THE following letter from our missionary, Mr. Radasi, has been received by the Rev. Neil Cameron, Glasgow. It will be perused with interest by our readers :—
Bulawayo, Rhodesia (P.O. Box 94), December 29th, 1904.
MY DEAR MR. CAMERON,—I am very glad to inform you of my safe arrival in Bulawayo. I arrived in Cape Town on a Tuesday, and stayed with my married sister whilst there. On Wednesday morning I went to see the secretary of the Chartered Company in Cape Town. He was very busy that day, and told me to come on Thursday morning, and that he would try and do something for me. I went the following morning. He asked me a good number of questions about my people and myself. I told him that my father lived in Seymour, and that he was now a Government pensioner, that he had been a long time in the Government service at Seymour, and that he retired from it some years ago through ill-health; that he was a constable and interpreter, and used to write passes for natives; and that if he liked he could write or wire to the Resident Magistrate of Seymour, who would substantiate what I had said, or he could go to the Colonial office at Cape Town and look at the Civil Service list, and would find my father’s name there. I told him that my father was also a Government post contractor—he has the contract for the Government mail from Seymour to Readsdale—and that he owned over 40 acres of land. I told him that he could go to the Commissioner of Crown lands and public works office in Cape Town to see a book there with a list of all the landowners. I suppose the secretary took me to be an American negro, or connected with the Ethiopian Church, which they are trying to suppress in Rhodesia, Natal, and Transvaal. Of course, I made it clear to him that I belonged to the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and had no connection whatever with the Ethiopian Church. He then asked me if I had a letter of introduction to the U.F. minister in Rhodesia—Mr. Jones. I said “No,” and that I did not belong to his Church at all. He then said he could not do anything for me, and so I left him. I went to see the general manager of railways in Cape Town, who received me very kindly, and arranged that I should go second class by train, and I paid only half-price, after filling up the enclosed certificate. I got the information that in all the Cape Government railways ministers can go half-price, if you go second class by rail. You book your seat, and you get a bed as well, and so I only paid £4 11s. 6d. second class from Cape Town to Rhodesia.
I left Cape Town on Thursday evening, December 15th, and broke my journey in Mafeking, Beuchanaland, stayed there for the Sabbath, and waited for the next train, which came on Tuesday morning, and arrived in Bulawayo on Tuesday afternoon, 21st December. On my arrival here I hardly knew where to go to and what to do with my boxes. Of course, the natives in this part of the country are uncivilised and wear very little clothing, little children no clothing at all. The Matabeles live in small two-roomed mud huts, with fire made in the middle, no beds but mats to sleep on; no chairs; you have to sit on a mat on the floor. They don’t live in the town, but are placed in locations. Of course, in Bulawayo and district there are about 6500 Europeans, and £15 per month may be taken to be the average cost of board and lodging for Europeans. Rhodesia is a very dear place. The cost of living is about three times as much as it is in England. In the Cape Colony it is twice as much as it is in England. There was then this difficulty. The natives don’t let apartments, because they have none to let, and the Europeans charge enormous prices for board and lodgings. I just had to go to the Wesleyan native minister’s manse, who has a large house, and get a room there for the time being. As his wife knew my people, he consented to let me stay with him until I can get a place. He then gave me a room, and I took my boxes there from the station. Of course he is not supposed to let any part of the manse, and so I don’t pay for the room, but only for my board, which is £1 5s. a week with washing. It is summer here, and the weather is very warm. This country is full of big forests, and there are still lions, wolves and wild dogs roaming about. Last year the lions came so near Bulawayo that they ate some donkeys about four miles away. It’s all thick forests round Bulawayo, and you cannot see the town at a distance, until you come right up to it.
I now come to the most pleasant part of my letter. I was very glad indeed to find so many Psalms in metre in the Wesleyan hymn book. I shall be very glad if they will give me permission to take them out of their book and print them separately. I have not seen the Kaffir Presbyterian hymn book yet. Very likely it will have some more Psalms. If all’s well, I shall soon know how many Psalms there are altogether in metre in the Kaffir language. The Psalms are very beautiful in Kaffir. I hope the time will soon come when the whole of the Book of Psalms will be put in it in metre. I was preaching in Bulawayo to a small gathering of men and sang the Psalms. There were just about three or four women present. I understand it’s very difficult to get the women to come to listen to the Word of God. The men seem to be very anxious to learn.
Rhodesia is under the British Chartered Company, and it seems as if I am in a foreign country. Its laws are quite different from those of Cape Colony. As soon as I arrived in Rhodesia, I had to go to the police and report my arrival. All natives without a pass are arrested. The Matabeles have to carry a pass for being in Bulawayo, and another special pass if they want to be out after nine in the evening, and another pass if they are going to the country. They have to report themselves to the police in every place they go to, and ask permission to stay. If they wish to visit friends, they have to get a special pass. I had to go to the magistrate and ask for an exemption pass, and he gave me an exemption pass for Bulawayo and district. The Matabeles are just living in terror of being arrested, as there are so many kinds of passes wanted.
I hope you are all keeping well. I am always wondering how Mrs. F. is. I would like so very much to know. . . . I need the prayers of the people of God. The people here are still in great darkness, and nothing but the Gospel of the grace of God can lift them out of this condition. You will kindly remember me to all the friends.—Yours sincerely, J. B. RADASI