The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-08-31
From South Africa.

ED. REPUBLICAN:-
Your paper is very welcome weekly
visitor and haye thought some time OF
writing you but have been so very busy.
look forward with pleasure to the arri-
val of the REPUBLICAN with its news
from dear old Tionesta and Forest Co.
In fancy l see you all and realize that
many are longing for some cool shady
nook and perhaps wiping great drops of
perspiration from your brows, while we
are enjoying lovely winter weather, that
is, on days when the air is not filled with
red dust.
Some one asks me in letter if the cities
in Africa were like the American cities.
Could they see johannesburg only eight
miles from us they would be convinced
that it for one is. II is now city of per-
haps hundred thousand white inhabl-
tants, basides natives and other colored
races, and is growing rapidly. Quite a
number of very high buildings have gone
up and several "sky scrapers" are now
being erected. Street cars are at present
drawn by horses but electricity will
doubtless soon take their place. The white
population is made up of repres sentatives
from almost every nation on the globe,
dominating.
suppose that scattered over the re-
mainder of this gold rand, which is sixty
miles long, are as many white inhabi-
tants as are at johannesburg, About
sixty thousand natives are employed in
the mines alone, while many more are
employed in kitchens, barns and many
other places of labor. When you know
that besides the above there are many
Indians and Arabs, Japanese and other
colored peoples, you will have some idea
what mixed population we have here.
But the aboye does not satisfy the
mine owners. Claiming that enough ma
tive laborers cannot be secured to work
the mines properly, they have secured
permission from the English government
to import Chinese coolies and the work
of importing has begun. Some mines
will employ natives and some Chinese.
One OF the compounds in which we
preach is to have eighteen hundred Chi
nese soon. Many think they could get
plenty of natives if they treated them bet
ter. But be that as it may they are com.
PEELED to treat the Chinese better, and il
they prove satisfactory many thousands
| will be brO't to this country.
We had the privilege recently of at
tending at johannesburg the first general
missionary con ference of South Africa
Twenty-siX different churches Tor mis-
sionary societies) were represented, and
many interesting papers pertaining tC
different phases of missionary work were
read.
1t was an inspiration to see some of the
heads that had grown white in this work
One man present had been a missionary
| forty-eight years, another forty-three,
and on down. We felt. in comparison,
| like babes and yet greatly honored in
having the privilege of being identified
with those old veterans who are truly
some Of earths noblist sons and daugh-
ters.
Yon have doubtless all read Of the death
of ex-prcsidcnt Kruger. Ills funeral
when his body arrives in the Transvaal
will doubtless he big affair.
Much more might he written about
this wonderful country but it is post time
so close.
Very sincerely,
Rosa HUNTER SMITH.
Germiston, Transvaal, s. Africa.