Dr. David Livingstone's Character



Stanley found Livingstone on 10 November 1871, in Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania, and may have greeted him with the now-famous, "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"  wikipedia

I recently had the pleasure of reading The Final Journals of David Livingstone by Dr. Livingstone and The Personal Life of David Livingstone by W. Garden Blaikie, D.D., LLD. Then, because of the controversy about whether Dr. Livingstone gave an accurate account of a massacre he witnessed, I decided to get another perspective on his character by reading  Henry Morton Stanley's: How I Found Livingstone In Central Africa.
                                       
Before I get into what Mr. Stanley reported about Dr. Livingstone's character, let me share with you some background information on how and why they met.

Dr. Livingstone first went to Africa as a missionary in 1840. During his years there his interests expanded far beyond the spreading of the gospel. He sought a cure for the African fever, known today as malaria, which sickened and often killed humans and domestic animals. He studied the plant and animal life, as well as, the lay of the land and its productivity.

He also named Victoria Falls and Lake Lincoln. (Dr. Livingstone honored President Lincoln for ending slavery in the United States because Dr. Livingstone longed to see the end of slavery throughout the world during his lifetime.)

Dr. Livingstone kept detailed journals covering diverse subjects. He wrote about medical treatments he found effective. He mapped his travels using astronomical instruments. His journals were a log of his many discoveries. They are filled with fascinating descriptions and drawings of previously unknown types of insects, fish and animals. His many maps helped the Victorian cartographers produce more accurate travel guides for Central Africa- especially noting the positions of many lakes and rivers. He also shared the names, customs, characteristics, languages and locations of many previously unknown tribes which eventually helped other missionaries in their endeavors to share the gospel with them.

His final mission in Africa was to discover and document the source of the Nile River. He spent many years in that endeavor and was lost to the outside world for much of that time. After a lengthy silence, Mr. Stanley, a journalist and explorer, was sent to Africa as a correspondent of the New York Herald newspaper to find Dr. David Livingstone- dead or alive- so the world might learn more of his work and know his fate.

Mr. Stanley had never met Dr. Livingstone. He had heard many things about him and actually feared that Livingstone might not want to be found. But, nothing was farther from the truth. Dr. Livingstone had suffered many setbacks, both physically and financially, and was in need of a Good Samaritan at the very time that Stanley found him. Looking back on all the problems and delays he had suffered in getting there, even Stanley believed that their meeting was indeed providential.

Mr. Stanley was on assignment. He was paid to find Dr. Livingstone and to report on his health and whereabouts. He was not required to like him. But, his comments about Dr. Livingstone reveal that he came to think very highly of him during their four months together: from November 10th, 1871 thru March 14th, 1872. (Dr. Livingstone had but 13 months to live when Mr. Stanley took leave of him in Africa.) 

Although Mr. Stanley did not profess to be a Christian, he knew one when he saw one. I'm sharing a few quotes from Mr. Stanley's book to add another perspective to the current charges against Dr. David Livingstone. Coming from the pen of one who actually knew him, I think they should be given more weight than baseless suppositions by suspicious, and possibly jaded,contemporary researchers.

Speaking of Dr. Livingstone's travels and experiences, Mr. Stanley said:

 "His lips gave me the details; lips that never lie."

"I defy anyone to be in his society long without thoroughly fathoming him, for in him there is no guile, and what is apparent on the surface is the thing that is in him."

"Livingstone was a character that I venerated, that called forth all my enthusiasm, that evoked nothing but sincerest admiration."

"I grant he is not an angel, but he approaches to that being as near as the nature of a living man will allow."

"In him, religion exhibits its loveliest features; it governs his conduct... towards his servants, ... natives, ... Mohammedans, and all who come in contact with him."

"Religion has... made him a Christian gentleman... a man whose society is pleasurable."

"His gentleness never forsakes him; his hopefulness never deserts him. No harassing anxieties, distraction of mind, long separation from home and kindred, can make him complain... he has such a faith in the goodness of Providence."

"An extreme love of truth is one of his strongest characteristics..."

"... he has, through his uniform kindness and mild, pleasant temper, won all hearts. I observed that universal respect paid to him (by all classes of the natives and the Mohammedans alike)."  

To repeat:

"An extreme love of the truth is one of his strongest characteristics..."

This is not a characteristic that one suddenly abandons after years of habit without a total collapse of the character. Mr. Stanley even recalls Mr. Livingstone sharing the cherished stories of his family history regarding honesty.

Therefore, based on David Livingstone's life and testimonials on his character, I reject the recent claims made by researchers that he lied about the Manyeuma massacre.  

If you like history or just good adventure stories, I recommend you read Mr. Stanley's book, How I Found Livingstone in Central Africa.

Hope you enjoyed this blog.