Delightful Change

Delightful change — Aaron Josephs baptized — Cheering fruits — llaptism of six converts — Expectations realized — Rejoicing with trembling — The Gospel civilizes — Native costume — Sewing school commenced — Dawn of civilization — Novel fashions — Candle¬ making adopted — Feelings and experience of the natives — The dying convert.

While thus the judgments of the Lord were abroad among the tribes, the appearances on the station were indicative of the long-desired change. The temporary chapel was becoming too small. The readiness with which many answered the questions of Dr. William Brown’s Catechism, which had been translated, and an increasing fixedness of attention to the preacher, were like the glimmering light on the eastern sky, so long watched for, — the presaging tints of the brighter rays which were, ere long, to gild the horizon, — the harbingers of the Sun of Righteousness arising on a benighted people.

Mv. Hamilton, who had been detained unusually long in the Colony and on the road, from severe drought and loss of oxen, to our great joy arrived in the end of August, 1828. This veteran and faithful labourer, who might with great pro])riety be called the father of the Bechuana mission, was beyond

measure delighted to find, although our circumstances had been perilous during his absence, that now his mental energies were to be called into exercise in a way he had scarcely dared to anticipate. Shortly after this we were favoured with the manifest outpouring of the Spirit from on high. The moral wilderness was now about to blossom. Sable cheeks bedewed with tears attracted our observation. To see females weep was nothing extraordinary: it was, according to Bechuana notions, their province, and theirs alone. Men would not weep. After having, by the rite of circumcision, become men, they scorned to shed a tear. In family or national afflictions, it was the woman’s work to weep and wail; the man’s to sit in sullen silence, often brooding deeds of revenge and death. The simple Gospel now melted their flinty hearts; and eyes now wept, which never before shed the tear of hallowed sorrow. Notwithstanding our earnest desires and fervent prayers, we were taken by surprise. We had so long been accustomed to indifference, that we felt unprepared to look on a scene which perfectly overwhelmed our minds. Our temporary little chapel became a Bochim — a place of weeping; and the sympathy of feeling spread from heart to heart, so that even infants wept. Some, after gazing with extreme intensity of feeling on the preacher, would fall down in hysterics, and others were carried out in a state of great exhaustion.

Some months previous to these changes, Aaron Josephs, who was once a runaway slave, hut who had, through the kind interference of G. Thompson, Esq., obtained his manumission for the sum of 1,500 rix-dollars, the proceeds of ivory he had collected for that purpose left his farm for a time, and came to reside at the station, for the sake of the education of his children, as well as to improve himself in reading and writing. Both he and his wife were steady and industrious, having come from the Colony, where they had enjoyed some advantages. He, also, was awakened to a sense of his danger, and having a tolerably extensive knowledge of divine truth, he was soon a candidate for Christian fellowship, and was, with his three children, baptized at the same time with our own infant. The scene, from the previous state of feeling, was deeply impressive and exciting. Notwithstanding all our endeavours to preserve decorum in the crowded place of worship, strong feeling gave rise to much weeping and considerable confusion; hut, although it was impossible to keep either order or silence, a deep impression of the Divine presence was felt. The work which had commenced in the minds of the natives received an additional impulse from the above circumstance; so that the sounds predominant throughout the village were those of singing and prayer. Those under concern held prayer-meetings from house to house, and when there were none able to engage in prayer, they sang till a late hour, and before morning dawned, they would assemble again at some house for worship, before going to labour. AVe were, soon after this interesting occurrence, delighted with farther results. Aaron and two other men came and offered to take upon themselves the labour and expense of raising a school-house, which would serve as a place of worship, till one for that special purpose was erected. All they required was the plan; and the

doors and windows, with their frames which they would also have made, but they lacked ability. This department, of course, Mr. Hamilton thankfully undertook. It was a voluntary act on their part, with¬ out the subject having been once hinted at. We had scarcely laid down the plan, fifty-one feet long by sixteen wide, when Aaron, who was by trade both builder and thatcher, set all in motion. The season happened to be a rainy one, and as the walls were made of clay, there were serious interruptions; but it was nevertheless soon completed; for all who felt interested in the work even women and children, gave what assistance was in their power, carrying clay, laths from the bushes, materials for thatch, or whatever else could contribute to its erection. It afforded us no small gratification to see the building finished with zeal equal to that with which it was commenced. Many important improvements were at the same time made in the outward affairs of the mission, in which there was no lack of native assistance, while the language and translations were attended to, to supply the wants of those who were now beginning to thirst after Divine knowledge.

