St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-04-30
Letter From South Africa.
By a Former st. Johnsbury Lady.
EsIDUMBINI, NATAL,
E., Taf 1875

EsIDUMBINI, NATAL,
So. Africa, Jan'y, 1885.
To The CaledOnian 1t is fourteen
old Esidumbin home and started to go
to America, the Ultima Thule of so
many missionary children. How we'll |
remember the parting day ! The early
rising, the final preparations by candle
light, the dismantled, lonely house, the
throngs who came to bid goodbye,
and the earnest prayer uttered under
the verandah as the red lines on the
horizon ushered in the dawn! And
then the final handshakes and broken
farewells and the last glimpses of the
familiar scenes in the bright morning
light. All, how many time did all
this pass through my mind, amid win
ter SHOWS and in northern chimes How
many "A time were the familiar faces
and parting words brought to memory
in spite of widely different surround
ings
And now some of us have come back
once again to attend the dedication of
the new church, the bricks of which
my father made and burnt over four
teen years ago. Many things have
conspired to delay the erection of this
church, and we live in deliberate,
slow land, where movements are not
carried on with American rapidity.
Rut m Lost tho XUanS Nuara raiSaH the
roof of galvanized iron firmly secured,
the seats arranged, doors and windows
properly adjusted and the whole struct-
ure neatly cemented and lime washed.
Facing the congregation were fastened
up panels containing the Lords prayer,
ten commandments and creed, printed
and prepared by means of ii kind gift
from the Boys benevolent circle of the
North church, st. JOhnsbury. A little
more than half the cost of the building
has been raised by the Esidumbini
people. A donation of $50 from the
Congregational church in Lee has been
accommodating since 1870 in the Natal
bank to $40 Recently two generous
Lee friends, Mr.. Elizur Smith and Mr..
VIM. Bartlett, have presented 800
more, and with some colonial aid, the
entire expense of $1,000 has been de-
frayed. The result is substantial,
well located church.
The day fixed for the dedication was
January Ii, and four white pastors and
ten native preachers assembled. About
noon the services began and the church
was thronged, the portion of the audi
ence in European dress occupying the
front seats, for the most part, and those
in simple native attire the rear. Rev.
Charles w. HolbrOok read the Script
ures and John Sihlonono made the in
vocatory prayer. Thomas Halves, the
pastor, gave out the hymns, Rev. ID.
Rood read the statement and offered
the dedicatOry prayer and my father
preached the sermon. | am sorry not
to be able to state that there was an
impressive silence throughout all the
exercises, but the expulsion of several
tan-cOlored yelping dogs and the con-
fusion arising from the difficulty there
was found in seating late Corners, sadly
interfered with the order and decOrum
which should have prevailed. How
ever, for the most part there was in
tense interest and deep attention, and
the illusions TO the past, the contrasts
of the present, and the earnest appeals
that Gods house might be a sanctuary
oft frequented, were not listened to
unmoved. We were touched by the
JOY of many over their new church,
and at the close a collection amount
ing to S35 was taken up and twelve |
fowls were brought to our door later
to be devoted to the church fund. As
my sister and | had twelve white |
guests to dine with us and only simple |
camping-Out appointments, we had to !
hasten in to complete our arrange
ments.
We were not able, then, to renew
acquaintance with many a dark, famil-
lar face, but on the following Sabbath
there was a still larger assembly and
we went from one to another, recalling
by-gOne days. There were four gath
erings on Sunday. First the Bible
classes, then the full service, which
was followed by a young peoples
meeting. Ia the p. IN. the Lords sup
per was celebrated and six young peo-
pie professed their faith in Christ. God
grant they may be true to the end and
successfully withstand the many temp
tations to which they are daily expos
ed Before the sacrament the Esi-
dumbini church gratefully acknowI-
edged their further Indebtedness to the