p. 19 | South Central Africa by W. H. Anderson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Nov 5, 1903

South Central Africa

By W. H. Anderson

BULULWAYO.—I am just leaving for Barotseland, and will write a few words before I go. After considering the work in that field, it seemed to us that now is the opportune time to enter. The country is newly opened for settlers. Emigrants are rushing in. When I went to see about a seat in the coach for Victoria Falls, I found that all the seats were engaged two months ahead. It is now only one hundred miles from the end of the railway to the Falls. As the coach fare for that distance is sixty-five dollars, and extra for baggage, I prefer to go on foot, and thus save the expense. I think that I can well afford to walk for fifty cents a mile.

We look forward to the time as very near when our missionaries will be free to devote their entire time to gospel work, and leave the caring of the farm to native help. We now have a boy to do the trading in the store, so that instead of paying a white man to do the work, we get it done for a much less sum, and this native boy does other work besides.

The advantage in our plans for carrying on our work here is that the natives can do the work, and we do not have to spend much of our time with it. They care for the store, herd the cattle, sheep, and goats, and do the farming. We have three who have learned to plow, and they can teach the others. We have five boys who know how to drive the oxen, and three or four who drive the mules; so the wagons go about their work without us. We go to the kraal at night to see that the cattle, sheep, and goats are in all right, and that ends our labor in that line.

With the exception of the church, we now have all the buildings that we need, and they are permanent. Our houses are of brick, with iron roofs and cement floors. We use native buildings for the school. The boys build these themselves, and we do not invest a penny in them.

We are enclosed with a fence of stone four feet high, three feet wide at the bottom, and two feet wide at the top. This is something that the white ants have not undertaken to destroy as yet, so we feel that we can safely say it is permanent.

It is of no use to try to make the native buildings permanent; for the vermin here are so bad that a building is soon inhabited, and in about three or four years must be burned. But, as these buildings are the work of a very short time, the loss is not to be considered. Some may ask if we can not avoid this. No, unless we refuse hospitality to all the natives who pass our way. This we can not afford to do, so we must make the best of what we have.

Our work here is on the move. The native teachers are out in the kraals again teaching, and report a good attendance. Our attendance in the home school remains about the same—fifty.

W. H. ANDERSON.