Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-06-03
RACE ECHOES,
(Christian Recorder.
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA,
March 81, 1898,

Wdlu lIOil SuPC LO"h AoAu1"S5 euS oo"''
African Annual Conference, which has a
present seventy-one members, and twenty
tour before the committee on admission
and number who will meet me at Queens
town, some five hundred miles, where
shall organize another annual conference
had fearful time to get here-I mean
to Cape Town-by reason of the trade
winds and e9uinoctial gales oil combined
and then fearful trip to reach here on a
narrow guage railway through noun
tains, cany ons, gulches, gorges, etc. But
since my arrival, and the unparalleled
reception and the large and the fine look
lug body of brethren, l have met, with so
much more intelligence than l expected,
/ am please with all the hardships have
had to confront.
left Cape Town on the Oath inst, and
for five hundred miles came through the
mos: terrific. sublime and frightful desola-
tons surely mortal eyes ever beheld. The
six-wheeled locomotive did but little more
than climb grades, dreadful to behold !;
towering mountains, projecting lodges,
awful steeples, spirs, minarets, and sky
piercing SUBMITS could only be seen, with
no water, no trees: no grass. no birds. no
frogs and no insects as could see; only
sunlight and air could exist here, with the
exception of the railway section hands
who were native Africans, and all they
subsisted on was brought by the cars.
But between five and six hundred miles
from Cape Town the scenes change;
green grass, birds. insects. goats, and fin
ally millions Of sheep and thousands of
cows, horses. donkeys, &c, are seen on
the prairie fields for twenty-five or thr
ty miles on each side Of the railroad,
with ostrich farms, wild deer, &c. Here
and there houses and plantations dot the
landscape in the prettiest country and
most pleasant cline in creation. For full
particulars OF this route, see Voice of
Missions. It is useless to write the same
for both papers.
Our reception at johannesburg was
more than anticipated. While we have
two churches there, had to preach out
door, as neither church would hold third
of the people. My congregation consisted
of all colors. and nearly all nationalities
and l had to preach through interpreters.
While large portion understood Eng
]ish, Rev. James NJ, Dwane, superintend-
cnt, and Rev. j. q. Xaba interpreted the
sermon.
The gold mines and the hundred thous-
and population Of Johannesburg baggar
description. All nations, customs. sights
and scenes are here. While many of our
people are very we'll to do, yet they rented
a special house for our two days accom-
mediation and will keep it till our return.
The white papers have spoken Of us in
most exalted terms, while vast deal of
color prejudice exists here. They tax the
nativ African, and under law he is not al
lowed to walk on the street pavement, yet
large number will do it, law or no law.
But African preachers aud colored people
who are from other countries or the west
Indies, &c, are not barred by law. These
Beers or Dutch have great respect for the
Christian ministry. some how they great
~ favor our church, also. The Jubilee
Singers, here from the United States. and
who met US upon our arrival at the depot,
stop at first class hotel. &c.
Our reception here at Pretoria, nearly
a hundred miles further than Johannes.
burg, was great surprise. The depot was
thronged with white, and all coors to see
the first colored bishop " no was ever in
South Africa. The whites looked on with
smiles of welcome, by hundreds, and the
colored were out by thousands. On either
side of the carriage they walked and rode
and laughed and talked. Upon our arri
val at the residence Of Rev. NJ. M. Mo
kone. P. E., the children, dress in white
and the woman. as we'll as men, crowded
by thousands and sang, clapped hands
and cheered, &c. But we could not un-
derstand a word they said except IBIS
som Turna." as it sounded to US. Speech
es of welcome were delivered and transla-
ted into English for our benefit. and when
we spoke in English, Elders Dwan or
Mokone or Xaba translated it into Kaflir
and Dutch and Zulu as fast as we spoke,
and the reason we knew they understood,
was by the cheers they sent up when we
would speak about the future of Africa.
The predictions Of African development
would set them wild with pleasure and
delight.
Of all the reverence paid to bishop
that ever was thought of, these people
appear TO excel. My Lord" Your
Grace" Eyes my Lord" mo, my Lord"
''Will my Lord have an orange" Dinner
is ready. my Lord" And when in confer
ence motions are made in this wise: "By
permission of your Grace, move SO and
90" and when the Bishop enters church,
all rise and stand upon their feet until be
walks to the pulpit or altar and sits down,
than they will sit down, and not till the
Bishop sits down. A number ofour men,
)ers and preachers here came out of the
English church, and they have brought
heir Episcopal reverence with them.
There are five or six English Bishops in
south Africa and everybody appears to be
acquainted with the customs and our