THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE.
By W. S. Hyatt
The work in this field is being greatly hindered by the war. Under the most favorable conditions the work moves hard, and now we find it doubly hard. Still we are trying to do what we can, and are encouraged at times by seeing something accomplished. I do not think that it is necessary for me to speak particularly about the war, as the papers in America give a better account of the affairs here than do those printed in Africa. It is sufficient to say that the northern part of the Conference has in it four large armies,—two English and two Dutch, and the country is greatly agitated. The farming portion of this Conference is largely composed of Dutch persons, who have friends and relatives living in the Transvaal or in the Free State, many of whom have entered the service of their country. The feelings of these persons can be better imagined than described. For weeks it was feared that there would be a general uprising of this people from all parts of the colony, but we hear very little about it now. We firmly believe that He in whose hands the nations are will in all this bring about a condition of things so that the Third Angel's Message will go to Africa as it has not in the past. To this end, we as a Conference have had special seasons of fasting and prayer. We feel anxious about our brethren in Kimberley, and wonder if they have been loyal to the King of Peace, and how it has been with them. The last report that we had was to the effect that the authorities came Sabbath morning, and told the elder of the church that his services were needed. He replied that he could not take up arms, and that he was now on the way to the church to preach to his brethren on this subject. We have heard that in both armies are a few of our people. This has been a hard field in which to hold meetings. The churches have such a hold upon the people that they dare not attend our meetings. If they do, they are expelled from the church, and their children are turned out of the school. But few have the courage to face this kind of opposition. The Bible worker is welcomed to many homes. Our books have had a good sale, and are to be found everywhere. I think that I have never been in a section where our books have had a wider circulation; and still they sell quite well, even under the condition of things that exists here. This has been a source of encouragement to us. During the early part of 1899 we were placing one thousand books monthly in the homes of the people. At present our canvassing work is confined to the coast towns. The Lord is blessing the work, and much more is being done than we had supposed could be accomplished. The faithful canvasser takes from five to eight dollars' worth of orders daily, and delivers a good percentage of these. The wide circulation that our papers have had is one source of encouragement. Our subscription list has not been large to either the Sentinel or De Wachter, but our people have scattered these papers far and near. Last year about four hundred dollars was raised for postage, to send these papers into the farming districts. In this way the papers visited thousands of homes where it is hard for the canvasser or minister to go. In response to this work, we received some encouraging letters, and a few persons have thus been led to accept the message. We have placed large numbers of our papers on board vessels visiting Cape Town, and the military camps have been visited. Many gladly receive the papers. In this way we are reaching persons from all parts of the world. We are finding it hard to continue to print both these papers, as our finances are low, and the expense of printing is quite heavy. It may seem strange to some to hear that our finances are low, but such is the case. The Conference has employed a large force of laborers in the past, and now the surplus tithe is all gone, and we have to depend upon the tithe that comes from less12than four hundred Sabbath-keepers, the most of whom are poor persons. Still, while this is so, we firmly believe that if all will be faithful to the Lord, we shall be able to do a good work and support our laborers. Each one has been willing to reduce his wages as much as it is possible and live, and now we ask our people to come up to the help of the Lord, and do their part. This we have courage to believe they will do. The war has cut off our connection with Buluwayo, but still we have mail from there. Letters from the mission farm say that all are still usually well, and they are working as best they can to do something for that people. We are of good courage, and have no desire to leave this field. We may have to face difficulties at present, but we believe that there are brighter days before us. We see men going to the front for their country, and facing every hardship, and this leads us to desire to be good soldiers for Jesus, who has done so much for us. It is encouraging to get letters saying that the brethren are praying for the workers in Africa. We hope to be loyal, and to be found in our place when the Saviour comes to take the faithful home to the eternal rest in the kingdom of God. W. S. HYATT.