The building was opened in the month of May, 1829, and in the following month we selected from among the inquirers six candidates for baptism. This was not done without much prayer and deliberation. These had given us very satisfactory proofs of a change of heart. After particular private examination, separately, they were found to possess a much larger knowledge of Divine truth than was expected; and their answers were most satisfactory; it was truly gratifying to observe the simplicity of their faith, implicitly relying on the atonement of Christ, of which they appeared to have a very clear conception, considering the previous darkness of their minds on such subjects. They were therefore baptized on the first sabbath of July, when other circumstances concurred to impart additional interest to the solemnity. It appeared as if it had been the design of Providence to call together from all quarters an unusual and most unexpected number of spectators from Philippolis, Campbell, Griqua Town, and Boochuap. From these places there were present about fifty Griquas, who happened to congregate here previous to their proceeding on a hunting expedition. These were suit¬ ably and profitably impressed with what transpired, for they themselves had been for some time previous in a lukewarm state, and were thus awakened to jealousy about their own condition, by seeing the Bechuanas pressing into the fold of Christ, while they by their backslidings were being thrust out; and to this we frequently afterwards heard that people bear testimony.

There were also present parties from different places of the interior, who had come for purposes of barter. The place of worship was crowded to excess, and the greatest interest excited by a scene which was indeed a novelty to many, the service being conducted in the Bechuana language. After a sermon on John i. 29, a suitable address was given to the candidates, and when a number of questions had been asked, they were baptized, with five of their children. Among them was Rachel, the wife of Aaron, whom Mr. Hamilton addressed in Dutch, she being more conversant with that language; the others were

Bechuanas. In the evening we sat down together to commemorate the death of our Lord.* Our number, including ourselves and a Griqua, was twelve. It was an interesting, cheering, and encouraging season to our souls; and we concluded the delightful exercises of the day by taking coffee together in the evening. Our feelings on that occasion were such as our pen would fail to describe. We were as those that dreamed, while we realized the promise on which our souls had often hung: “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him,’’ The hour had arrived on which the whole energies of our souls had been intensely fixed, when we should see a church, however small, gathered from among a people who had so long boasted that neither Jesus, nor we, his servants, should ever see Bechuanas worship and confess him as their King.

It is only necessary to glance at the records of that mission from its commencement, to be able in some measure to conceive the emotions such a change produced on our minds. We had long felt assured that when once the Spirit was poured out from on high, and when some of the natives had made a public pro-

* It may not be unworthy of remark, that on the Friday even¬ ing previous, we received from John Greaves, Esq., of Sheffield, communion vessels and pulpit candlesticks, for which Mrs. M. had applied two years before, on Mrs. Greaves, her particular friend, kindly expressing a wish to know what she should send her. This, she requested, in the confidence of faith, that they would some time be needed, dark as things then appeared; and, singular enough, they arrived at the very juncture of time in which they were wanted, after being twelve months on the road. fession of their faith in the Redeemer of the world, or, in other words, when Jehovah should perform his ])romise, great would be the company of those who would publish or hear witness to the same. In this expectation we have been fully borne out by the number of missionaries who have since entered the country, the chapels which have been built, the schools raised, the crowded audiences and flourishing churches which have succeeded, not only at our own stations, but at those of the French and Wesleyan missionaries; and extending from the Winter Bergen, which bound Kafraria, to the Kalagare desert on the west.

Great as was the change, we still rejoiced with trembling; having too often witnessed the successful attem])ts of Satan to frustrate our efforts, and blast our former hopes, to imagine that he who had hither¬ to reigned without a rival among the tribes, would calmly submit to the violence done to his ancient rights, without attacking us on fresh ground. His kingdom had at last been successfully assailed, and a breach made; hut he who had lately roared so loud, might roar again. We therefore felt we needed a double portion of the Spirit, that we might he watch¬ ful to preserve, as well as to win souls. A great work had yet to be done before we could dare to glory. We knew that there were many prejudices to be over¬ come, much rubbish to be cleared away. The relation in which the believers stood to their heathen neighbours would expose their faith to trial. Some of them were a kind of serfs of others, who would rage at any innovation made on their former habits, all of which were congenial to sensual men, and o])])bsed alike to conversion and civilization. .But we prayed

and believed that He who had begun a good work would carry it on.

