By REV. J. MACLEOD, Convener.
OUR Annual Reports appear in the “Proceedings of Synod” and our people can read the Reports in that Magazine, but as many inside and outside may not have an opportunity to read the above Magazine, it may be of interest to give a short synopsis of our Missions in the monthly Magazine.
In the Ingwenya Mission we have over six hundred pupils in our school there. Miss Nicolson, M.A., is in charge of the school at Ingwenya. There are several native teachers assisting her, and the Government Inspector is highly pleased with the work done. Miss Nicolson is a very efficient teacher, a splendid organiser, conscientious, and thorough in her work.
We would do with at least three or four more qualified European teachers in this school. All the teachers are paid by the Government. The religious side of the work is under the auspices of the Free Presbyterian Church in all details. The Shorter Catechism is taught, Bible lessons, prayer in the morning, and what might be called family worship each evening with the pupils before retiring at night. The school has a religious atmosphere about it all the year round. That is how it ought to be, and that is how it must be while it remains under the jurisdiction and supervision of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. From this school, hundreds of children are sent out to earn their living, and carry with them the seed sown, which may germinate by the blessing of God, and bring forth fruit after many days in distant parts of Africa. We sow in hope that the Word of God will bring forth fruit in the heart and life of the future fathers and mothers, when those who are sowing it now have passed out of this world. We ourselves are still reaping the fruit of the labours of John Knox, Alexander Henderson, the Covenants of Scotland, although hundreds of years have passed since they entered into the joy of their Lord. They laboured faithfully, and we have entered into their labour, and although we have cause to bow our heads in the dust with shame for our fruitlessness and barrenness, yet we must not deny that their labours have been most profitable to us; and we are bound to give thanks to the Lord for His gifts to dear Scotland. We doubt not but that will happen in Rhodesia generations after this, as sure as it has happened in Scotland, England, Holland, and New England. That is not a matter of speculation, but a solemn reality in the lives of millions of men, women and children since Reformation times. They in Southern Rhodesia were like us, and a stage worse. When the gospel came to them they were naked, heathen and savage pagans. When Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart and Knox began their blessed work, the people had a form of religion, crude, superstitious, mixed with devil worship, immorality and the practice of witchery in the name of Christianity, but there were some among them who soon saw the curse of the Italian religion. What we are satisfied with is that the natives are under the doctrines of the Word of God, able to read their Bible, and instructed to live morally, and to honour their religion by their life, walk, and conversation in the world. That is of incalculable value to the poor native boy, and girl. They are taught needlework, house-keeping, and general cleanliness in their homes, and the absolute necessity of physical hygienics, which is, of course, a part of their training. With Mr. Macpherson, the boys can learn the building of houses, make bricks, measure, mould and shape the building to the measuring line. Very necessary instruction for the African boy—for the African’s idea of geometric measurement is always in a full circle! Mr. Edwin Radasi is conducting the religious side of the work, and on Sabbath Mr. Macpherson conducts services, some times long distances from Ingwenya, helps in the Sabbath School, and we have no doubt Mrs. Macpherson (a member in full communion) will also help Miss Nicolson on Sabbath with religious instruction in the Sabbath School. Mrs. Macpherson is a new arrival last March. What we need is more teachers, male or female, for our Ingwenya school. Miss Nicolson’s burden is far too heavy. She never complains, but commonsense suggests to anyone that it is far too much.
Let us now go over to Mr. Fraser’s domain in the Shangani Reserve! It is a huge Reserve, exclusively for the natives, and they are pouring into this Reserve for years past, and still coming in from various parts. Mr. Fraser is the first European Missionary in this Reserve, and the first to preach the blessed gospel to the poor natives—many of them absolute heathen, but they have a soul, a hereafter, and eternity before them! Mr. Fraser is very busy every day of the week, and sometimes well on in the night before he can look round for a place to rest his weary body. Thousands looking to him for help, broken bones, physical pain, scores of ailments too numerous to be enumerated. You can imagine fifty, or one hundred children crying out at the same time for help, pain in the eye, ear, knee, tooth, etc., and like children in many respects, believe that the “White Man” can heal all their diseases, and put right their troubles by looking at the sore or wound! Mrs. Fraser’s service is of great value as a qualified nurse, both in general and maternity, but the demand for her services is too much sometimes. However, they are both engaged in helping poor suffering humanity, and that is surely how we ought to behave towards our fellow man, let his colour be white or black. Mr. Fraser is to remove to a place called Buda-Buda as the most suitable centre for his wide parish. We bought a house for them, which is to be their future home in the new settlement. The house cost us over four hundred pounds sterling, and it will cost a little more to have it erected at Buda-Buda. This is, of course, a wooden house, and must be removed from where it is now to the above place in due course. Mr. Fraser has six hundred children under his care and could have many more, but the question of teachers and schools is the great problem that Mr. Fraser is faced with, and will be for a long time to come. His aim is to have a Training School for Teachers at Buda-Buda. This is very necessary, and in fact indispensable for the good of the Mission and for the education of the native child. The African child is as susceptible to imbibe false teaching, wrong ideas, erroneous doctrines, as the people of Scotland were to imbibe the fables and follies of the Declaratory Act. We seek to guard against this by having our own Training School for Teachers. This School must have a Principal, and not less than three European teachers, qualified to train young boys and girls to be sent out to teach in our stations far and wide in the Reserve. Some may think that this is too ambitious, and that the walls of Jericho will never tumble down to enable us to march over the formidable obstacles that lie ahead! Unbelief is always in Giant Dispair’s castle! At God’s command, the Red Sea was a wall protecting the hosts of Israel to pass over to the other side. It was the death knell of the poor miserable Egyptians. We need money to erect our School and houses for the staff, and we need a lorry at once to begin operations, which will cost some nine hundred pounds sterling. Where is the money to come from? Your part of the business is to pray, and leave the rest with the Lord. He knows where the money is and by whose hand He will send it. He sees the needs of the poor people, and their dangers. Mr. Fraser is going about preaching; let my readers go about praying, and it will be all right. It is the Lord’s cause, and if you love the Lord Jesus, you must love His cause, above and before father, mother, brother, sister, wife, children and land. You may be hearing whisperings that the Missions are not what they might be! When the devil appears as
an angel of light, watch! He is then so meek, humble, and zealous, that you are in great danger that you cannot see his fangs that are hid from your view in the fog of deceit. It has been a great Mission, still is, and will be still greater to the glory of the Head of the Church. Think of the precious souls that have been taken home to glory for the last forty years! Look at the harvest of souls before Mr. Fraser in the Shangani Reserve! Think of the thousands of souls in their teens, infants, young boys and girls in thousands, to be saved or lost forever! It is a great Mission, a growing Mission, and can be developed, and developed in many directions. Where is the young man in the Church who wants thousands of a congregation, to preach to them the unsearchable riches of Christ? Here is the field. Where is the young lady teacher who is willing to endure hardship for Christ, teaching the African boy and girl to read the Bible? Here is the field of labour. The African Church was once glorious; she will be that yet through the blessing of God.