Report of the South African Union Conference
By R. C. PORTER
TO THE GENERAL CONFERENCE ASSEMBLED, GREETING: From Africa, the land of sunshine and showers; of delicious fruits and beautiful flowers, of gold and diamond fields, and financial depression, of Colonials, Americans, and natives of many languages,—the land known as the Dark Continent, yet, under the influence of the gospel, everywhere lined with light from the throne of God,—a land in which our people from America have long manifested by their liberal contributions for the advancement of the message a commendable interest, we wish to extend our most hearty greetings, and express our sincere appreciation of what has been done for this very needy field. The message is onward here. We have no discouraging word to offer regarding the outlook for the future. Faithful missionaries, following in the footsteps of the Man of Calvary, have traversed the way before those now in the field. They have left waymarks pointing the darkened minds of those who know not God and the saving power of the gospel of Christ to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The lowly graves and those of our fallen missionaries invite us to renewed consecration to the message for this time, and their mute lips proclaim afresh the command, “Go forward!” until the whole dark continent of Africa is ablaze with the light and glory of the message with which the whole earth is soon to be lighted. The last union conference meeting added another mile-post along the pathway of progress of the message in this field. During that meeting, Colonial and American, English, Dutch, and German, Kafir, Zulu, and Fingo, natives of every tribe and dialect represented in the assembly, pledged themselves to a consecration to the message that would break down national and race prejudices, and unite all heart and soul for the finishing of the work in this generation. I am glad to say that since that time most of them have maintained that spirit of consecration in their labors. As the result the laborers have gone forth with a spirit of renewed courage to their fields, and increased prosperity is attending the work. Two tent companies, one in Dutch and one in English, have been in the field during the summer in the Cape Colony Conference, and one tent company in the Natal Conference. A good interest is being awakened where these laborers have pitched their tents, and we hope for good results. Street meetings in Cape Town are creating an unusual interest. We can not meet the calls for Bible work. The monthly Missionary and Dutch quarterly Missionary are doing excellent work as messengers among our people. The missionary spirit is rising among our churches. Last month we increased our Sentinel circulation one thousand copies, and this month we shall increase it five hundred more. The Dutch Watchman, edited by Brother Elffers, is receiving a hearty welcome by our churches. We consider this paper a very important additional means of carrying the truth to the many Dutch-speaking people of South Africa. It is much appreciated by the Dutch churches. Clubs are being taken, and the subscription list is rapidly increasing. The sanitarium work is doing well. The Plumstead Sanitarium is meeting its operating expenses,—a good record under the depression so prevalent in this field. The institution has a steady patronage. It is just now reaching a class of wealthy patients who are extending its opportunities by their favorable reports of its work in Johannesburg and other leading cities. The Maritzburg Institute has done well, as it is only beginning its work. Already one member of the Natal Parliament and his family have accepted the truth through its influence. The institution has a fair patronage, much of the time being pressed for room to accommodate its patients. The Kimberley Baths have made a good showing through the financial stress of the past five years. Under Brother Willson’s management they have made improvements to the amount of about ten thousand dollars, and paid an indebtedness of six thousand pounds. The business now stands clear of all incumbrance, has excellent bath facilities, a good home, and a fine commercial flower garden. An institution that has made such a record during the present financial strain is unquestionably operating upon a safe financial basis. The canvassing work is quite low at present. For the past three years the canvassers in Cape Colony have been paid half time to keep the work going. The conference has fallen behind nearly four thousand dollars, so that it has become necessary to cut this part of the work from the pay-roll. It is now working along quietly in a self-supporting way. In the cities the financial depression is severe. In the country, money is easier, but the farm-houses are five miles or more apart. This makes it self-sacrificing work to canvass at present. Brother H. C. Olmstead has recently spent a month in canvassing in Kimberley, with good results. He took from twelve to fourteen orders a day every day he canvassed, and succeeded in delivering nearly all his orders. Kimberley is in the heart of the diamond fields. During these close times, diamonds are a luxury that can be dispensed with; hence the diamond mines have almost ceased to operate. That city is therefore an exceptionally hard field for canvassing just now. Since Brother Olmstead did so well there,8our minds have turned toward him as a man who might be used as a leader in building up the canvassing work on a self-supporting basis. He is connected with one of the mission stations, and we are in correspondence with him with the hope that he may be willing to devote his energies to the canvassing work if the mission will spare him to us. He is inexperienced as an agent to direct others, and he is young. If we can have the services of Elder E. R. Palmer for three months following the General Conference to take hold with him to develop the canvassing work in this field on a self-supporting basis, and train him as a union conference canvassing agent, we believe that the work may be made self-supporting, in the cities at least. We therefore respectfully request the General Conference to recommend that the general canvassing agent spend three months in this field immediately after the close of the General Conference. Brother M. E. Emmerson is selling books with as good success in Basutoland, among the natives, as Brother Olmstead had in Kimberley. He has two bright native young men helping him, and they are proving to be efficient canvassers. His wife’s mother is expected to join them soon, and we are informed that she is a good canvasser. They are keeping us very busy at the office to prepare literature for them. In the Natal Conference the work has been operated on the self-supporting basis. While it has gone slowly, it has kept moving quietly forward, and is still forging ahead in a quiet way. We can not overlook the fact that our financial situation in Africa brings in a very