f t a T l DS.
G B N A D B N D A I , A MOHATIAB MISSIOSAHY SETÏLEMEST I » SOUTH AF7ÌICA.
" III illsUiiil Europe ofl I've Ionici to see
Tliia quiet Vaio of Grace; to list tlic so
Of lulIiDg brooks aud moauing turtles r<
The apostle Seliniidt's old consecrated tr
To hear tlie hymns of solemn melody
Rising Iroiii the sequestered tiurial-grouii
To see tl »then tauglit, the lost sliee|i fon
Tbe blind restored, the long-oppressed set frP
All this I've witnessed nou-, and plcagaiitly
Its memory shall in my licurl rcaiain;
But yet more close Ihmiliar ties there be,
1'hat bind me to thia fi|>ot ivitli grulcful clmii
AiiorT ninetj- miles fi'oai Cape Tomi, in the district of" Zwellcndam, and not far from the winding Zonder-eintk-
River, embosomed amidst mountains, lies the sweet Valley of Genadendal, or Gnadenthal, which signifies -'The Vale of
Grace." In this secluded and peaceful ralley is an extensive Hottentot village, established by the Moravians, whose
laboui-s amongst tbis despised and benighted people have been crowned witli great success. About the middlit of last
century, George Schmidt, a Moravian missionary, first established a mission amongst the Kotteutots, and ol)taine(i a
gi'ant from the Dutch Government to form a settlement in this valley, The site of the pear-tree, beneath the shade
of which the venerable Schmidt was accustomed to preach to the Hottentots, is still pointei! out; but another pear-tree
has taken its place, and the spot is marked by a rustic seat.
The present number of Hottentot inhabitants at Genadendal is '¿SS?. There were last year 54 deaths and 115 births:
there are 864 communicants in the church of the United Brethren. The settlement contains 268 solid houses, and 2(it>
huts and reed buijdhigs, all the work of the Christian Hottentots, whose dwellings—many of them, at least—display
great cleanliness and many personal comforts of civilised life. Most of the inhabitants support themselves by the produce
of theii- gardens, and work for the neighbouring fannei-s. Not a few of them possess liidlock-waggons, and in these they
convey their produce to the Cape Town market. Peace and quietness, order and repose, seem to preside over this
happy village, and the brethren, in attending to the spiritual wants of the people amongst \vhom they have established
themselves, have not been forgetful, as is sometimes tlie case, of their temporal need and advancement, hut have, in the
true spirit of wisdom and charity, made Christianity and civil ¡nation go hand in hand. There arc, besides the superintendant
and liis wife, about ten brethren with their wives and families, who have each their own department to attend to.
One, for instance, is a cutler, another a cabinet-maker, another a tanner, and so on; and in their workshops the young
people are instructed iu these several trades, Tlien there are the schools for the cliildi-en of both sexes, in which, be,sides
reading the Scriptures and writing, the higher branches of education, such as drawing, history, the globes, geogi'aphy,
and gramniar. are taught daily.
Some of the author's happiest days were spent at Genadendal, in company with a yomig friend who has since been
lost at sea; and this, mingled with the kindness and hospiUility of tlie excellent missionaries and their wives, the
interesting Hottentot population, and the extreme loveliness of the surrounding scenery, has caused a feeling of attachment
not to be overcome.
On a Sabbath morning the voice of sacred song ascends from the rustic chapel, in the midst of its venerable grove
of oaks, harmonising finely with the quiet seclusion of this beautiful spot- But it is on Easter mom that Gnadenthal
presents a solemii and imposing scene. As the first rays of the rising sun gild the slopes of the Groeteberg and the
Thunderberg, the brethren and sisters, together wiih the converts—the women arrayed in white—assemble iu the secluded
burial-ground, beneath the shade of the autumnal trees that ovei\shadow it. And there, as the decaying leaves fall upon
the graves of the loved and departed ones, they all, with one voice, siiig the Easter Iljmn. The clear, rich melody of
their Toices, echoing amidst the surrounding mountains, has an indescriliable effect, which one can never forget; and they
go on sin^ng till tlip sun's slant rays fall on the rose-garnished graves at theii' feet, telling of the resurrection from
the dead, and shining «'ith a bright and happy light upon the inscription above tlie wooden gateway; although as you
enter you read the words "sown in iccakness." yet inside, where the sun shines, you mark legibly the words of lH>])e,
•'raised in pouer."