CHAPTER XXXII.

VISIT FROM MISSIONARY SECRETARY-BIRTH OF DAUGHTER-NEW MISSION FOUNDED SECOND WALK

TO INHAMBANE-LITERARY WORK.

"He that will observe the wonderful providences of God shall have the wonderful providences of God to observe." -Doddridge.

The year 1898 was attended by many tokens of the divine favor and blessing such as made the missionary and his wife increasingly sure they were in the divine order. Their experiences were, as usual, made up of mingled and alternating hopes and disappointments, joys and sorrows. On the whole, however, there was so much more of sunshine than of shadow as to make it an exceptionally bright year in their missionary life.

One of the pleasant events of the year was a visit from the Rev. B. Winget, of Chicago, Illinois, U. S. A., missionary secretary of the Free Methodist church. Conditions in connection with the Natal work were such as, in the judgment of the board of directors. required his presence in Natal for a season. He was accordingly advised to go there and did so. While there he also took occasion to push on to the Transvaal, visit Mr. and Mrs. Agnew and survey the situation in connection with the Johannesburg work. He took with him Miss Lucy A. Hartman, who had recently arrived in Africa, and left her to work for a

season there. This visit was enjoyable and profitable to all parties, and later proved of much value to both the missionary secretary and Mr. Agnew, owing to the better mutual understanding it gave them regarding conditions and needs in connection with the final opening of board work there.

July 12th of this year was a specially bright day in the humble home of our missionary's family in Johannesburg. It was the advent of a little daughter to the home which made the day unusually joyous. Mr. Agnew received the child, whom they named Susie Grace, as from the Lord, and with unusual demonstrations of joy. He laughed, cried and shouted "Glory to God!" repeatedly. The arrival of this daughter in his home was the more an occasion of joy to him since he regarded the event as beginning the fulfilment of what had been revealed to him in a vision some years before his first marriage. The surviving Mrs. Agnew relates the story, and tells of how, on the occasion referred to, Mr. Agnew, while living alone at Inhambane and lying so ill that he had despaired of living much longer, was granted a vision of little Susie, just as she appeared at the age reached when her father finally died. During the few years he lived after her birth she was continually a comfort and source of joy to him, and he often expressed the hope that his Susie. might some time be a missionary like himself.

The latter part of this year also brought them cheering tidings from the church at home. The general conference, held at Chicago in October, gave much attention to the subject of foreign missions, particularly to the African work. The prospects at Johan

nesburg were regarded as so promising that the missionary board, which met at the same time and place, decided to undertake opening up its work in that city. Funds were appropriated for the purchase of a site and for the erection of suitable buildings, and the decisions of the board were communicated to Mr. Agnew with instructions to him to proceed with the enterprise.

MR. AGNEW AND BABY SUSIE.

This was a cheering providence indeed. For a little over two years he and his devoted wife had worked under Mr. Baker, although Free Methodist missionaries. During this time they had enjoyed much freedom and seen good results in their work. Their relations to Mr. Baker had been pleasant, and, once a year, Mr. Agnew had been permitted to revisit the Inhambane field to look after the interests of the work there,

Still, they decidedly preferred to feel that their work was under the direction of the board at home, as several letters from Mr. Agnew, published in the Free Methodist of that year, in addition to what we have quoted from his pen in a foregoing chapter, clearly show.

On looking about for a site for the new mission Mr. Agnew thought possibly the one which seemed to him the most desirable might be regarded by Mr. Baker as too near to his work, and so he frankly referred the matter to that gentleman for consideration, not wishing to violate the law of comity, particularly in relation to one who had been in many ways kind and helpful to himself and Mrs. Agnew. Mr. Baker exhibited a truly Christian spirit in the matter, declaring there was room for both, and that it did not matter who did the work, only so it was done and souls saved, and that it mattered not whether it was done in his mission or some other. He also readily consented to release Mr. and Mrs. Agnew from his employ in order to let them begin work for the board and give their undivided time thereto.

Accordingly preparations were made for the change, and on January 1, 1899, work was begun on the new mission buildings, Mr. Agnew in the meantime continuing to live in Mr. Baker's mission house, and keeping up the night school for Mr. Baker for the use of the same. This arrangement continued until the 4th of March, when, the new mission home being completed, Mr. Agnew and his family moved into it, and the new mission was a realized fact.

In selecting a site for his mission Mr. Agnew pur

chased a lot 250 x 450 feet, with a view to erecting thereon two mission buildings, one as a home for the missionaries, and the other to be used for school purposes. The location was near several of the large compounds, where thousands of heathen natives were accessible to the missionaries. He wrote of it at the time, saying: "The place will be a regular sanitarium for Inhambane workers." The buildings erected were

JOHANNESBURG F. M. MISSION PROPERTY AS SEEN AT A DISTANCE.

respectively 30 x 30 and 20 x 35, the former the dwelling house and the latter the school building, with two rooms at the end to be occupied by the native evangelist and as a printing room. The entire cost of the buildings was about $2,800, including the cost of digging a well. The property, with the buildings completed, was regarded as more valuable than an adjoining property held at $4,700.

Although not yet completed the mission chapel was