difficult condition for the canvassing work to face. When money was plenty, this work was self-supporting, and went as strong here as in any field in the world. It is quite different now. Besides, the government passed an act recently, requiring a license costing twenty-five dollars yearly, from each canvasser, for the privilege of canvassing. There are one hundred districts in the Cape Colony. A license must be obtained by the same canvasser for each district in which he works. We have applied for exemption from this law for our canvassers, and have the assurance of leading officials that they will use their good offices to secure such an exemption for us. We expect to see this accomplished. As it now stands, our ministers are forbidden to sell our literature in connection with their tent work, without a license. The message is the Lord’s work, and we expect the way will open for its advance. Our college has been having a difficult problem before it for some time, having no industries by which it could pay students for labor, except at a loss to the institution. It is carrying a ten-thousand-dollar indebtedness, and the taxes are at present about three hundred dollars a year, in addition to the interest that must be kept up. This is a heavy burden for a small school. Without some paying industry, we miss securing the attendance of many of our brightest and best young people on account of their lack of money to pay their way. Under these conditions the board, which is the union conference committee, have started a brush factory. Brother Ingle is successfully operating a broom factory near the college. He has his salesmen throughout the field, and has taken the responsibility of selling our output. The building and machinery cost us very little. We used material from another building to erect the factory, and the work was largely done by the help of the school. We are now ready to begin operations as soon as the material reaches us. This prospect for work is adding to our attendance. Six new students enter with the beginning of the present term. We have to order most of our material from London, and it takes two months to secure returns after ordering. This calls for quite an outlay in stock as an operating fund. We have not the money to meet this necessity. We therefore need two hundred pounds (1,000) at once as an appropriation for that purpose from the General Conference. At a college board meeting held last night, it was voted that the board respectfully request the General Conference to donate at once two hundred pounds sterling to the South African Union College brush industry, as an operating fund. We sincerely hope that this may be possible without delay, otherwise we shall be greatly distressed in meeting our obligations. The college is doing good work, and exerts a favorable influence throughout the field. If the brush industry is a success, it will be a strong factor in relieving the financial difficulties of this school. Our missions are doing excellent work. The older stations are making their work self-supporting, except for the salary of the leading laborers connected with them. Since our last union conference meeting, they have decided to make a strong effort to become wholly self-supporting by the time of our next biennial meeting, and are now laying plans to accomplish this object. During the recent union conference meeting, with the assistance of Elder Conradi, the question of the most rapid method of developing our mission work in Africa received much consideration. It was the opinion of the heads of our missions, Elder Hyatt and others, that we should carry our work differently among the semi-educated than among the less favored natives. Elders Hyatt and Armitage had made one or two trips among the Kafirs near the Maranatha Mission, and they had found that with lantern lectures they could secure large hearings among the natives. After one or two such meetings, they would offer to help those who were sick. This brought large numbers of those in need of simple treatments. The Lord blessed the remedies used to the recovery of nearly every one who came. Afterward, they would follow them from kraal to kraal to hear them speak and to receive more treatments. These brethren have continued these trips since the union conference meeting. They have recently made two trips among the Fingoes. In a report of one of these later tours Elder Hyatt writes that during ten days he spoke fifteen times, gave one hundred and forty-one treatments, and gave away a large amount of literature. A native Wesleyan minister opened his church for the services, and secured like openings for them in other villages. They met with similar hospitality at the hands of the ministers in their other trips. They preach the truth to the natives the same as to the whites, and it is well received. They now have forty students in their school, ranging from the fourth to the seventh grades. Several of them have attended the Lovedale school. It will not take long to develop workers from this class if they receive the truth and develop as we hope. There are about forty white families living in reach of the mission, who are becoming very much interested in our work. Elder Hyatt will open a Zulu mission on the same plan as soon as the work is well started at Maranatha. Brother Emmerson is undertaking to work on a similar plan in the Basuto Mission. He is not prepared to go out with a wagon, but is making good use of literature with the most encouraging results. Two young native men are assisting him very satisfactorily in this work. From these experiences we are convinced that a much more rapid work can be accomplished among the semi-educated natives than among the uneducated, uncivilized heathen. Elder Anderson is undertaking an advanced move in the enlightenment of the uncivilized natives in his station. He writes, ‘I want to see my older pupils settled in the kraal work; I want to see the out-stations made a success as schools and financially, and to see the home station made entirely self-supporting. Then I will feel that I have accomplished what I returned to Africa to do.’ It is his plan each year to throw out a larger circle of out-stations. He thinks that within five years all the territory within reach of the main station should have the truth plainly carried to its people. Our needs for the present are not great, but very vital to the progress of the message in this field. We need all the appropriations for which we have asked. We need the special appropriation for which we have asked at once. We need the assistance of the general canvassing agent for three months to assist us in placing this work again upon its feet. Above all, we need much of the Holy Spirit to give us discernment and power for the finishing of the work speedily in this great and needy field. Our difficulties are varied and great. But God is greater than our difficulties. In his strength we are able to go up at once and possess the land.