The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-09-08
TOUR OF BISHOP j. A. JOHNSON
THROUGH ORANGE FREE
STATE. SOUTH AFRICA.

AS the Presiding Elder of Orangia
District, comprising the whole of
Grange Free State, divided on the
west by the Orange River, east by
Natal, north by Vaal River and south
by Caledon River, or Basuboland, |
went from Bloemfontein, the capital
of Free State and my headquarters,
and met the Bishop Friday morning,
the 2Sth of April, 1911, at Springfon-
tein, the extreme west point of Gran
gia District.
We took the train together for
Vagersfontein. We spent Sunday,
the Both of April, 1911, here at this
place, the Bishop preaching in the
evening to good attendance. On
Monday night, the list of May, 1911,
welcome reception was held, pre-
sided over by the Wesleyan minister
and superintendent of Vagersfontein
Circuit, a very pleasant night was
passed, the hall being crowded, so
that good many people were outside
and there were inside some Govern
ment> officials and an editor of the
local paper.
From here we went to Bethulie, on
our way to Smithfield, where we to-
cart and two horses and drove the
whole day to four in the afternoon,
when we reached Smithfeld
The pastor of this place is Robert
L. Abrahams. On Sunday morning,
the 7th of May, the pastor preached
and the Bishop said a few words on
the sermon of the preacher to the
people. The afternoon we baptized
seven infants by the Bishop, seven
receptions to full membership by the
Presiding Elder, and five baptized
adults, and the Bishop, assisted by
the Presiding Elder, administered the
Holy Sacrament to over 90 communi-
cants.
On Monday morning, the 9Th, we
resumed our back journey the Bethu-
lie. The atmosphere was pretty
heavy and cold, and a shower of rain
fell now and then until towards the
afternoon. Before our arrival at Be-
THULE it cleared. Here we stayed un-
til Tuesday night, when we took d
freight local train to Springfontein,
arriving at 9 o'clock the same night
aud spending the whole day Wednes-
day and opened a new church. On
Thursday, a little before noon, we
left Springfontein, arriving at Eden
burg, a distance of forty-eight miles,
being met at the station by the pas
tor, Rev p p H. Melete, with his
cart, driving us to the parsonage,
where we found members and school
children of our church formed up
in two lines, and we in the cart had
to run the gauntlet when we got down.
On Saturday night a welcome re-
ception was held in the newly-built
church, the most beautiful and we'll
finished church edifice in the whole
o. Orangia There were present the
Mayor and Deputy Mayor and some
Dutch men and women, and one or
two English ladies, and the Bishop
appeared at his best this night, in
PRODUCING his mission and the mis-
sion of his church in South Africa
Altogether we spent good and pleas
ant night The Mayor also made re-
marks on behalf of the people Of
Edenburg.
On Sunday the Bishop dedicated
the church edifice, and the European
element was we'll represented, the
Magistrate, jailer and catechist of the
ANGLICAN or Episcopalian church, the
station master and a good many
Young men and ladies-the house
was quite crowded, almost no stand
ing room.
n the afternoon the Bishop bap-
tiled four infants, three adults, and
three young girls were received into
full connection. In the evening the
~ esiding Elder preached. Early in
the morning, before sunrise, we took
the cart to the station, where we
waited a while till almost sunrise,
and then took the train for Bloom
fo0tein, the capital of Orange Free
State. Our pastor is the Rev. Jares
Y. Tautsi, B. D., graduate of Will
berforce. The Bishop spent those
cold, wintry ten days as the guest
Of the presiding elder On Sunday,
the 21st, it was raining and very
cold and we did not get the attend
ance we expected. The Bishop
preached in the morning service and
the evening sermon was delivered by
the Rev. Sol D. Magyar, of the A. M.
2. Church, Springfontein. In the af-
ternoon it was disciplinary talk to-
the members of our church, delivered
by the Bishop at the request of the
pastor. We left on Thursday, the
25th of May, 1911, for Lindley, a
distance of $50 miles, reaching
Kroonstad at 1876 in the night and
changing compartments. We sufferer
a great deal in the compartment from
cold