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Show RHODESIA It was indeed a great adventure and one of the most thrilling of the history of the American Board, when brave and heroic pioneers set out in 1893 to make the tedious journey up the Buzi river from Beira to Mt. Silinda to develop a new Mission upon a rich tract of land granted to the Board by the British government, a site recommended by Cecil Rhodes himself. Great things were accomplished in ten years-homes built, forests felled, roads made, schools opened, industrial education at the fore, medical and evangelistic work always prominent, and always with the co-operation of the Christian Zulus, '' the fairest flower of missionary efforts.'' In response to a call for a teacher and inspirer of girls, Miss Julia F. Winter, went to Mt. Silinda in 1904. Artist, musician, linguist with the fine preparation of seven years of teaching at Hampton, the American Board gave of its very best when Julia Winter went to Africa. Her sister, Mrs. C. A. Kofoid and her mother had become residents of Berkeley, and it became our happy privilege to adopt her. She soon becam.e the bride of Mr. John E. Hatch of the South African General ]\Iission with whom she had worked upcn the translations of Gospels and hymns into the Chindau language. Before Mr. Hatch could arrange a transfer of his work to the American Board, death took the sweet young wife and able missionary. Following that we had the pleasure of supporting Miss Clio Wilder who had made her first trip up the Buzi in pioneer days, one of "the keen joys and grave responsibilities" of that period. To her the Zulu language came as a mother tongue, and after her education in America, she returned to work with her parents until her marriage in 1909. We were kept in close touch with Rhodesia Mission after that through the careful correspondence of Mrs. Estelle R. King, and by an extremely small contribution to her work, which she generously waived in 1919 that we might undertake to help Gogoyo. It had always been a part of the original plan that there should be a chain of stations from Mt. Silinda to the sea. Gogoyo is the name of an African chief, of his kraal away on the fertile banks of the Buzi [ 64 ] |