From what has been said in a preceding part of the present work, it will be seen that it was no more in our power to change their dress and habits, than it was to change their hearts, and we were convinced that evangelization must precede civilization. Much has been said about civilizing savages before attempt¬ ing to evangelize them. This is a theory which has obtained an extensive prevalence among the wise men of this world; but we have never yet seen a practical demonstration of its truth. It is very easy in a country of high refinement to speculate on what might be done among rude and savage men; but the Christian missionary, the only experimentalist, has invariably found that to make the fruit good, the tree must first be made good, and that nothing less than the power of Divine grace can reform the hearts of savages; after which the mind is susceptible of those instructions which teach them to adorn the Gospel they profess, in their attire as well as in their spirit and actions. It would appear a strange anomaly, to see a Christian professor lying at full length on the ground covered with filth and dirt, and in a state of comparative nudity, talking about Christian diligence, circumspection, purification, and white robes! The Gospel teaches that all things should be done decently and in order; and the Gospel alone can lead the savage to appreciate the arts of civilized life as well as the blessings of redemption. The heathen themselves occasionally reflect on its influence. An African chief, who, though a stranger to the power which converts the soul, seemed aware that it required some superior energy to reform the manners, addressing the author when

Pae 503 tracing civilization to its proper source, said, ‘‘ What, is it the precepts of that hook,” pointing to the Gospel of Luke, which I held in my hand, which has made you what you are, and taught the white people such wisdom; and is it that mahuku a molemo, (good news,) which has made your nation new, and clothed you, compared with whom we are like the game of the desert?”

Although, as has been stated, the term savages, when applied to Bechuanas, must be understood in a restricted sense, there was nothing either very comely or comfortable in the dress of either sex; yet such was their attachment to it, that any one deviating from it was considered a harlequin. The accompanying sketches, taken on the spot by an artist of Dr. Andrew Smith’s expedition, give a correct view of the common dress both of men and women, as they generally appear when walking, talking or working. When the weather is warm they throw off the cloak. In the drawing they look better than they really are, for there are many accompaniments, grease, red ochre, etc., which are very disgusting, emitting a most un¬ pleasant odour. The child, as may be seen, is carried in a skin on the mother’s back, with its chest lying close to her person. When it requires to he removed from that position, it is often wet with perspiration; and from being thus exposed to cold wind, pulmonary complaints are not unfrequently brought on. As soon as a child is born, its head is shaved, leaving a small tuft on the imperfectly ossified part of the skull; and when but a few weeks old, the little head mav be seen hanging over the skin in which it is carried, shining with grease, and exposed to the rays of an almost

vertical sun; yet the coup de soleil is not of frequent occurrence either in infants or adults. The natives, however, are far from admiring a hot sun; and it is not uncommon to hear them say, “Letsatsi le utluegayang?” How does the sun feel?” and this exclamation is not to be wondered at, for I have known the action of the sun’s rays so powerful on the masses of grease and black shining ochre on the head, as to cause it to run down their necks and blister the skin. They are therefore often found carrying a parasol made of black ostrich feathers, and, in the absence of these, will hold a small branch over their heads. I have frequently observed the Matabele warriors carry¬ ing their shields over their heads for the same purpose.

The commencement made, although on a very small scale compared with those mighty movements recorded in the overthrow of idolatry in some of the islands of the South Seas, was, nevertheless, what we had for many a long year ardently desired to see with our eyes, and to hear with our ears. To listen to Bechuanas exclaiming, “We have been like the beasts before God — what shall we do to be saved?” and to observe them receiving with meekness the milk of the word, produced in our minds sensations not unlike those experienced by aged Simeon, when he held the infant Saviour in his arms. We were naturally led to anticipate an outward change among the inquirers, corresponding with their professions. Those who were baptized had previously procured decent raiment, and prepared it for the occasion, with Mrs. M.’s assistance, who had to supply two of the women with gowns from her own wardrobe. Hitherto a sewing school had been uncalled for, the women’s work being that of bailding houses, raising fences, and cultivating the ground; while the lords of the creation, for their own convenience and comfort, had from time immemorial added to their pursuits the exercise of sewing their garments, which, from their durability and scanty supply, was anything hut a laborious work. It was a novel sight to observe women and young girls hand¬ ling the little bright instrument, which was scarcely perceptible to the touch of fingers accustomed to grasp the handle of a pickaxe, or to he employed as a substitute for trowels. But they were willing, and Mrs. M., in order to encourage them, engaged to meet them as often as her strength would permit. She had soon a motley group of pupils, very few of the whole party possessing either a frock or gown. The scarcity of materials was a serious impediment to progress, and living as we did far beyond the reach of traders, and six hundred miles from a market town, it was next to impossible to obtain them, at least just when wanted. The same Gospel which had taught them that they were spiritually miserable, blind, and naked, discovered to them also that they needed reform externally, and thus prepared their minds to adopt those modes of comfort, cleanliness, and convenience which they had been accustomed to view only as the peculiarities of a strange people. Thus, by the slow but certain progress of Gospel principles, whole families became clothed and in their right mind. Ornaments which were formerly in high repute, as adorning, but more frequently disfiguring their persons, were now turned into hullion to 2:)urchase skins of animals, which being prepared almost as soft as cloth, were made into jackets, trowsers, and gowns.

