anxious about returning to the mission school from distant villages. At Danville, Imperreh, Victoria and other points where school was in progress, the familiar clang of the bell sounded out, calling the children to line up and await the order of the Headmaster or Mistress to march into the schoolroom.  

For most missionaries, their day began at dawn, the same time a normal day started in the villages. Missionaries at the Danville Boarding School had to adjust to a fourteen-hour workday every day of the week. The rising bell for the boarding students rang at 5:30AM. Morning prayers followed soon after, and then the work period occurred between 6 and 8AM. Breakfast was served at 8:30.  

During the work period, some boys went to the farm to care for the pineapples, cassava, peanuts, and sweet potatoes. Other boys would take machetes and go to farms in the community where the cassava, rice, and other crops had already been harvested. There, the slender trunks of saplings had been felled at the beginning of the season, and the boys could collect this wood for firewood for the three homes at the mission.  

A group of four boys would go to Njala Creek to collect the daily supply of water for the two boarding homes and the missionary’s quarters. It took them three trips, with pails filled to the brim balanced on their heads, to finish this task. A quartet of boys was assigned the important job of preparing the meals for the day. They had to prepare breakfast by 8:30 so they could be on time for school at 9AM. They also helped with the evening meal at 6PM.  

For the girls, the schedule was nearly the same, although their work period primarily consisted of household tasks like sewing, cooking, and laundry. Around 4PM, school closed, and the manual training classes started. For the boys, the training class was tailoring. For the girls, the training class was sewing. All of these activities were interspersed with recreation times throughout the day. 

Saturday mornings were reserved for cleaning up the church, school rooms, dormitories and missionary quarters. In the afternoon, the children had free time. The boys enjoyed playing soccer or cricket. Sunday was reserved for a full day of local services and visiting local towns and villages.