Light for the Line, the SOUTH AFRICAN CHURCH RAILWAY MISSION MAGAZINE
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Light for the Line, THE SOUTH AFRICAN CHURCH RAILWAY MISSION MAGAZINE, No. LX V I, Quarterly. JANUARY, 1915. 2/- p e r a n n u m , 2/6 p o s t f r e e . South Hfrican Cburcb 1Railwa\> ilMssion. STAFF. Head of the Mission: Postal Address: The Yen. F. A. ROGERS, M.A. P.O. Box 1131, Johannesburg. Vice-Head,: Rev. 0. W. L. Skey The Vicarage, Germiston. Rev. G. A. Lejeune Naauvvpoort. Miss Beckwith On furlough. Miss Holmes The Hermitage, Graharastown. Rev. E. G. K. Esdaile ... ... ... Watervai Boven. Mr. A. H. P. Austin ... ... ... On furlough. Nurse Wardale ... ... ... ... Box 53, Volksrust. Miss Attlee ... ... ... ... The Vicarage, Germiston. M iss Watson ... ... ... ... 60, Douglas Street, Bloemfontein. Miss Heddy ... ... ... ... On furlough. Rev. E. G. Holden, M .A.... ... ... P.O. Box 616, Bulawayo. Native Catechists, Headers and Teachers: Johannes Magxaxa, William Mbenya, John Nxumale, William Sontshi. Hon. Editor and Children’s Secretary: Miss Burt, the Hermitage, Grahamstown. 2 LIGHT FOR THE LINE. LETTER FROM THE HEAD, of telegrams from friends all over the country. Box 1131, Johannesburg’, The most cheering news this quarter December 12tli, 1914. is that Mr. Coombs is hoping to be My dear Friends, ordained Deacon to-morrow, and his many friends will be glad to think that As I prophesied last quarter, no new his great wish is being fulfilled, and Head has yet been appointed, and by that he will have the grace of Holy the kindness of the Bishop of Pretoria Orders to help him in his ministry. We I am giving- one-tliird of my time to shall I know remember him in our the Mission until better days come. prayers. Meanwhile the work is, of necessity, I hear that Miss Beckwith is minis suffering, not only for want of a Head, tering to the troops in Paris, and I have but also for want of workers. heard from Mr. Austin to-day that he Mr. Holden and Miss Heddy are both has a commission in the Durham Light sailing for England this week. The Infantry. former would have finished his three I have written to Mr. Knapp Fisher years with us in February, but the sud saying that we shall expect to hear den death of his father has made it some day of his experiences on board necessary for him to go now. We offer H.M.S. Chatham, as they have evi him our most sincere sympathy and dently been busy off the east coast of hope that if circumstances compel him Africa. to stay in England he will find every I shall be glad to hear from any one blessing and happiness there. His who wants the ministrations of the place will be difficult to fill, and I have Church and cannot get them, and I will just been up to Livingstone to consult do my best to supply them. the new Bishop of X. Rhodesia on the subject; at any rate, when a successor Will you please specially pray for guidance for the Provincial Synod can be found lie will have a warm wel come. which meets in January and which Miss Heddy has also been summoned may have an important bearing on the future of the Railway Mission ? home owing to the illness of her mother, and we much hope that she will find better news awaiting* her and that SOUTHERN RHODESIA. before long she will be able to return. I must apologise for contributing no The rebellion has added greatly to the thing to the last quarterly number; but difficulty of getting’ about in the Free as I had already written fully about State, and both she and Miss Watson the Protectorate, and had not been have been serving King and country by round my new section, I did not feel nursing the wounded. that there was much to be said. Mr. Griggs and Miss Brownlow were August was devoted to a first tour of happily married on October the 15th the Protectorate, which was as complete as possible, when services were held on and have arrived safely in England. five Sundays and five weekdays, with a There were quite a fair number of the wedding and three Baptisms thrown in. staff present at the wedding, and shoals Not only were attendances and collec S6t?TH AFillCAii CfltJROH RAILWAY Mission q u a r t e r l y . tions good, but everywhere people were a certain number of communicants, also most kind, and seemed sorry to say always glad of a celebration. Mr. and good-bye. It is good to hear that the Mrs. Wilsworth are still stationed here, Rev. W . Lack has had such an encour I am glad to say. aging