AFRICA AS A MISSION FIELD.
By S. N. H.
IN speaking of Africa it should be remembered that when the term South Africa is used it signifies an area of 2,300,000 square miles, divided into eight distinct districts, settled more or less by Europeans. The majority of the permanent residents are Dutch, while the English who visit the country come chiefly to add to their wealth and then return to their native land. Cape Colony was the first place that was settled. Cape Town is its capital, lying upon the sea-shore at the foot of Table Mountain, which rises some three miles from the harbor to an elevation of 3,600 feet. The suburbs of Cape Town are romantic in the extreme. I do not know that I have ever seen more beautiful or more tastefully-arranged villages than Wynberg and Claremont. Kimberley is situated at the termination of the government railroad, and is 648 miles north of Cape Town. About four hundred miles still further north is Johansburg, which has lately become a rival to all the other towns in the colony on account of the gold reefs that are found so abundantly there. On September 20 we left Cape Town and took a trip to Kimberley to visit the brethren at that place. It is here that the diamonds are found. After leaving Cape Town we passed through some good country. Much of the soil is devoted to the grape industry. In this section there is usually plenty of rain, the scarcity of which is the great drawback to many places on the continent that would otherwise be fertile. In this vicinity are the cities of Fallington and Worcester. The former is thirty-six miles from the capital, and the latter about seventy-five. After leaving the last-named place, we crossed the Ex River Mountains. On the peaks of these, snow lies during the greater part of the year. As the train winds round and round among these hills, the scenery reminds one much of that in the Sierra Nevadas, while the desert that lies from the Ex River Hills to Kimberley is very similar to the plains east of the Sierras. In some portions there are abundance of sheep and cattle, while the Angora goats are found 400 miles north of Cape Town. There are hardly any towns of much size along the line. At intervals there are stations with a few houses gathered round them. There are, however, back from the railroad at a distance of from ten to thirty miles small villages averaging in size from a few to 1,500 inhabitants. The ride from Cape Town to Kimberley occupies little less than two days. There are fearful dust-storms on these plains during a greater part of the year, and yet this wind that blows the dust is the redeeming feature of the country, as it cleanses the streets, and carries away many impurities, which if left would soon breed disease, and thus destroy many of the inhabitants. While in Kimberley we paid a visit to a diamond mine. Through the kindness of Mr. Gardner Williams, the general manager, we were permitted to inspect the "compound" and the "wash" portions, which visitors cannot always have access to. The laws regulating the purchasing of diamonds are very strict; it means seven years' imprisonment to have found on one's person an uncut stone. If a diamond is picked up in the street, the finder must immediately go and have it registered, and then it becomes government property, while he only receives a small per cent. of its value as compensation for his service. The "compound" that we mentioned above is a large inclosure surrounded with an iron fence and containing many sheds. It is here that all the natives in the company's employ are kept during the time that they have contracted to work. They are not permitted to leave the mining area or to have any intercourse with the outer world. The reason of this is that formerly a great many diamonds were stolen by these worthies while at work. They would swallow them when the overseer was not looking, and afterwards sell them to an illicit diamond buyer. These mines employ a large number of hands. In the De Beers, the one that we visited, there were some eighteen hundred Kaffirs at work, and about four hundred convicts; these, with the drivers and whites, make in all somewhere in the neighborhood of three thousand employes. While in the pulsator buildings, where the stones are washed, Mr. Williams, who, by the way, is an old Californian, took up a diamond about the size of the end of a man's little finger, and handed it to us for inspection. Said he, "That stone is probably worth $180, but should a native steal it, he would sell it to an illicit diamond buyer for $25 or $30." The process of separating the diamonds from the soil in which they are found, is simply by means of washing. When the stuff is first taken from the mines it is spread out on large flats, called floors, and there left to be decomposed and pulverized by the action of the air. This done, it is placed in large circular machines, which thoroughly wash and further pulverize it. Then it is spread out on tables, and the "searchers" commence their work. They are armed with an instrument something like a small trowel, and with this they keep working over all the soil till the diamonds have all been extracted. The first searcher only takes out the largest stones, and the next the second size, and so on till they are no larger than the head of a pin. Still there are diamonds left in the soil, and so it is given poor women, who search for these gleanings; but the companies are not as liberal with these as was Boaz of old with Ruth, the Moabitish maiden, who allowed her all the corn that she picked up; they only give a certain per cent. of the value of the stones that are found. As we gazed upon these diamonds, we could not see anything in their appearance that to our unaccustomed eyes would warrant such an enormous value as is set upon them. They are only small whitish stones having a glassy appearance. But so it is, the value can only be estimated by the scarcity of the article. After seeing all that we did, we could but feel thankful that the precious jewel of the grace of God is so free to all, and could but regret that so few appreciate its worth. It is certain that there are only a few who appreciate the value of a diamond, but these few would pay almost any price in order to come into possession of one of value. The most precious gem that this earth contains is the grace of God, and that is free to all who believe in its Bestower. It not only gives to the believer happiness in this life and a passport into the kingdom of heaven, but also everlasting bliss around the throne of God, through all the ceaseless cycles of eternity. The diamonds of this earth bring no true happiness, and often much sorrow, and yet it seems that by this means God brings together people so that he can teach them the value of the precious diamond of heavenly grace. Ten times during the week stage coaches leave Kimberley for the gold-fields of the Transvaal, now being opened up at Johansburg. These coaches are drawn by sixteen horses, which are driven one hour and then changed. Each of these vehicles carries fifteen passengers besides the mails. The inhabitants of Africa are in a perfect frenzy over these gold reefs. Not only are these coaches crowded to their utmost capacity, but there are private conveyances by the score, and every ship from England lands at Natal hundreds more of these fortune-seekers. Among these there are doubtless some whom the Lord loves, and who one day will do his bidding. There are many honest hearts coming here in quest of gold simply because every avenue of self-support in the mother country is closed against them. Our meetings at Kimberley were excellent, although we failed to see that anxiety on the part of many to come near to God that we would have wished. And yet they manifest a deep desire to see the message spread, so that the honest may be gathered out. At present there are steps being taken to build a house of worship in Kimberley. A meeting-house is also much needed in Cape Town. We can see no reason why, with judicious labor, there should not be companies raised up to keep God's commandments in many portions of South Africa.