Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)

Ms 97, 1894

Diary Material

Cooranbong, Australia

August 28, 1894

Previously unpublished.

Emily and I rode about three miles to see if we could obtain any vegetables before starting on this route. She thought best to inquire in regard to the probability of finding vegetables in any place. The store keeper, Mr. Russel, said he could not tell her, surely, where she could find vegetables, but the nearest information he could give was that he heard someone say that they designed [to] raise some vegetables. The police officer courteously gave information of a certain woman living about three miles eastward, that raised peas last year and brought them in to sell. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 1

With this indefinite information we started on our way and found a small cottage upon a rise of ground. A very humble house. In the paddock we could see one solitary orange tree, but a good, thorough fence guarded that tree from the cattle. Emily walked up to the little cottage and she was some time in conversation with a woman who lived in the house. After a while Emily and the woman came down to the gate and out into the road. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 2

She was not an aged woman but a woman of middle age with an intelligent face and a clear expressive eye. After exchanging a few words, I asked if she loved the Lord. She answered quickly, “Oh, yes. What could I do in all my trials and struggling with poverty if it was not for the comfort and the grace the Lord gives me?” 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 3

She then gave a little history of herself, stating she had had eleven children, only six of them she had raised. Her husband was a flagman at some distant station. He was not strong, and it was a great privilege to have that work to do. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 4

But as her family of children was growing up around them, she saw the father’s earnings could not maintain the children, and as they were growing in years they must have employment. She said to her husband, “Father, we must lay some plans to get a home. You remain at your position, and I will go with my boys upon a piece of land.” 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 5

“I found this land of 150 acres and purchased it for one pound per acre, and we commenced to work clearing and putting in crops, the boys helping me. I have an orchard of above 100 peach trees in bearing. This land is fruit land—yields fruit well. I have had no teams with which to work. Every dollar must go into the home. The boys and I bring all our provisions from the grocery on my back. I brought my pig up on my back. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 6

“We put in a crop [of] pumpkins and how we watched those pumpkins, and the day was set for gathering them; but the night before, every pumpkin was stolen. How bad we all felt. I told the police. He said, I will attend to that business, and he was as good as his word. There has nothing been taken from my place since, and I have lived here eight years. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 7

“I went to purchase a door for my house and [the man] charged me one pound for a door. He overcharged a poor woman struggling to obtain a humble home. Well, we were poor, very poor, but we are not so poor as we have been. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 8

“I have an 11-year-old daughter that lives with her father. I go to the station every two weeks, and remain a week with my husband and cook up food for him, and then return to my little farm. But we are poor and no one assists us. I am longing to see someone to speak with.” 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 9

“Do you attend meetings?” I asked. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 10

“Once in a great while I attend the Methodist meeting. I am a Presbyterian and shall always be a Presbyterian. But I am not bigoted. I am so hungry for religious privileges I would even attend the Catholic meetings, but we seldom have meetings anywhere near enough to attend. I wish we could have meetings. Sunday is a very long day to my boys. I wish they had some place where they could go to meetings.” 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 11

We took her address and promised to send her papers and pamphlets. We have sent her Steps to Christ and Bible Echoes. We thought, Soon you will have meetings which you can attend. We thought with pleasure of the scattered, hungry sheep without a shepherd, and, oh, how satisfying to call these scattered sheep and feed them with the truth, Bible truth. We heard of quite a number scattered around everywhere who could be [taught]. Certainly the message must go to all who are in the highways and byways of life—out into the highways and hedges, with the gospel message, compelling them to come in. 9LtMs, Ms 97, 1894, par. 12