When opportunity was afforded by the visit of a trader, British manufactures were eagerly purchased.

For a long period, when a man was seen to make a pair of trowsers for himself, or a woman a gown, it was a sure intimation that we might expect additions to our inquirers. Abandoning the custom of painting the body, and beginning to wash with water, was with them what cutting off the hair was among the South Sea islanders, a public renunciation of heathenism. In the progress of improvement during the years which followed, and by which many individuals who made no profession of the Gospel were influenced, we were frequently much amused. A man might be seen in a jacket with but one sleeve, because the other was not finished, or he lacked material to complete it. Another in a leathern or duffel jacket, with the sleeves of different colours, or of fine printed cotton. Gowns were seen like Joseph’s coat of many colours, and dresses of such fantastic shapes, as were calculated to excite a smile in the gravest of us. It was somewhat entertaining to witness the various applications made to Mrs. Moffat, who was the only European female on the station, for assistance in the fabrication of dress; nor were these confined to female applicants. As it was seen that these matters were left to her, they thought that she must needs be mistress of all the arts of civilized life, and consequently capable of instructing men as well as women. One would bring prepared skins to get them cut into dresses, another wanted a jacket, and a third would be desirous of a pattern, while another would bring his garment sewed upside down, and ask why it would not fit. These efforts, however trifling they may appear, were the precursors of a mighty change, and the elements of a system which was destined to sweep away the filth and customs of former generations, and to open up numberless channels for British commerce, which, but for the Gospel, might have remained for ever closed. Our congregation now became a variegated mass, including all descriptions, from the lubricated wild man of the desert, to the clean, comfortable, and well-dressed believer. The same spirit diffused itself through all the routine of household economy. Formerly a chest, a chair, a candle, or a table, were things unknown, and supposed to be only the superfluous accompaniments of beings of another order. Although they never disputed the superiority of our attainments in being able to manufacture these superfluities, they would, however, question our common sense in taking so much trouble about them. They thought us particularly extravagant in burning fat in the form of candles, instead of rubbing it on our bodies, or depositing it in our stomachs. Hitherto, when they had milked their cows, they retired to their houses and yards, to sit moping over a few embers, seldom affording sufficient light to see what they were eating, or even each other; at night, spreading the dry hide of some animal on the floor, they would lie down in their skin cloaks, making a blanket at night of what had been their mantle all day. They soon found to read in the evening or by night required a more steady light than that afforded by a flickering flame from a bit of wood. Candle moulds and rags for wicks were now in requisition, and tallow carefully jireserved, and bunches of candles were shortly to

be seen suspended from the wall, a spectacle far more gratifying to us than the most charming picture, — an indication of the superior light which had entered their abodes.

Our prospects continued cheering, and the increasing anxiety for instruction and the growth of know¬ ledge among our candidates, greatly strengthened our hands. The experience of those who had been received into church fellowship, as well as those under conviction was often simply but expressively stated. “I seek Jesus,” one would say; and another, “I am feel¬ ing after God; I have been wandering, unconscious of my danger, among beasts of prey; the day has dawned, I see my danger.” A third would say, “I have been sleeping in the lion’s den; or been blown to and fro like a calabash upon the water, and might have sunk.” We could not help fearing, in the midst of this excitement, that in many it would prove only like the morning cloud and early dew, and therefore found it necessary to exercise great caution in receiving members into the little church.

The following circumstance occurred about this time, which was of the Lord, to encourage us, and strengthen the faith of those who had put their hand to the plough. Several females had been carried off by the kuatsi, the disease described in page 436. Among these was a married woman, who had been a very diligent inquirer after divine truth. Before the disease began to assume a fatal appearance, she spoke very clearly on the immense value of the instructions to which she had lately paid so much attention, at the same time professing the most lively hope of eternal life through the atonement of Jesus.

A few (lays subsequent to this declaration, feeling that the harbingers of death had arrived, she called her husband and friends, and addressed them in language affecting and arousing, exhorting them to believe in the words of Jehovah, and to flee for refuge to Jesus as the only Saviour. I am going to die.” This was startling language from the lips of a Mochuana. Some listened with amazement, and others wept. Weep not,” she said, because I am going to leave you, but weep for your sins and weep for your souls. With me all is well, for do not suppose that I die like a beast, or that I shall sleep for ever in the grave. No! Jesus has died for my sins; he has said he will save me; I am going to be with him.” Shortly after bearing this testimony, she who a few months before, according to her own language, was as ignorant as the cattle in the fold, now left the world with the full assurance of an eternal life beyond the grave.