Extracts From Mission Letters
EXTRACT from letter from Elder W. H. Anderson, Pemba, Rhodesia:— “The air is fragrant with orange blossoms. Some of the trees look as if they had been snowed on. The magistrate told me he wanted to engage all his oranges here next year, at twenty-five shillings a hundred. I agreed to let him have what he wants. “The cows are still doing well. We now have fifty-three young calves, and all but one are thriving. “It is a marvel to our neighbors how healthy our cattle are. Cattle are dying all around us, but if the rains start at the usual time I do not think we shall lose any. The man on the next farm south of us, who bought one hundred of the same lot that ours came from, has lost thirty-five out of his one hundred cows. Another who had some of the same lot, has lost one half of his. I get on the mule once or twice a week and ride out to see that they have good feed and water; and if they need to be changed to new feed, I have this done, and tell the boys where to go with them. With the blessing of God they are all living. “The lions are still plentiful. A native told me last week that a man from his kraal saw twelve in a lot about six miles south of us, and our next neighbor to the south said he saw thirteen on his way to Pemba last week. A man was coming to us on his bicycle, but saw so many lion tracks in the road between here and Mission Spur that he was afraid, so he went back and came around by Father Moreaus to get here safely. Still we have been spared, and our cattle and sheep are all right, although others about us are still losing theirs. “There is a famine in the land, and the natives are now buying grain. Nearly every boy has gone to the south to work. This has drawn away several of our students. The magistrate who was here told me that the labor runners were determined to ruin this country in behalf of the south, in order to get the charter renewed. Hardly a day passes that I do not see a policeman pass looking for boys to work. The police are now paid no salary, but they are paid two shillings for each boy they bring in. As they wear the government uniform, they use their own ways of getting them, and there is no check on their methods, as they do not go to the native commissioner now. “These are some of the difficulties that we have to meet, and I suppose they will not improve. Pray for us and the work here.” Extract from letter from Geo. Hutchinson, Shangani Mission, Rhodesia:— “I avail myself of this opportunity to report with regard to the progress of the work in this part of the Master's vineyard since my return. The attendance at our Sabbath meetings had fallen off during my absence, so on my arrival I made it my first duty to visit the people and to give stereopticon lectures, which they greatly appreciated. I am glad to state now that they attend our meetings just as well as formerly. The native commissioner visited me, and in a chat with him he told me that the natives are very much pleased that the mission is here, and that they realize and appreciate the benefit they derive from it. He tells me that we have a fine position and an important one. He is very much pleased with our work and hopes to visit us again at some future time. “I have made inquiries regarding the gold-mine that is nearest us, with a view to future business transactions. I found that the mine is a large one, employing seventy white men and one thousand natives. To provide for these people, the manager enters into a contract with a store which is on the mine to supply grain. The man who is running this store gets most of the grain from Bulawayo by rail to a siding that is forty miles from the mine. The grain has to be hauled by wagon from this siding. This store would buy grain from us at a good price if we could supply it. I now think if we could operate a store and raise some grain, a good beginning would be made toward making this station self-supporting. “Brother and Sister T. J. Gibson and family are with me at present. We have been discussing our work and making plans. He believes with me that the work here has a good future.” Extract from letter from E. C. Silsbee, Kolo Mission, Basutoland:— “There are some encouraging features in the work here. A few days ago I had a Bible study with a native minister of the New British Church, who has charge of fourteen mission stations in Basutoland. He had studied quite a little regarding the truth, having purchased several of our books. He asked many intelligent questions, which I answered as best I could. After about three hours' study he took his leave, expressing his gratitude many times over for the satisfactory Bible answers to his15questions, saying that we could soon expect him, and as many of his under ministers as he could bring, to come and ask for baptism. This man said that for some time there had been an agitation in their ranks about the question of the true Sabbath, the right way to baptize, and several other points, to which their white ministers failed to give them satisfactory answers; hence his visit to us as ‘the Sabbatarian Mission.’”