start, since he began work there There is another big farming centre in September, and that people have re at MARTTLA, where I spent a Sunday sponded so well to his efforts to put the with a namesake of my own, Mr. Church work on a secure financial basis. Ingram; but beyond having a delight There is still one place, MAHALA- ful week-end at this farm, we did not PYE, which with Mr. Lack’s approval succeed in getting many people to I have visited since September. There gether at this first attempt. are three Confirmation candidates here, Passing to the Falls line, I visited whom we hope the Bishop will be able the gangers at PA R IP A S and RED- to confirm very shortly. BANK, and spent a night in the coach Of my new section part is old ground at the former place, where the stone and part new. PLU M TREE continues quarries from which St. John’s, Bula to be one of the best of Sunday centres. wayo, was built, have closed down for A Confirmation class will shortly be tho present. I had a pleasant evening started at the school. Although this with Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie here. has been compelled to hand itself over NYTAMATs DHLOY U has Sunday to Government control, yet so long as visits occasionally, but lias been dis_- Mr. and Mrs. Hammond and the pre appointing lately, though Mr. and Mrs. sent staff are there, so long will it con Waterworth and the station staff are tinue to keep the old tone and atmo most kind. sphere, which has been so favourable to I have also paid visits of a few hours’ our wTork in the past among the boys. duration to GWAAI and MALINDI, The local residents are rather fewer in each of which possess about a dozen number, owing to enlistments, and the people. Later on it may be possible to school staff has given up Mr. Easton arrange to hold services here. I spent and Mr. Lee to the cause. Some of the two of the worst days I have ever struck residents would be only too pleased to on this trip. Sundry pumpers and see the Sustentation Fund started gangers en route have been seen, and again, but of course it is a bad time for given papers. It is a desolate strip of such endeavours. line, the famous 72 miles of “ straight” FIG TR E E has continued to do well. beginning at Gwaai. On my last visit we had a record at WANKIE is still being visited by tendance in the morning, which quite Mr. Holden. overflowed the Booking, Office where ser It only remains to give some account vice was held— 26 in all. The organ, of the WEST NICHOLSON line, which I had just had repaired, was a which is new ground, as far as we are £freat help, and with Mrs. Wood’s play concerned. This piece of railway is ing we managed to sing all the Can 100 miles in length, and serves a min ticles at Mattins, as well as hymns—a ing and a farming country. The station great feat! A number of men had to populations are very small: and at the be packed into the so-called “ vestry,” Bishop’s request and with the permis behind the ticket barrier, others sat 011 sion of the Railway authorities, we are boxes outside the windows. If the loca] extending our visits to places off the farmers and police always back up the line to some extent, of which the larg efforts of the station people as well as est and farthest place visited is the this, Figtree ought to become a strong well-known ranching establishment of centre. It is a great treat also to find Liebig’s at M AZUNGA, not less than 4 LiG&T For t h e iiiUEi. 65 miles from tlie terminus at W EST promised to hold service there next NICHOLSON. time. The mine is no longer being The first place of any size after leav worked. I had no time on this occa ing- HE ANY JUNCTION is the BUSH sion for a service, as by the kindness TICK mine, three miles from the of the manager, Mr. de Laessoe, I was siding1. At my first visit over twenty whirled off in a motor-car to MA- people turned up to a Sunday night ZUNGA, doing the 05 miles in four service. I had an interesting morning hours! Mrs. de Laessoe kindly enter inspecting the mine, and visiting the tained me, and I had tAvo days and a people, of whom there must be 40 or half to get to know everybody. This 50. Unfortunately, I have just had was the first A’isit of a clergyman since news which seems to imply that the the place started fiA^e years ago, and it mine is shortly closing down, so what was naturally full of interest to me and, the result of my next visit will be I I hope, acceptable to them.