THE last year has been one of unusual severity, the death-rate being the greatest for many years. While we mourn the loss of Sister French, one of our mission staff, we yet have witnessed many tokens of the protecting hand of God over the workers.
The addition of our factory to our industrial school is proving a great help to the training work. The factory is turning out wagons, carts, platform-trucks, and doing much repair work. With the farm and factory in connection with our Waterloo school, we have facilities to train the African boys into useful, practical men, while still continuing their study and training for school and evangelistic work.
The calls from the interior keep coming urgently for the extension of our work. Three years ago a man of the Mendi tribe came from two hundred miles in the interior to see his nephew, who was in our school. This man had been taught to read, and we supplied him well with our literature. As a result he now reports that he has accepted fully this message of the Lord's soon coming, and now he is anxious for a station to be opened in his village.
A paramount chief of the Timni tribe came in to Freetown not long since, on invitation of the governor, to attend a reception in honor of the Duke of Connaught, who was visiting Sierra Leone. This chief's son had for some time been in our school and factory. The father was pleased with the progress the son has made, and is urging us to open work in his country.
We hope that the gain from our factory will enable us next year to open two new stations in response to these calls. Difficulties abound, but the prospects are bright, and our trust is in God. We greatly need men and means to meet the calls.
