Mary Slessor

Mary Slessor

Mary Slessor (1848-1915) was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria. She was a determined worker and had a strong personality. Those two qualities made people trust and accept her. She spread Christianity and promoted women's rights. She was one of the most remarkable women of her time.

Slessor was born on Dec. 2, 1848, in Aberdeen. She had red hair and blue eyes. She the second child out of seven, but only four survived. At 11, Slessor's family moved to Dundee to find work. Her father Robert Slessor worked as a shoemaker, but had to quit because he was an alcoholic. After a while, he worked as a mill laborer. Slessor's very religious mother was a missionary. She also made Mary Slessor attend church and work half time at a jute mill when she wasn't in school at the mill. At 14, Slessor was a skilled jute worker. She was up before 5 a.m for her housework and worked from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. Slessor volunteered to become a teacher for the poor, becoming more interested in religion.

She applied at the Foreign Mission Board of the United Presbyterian Church to become a missionary. She describes her self as "wee and thin and not very strong." On Aug. 5, 1876, she set sail on the S.S.Ethopia and arrived in West Africa a month later. Her bright blue eyes were filled with excitement for the big task ahead. She was only 28 years old and the people of Calabar were wondering if she would last her first year. Slessor witnessed the worst periods in history when she arrived, but she helped change things. She may have been one of the pioneers of women rights in Africa. She became really good at speaking Efik. She lived as the Calabar’s did, unlike most missionaries.

Mary Slessor, in later years

All the illnesses in the country and all the work she did took their toll on this woman. Her physical strength reduced itself and she had to rely on one of her assistants to do her work. She died on Jan. 13, 1915, from a terrible fever. The people of Calabar that knew her best and called her "Mother of all the people," or "Ma" for short.

In conclusion, Mary Slessor was a hero to women in Africa and a great inspiration to Calabar. Her description of herself as "wee and thin and not very strong" was partly wrong. She was strong because she helped the people of Calabar even though she became ill. That's just my opinion of a great hero like Mary Slessor.