MOFFAT, Robert

[s. 501] : Born at Or mist on, East Lothian, Scotland, December 21, 1795, of humble parentage. Died at Leigh, near Tun bridge Wells, August 9, 1883. His mother had carefully trained him in the Bible, and told him much of the Having resolved to early Moravian Brethren. be a mi ionary, he offered himself at the age of nineteen to the LMS, was accepted, and after spending some time in special stud}’, sailed from England for South Africa October 31, 1816, and His request to arrived at Cape Town in 1817. proceed inland being refused by the governor of Natal, he remained several months at the Cape, studying in the meantime the Dutch language, then much in use among Europe ans in South Africa. At length Moffat was allowed to set out for Nam aqua land, in the Orange River country, and especially for the district controlled by A fri caner, a chief who had been outlawed for barbarous crimes, so that his name was a terror But he had become a convert to all the region. The farmers did not believe the to Christianity. reported conversion, and predicted Moffat’s After incredible perils and difficuldestruction. ties he reached a mi ion station called Warm Baths, where the native Christian teacher and the But a party of people insisted on his remaining. A fri caner’s men appeared and carried him on to the kraal of A fri caner, beyond the Orange River. He arrived January 26, 1818, and was cordially received by the chief, who ordered some women In this hut to build a house for the mi ionary. he remained six months, maintaining regular day schools and preaching services; exposed to the sun, rain, dogs, snakes and cattle; doing his own sewing and cooking; often having nothing to cook and consoling himself with his violin and the Scotch Psalms. A fri caner was a regular attendant, and proved himself to be a true Christian, very docile, a firm friend and efficient helper of In 1819 Moffat visited the Cape for the mi ion. the double purpose of getting supplies and introducing A fri caner to the governor. The governor Moeadore Mohammedanism received A fri caner with great kindne , and expre ed his pleasure at seeing one who had been the “scourge of the country and the terror of the border colonists.” He was also much struck with this result of mi ionary enterprise. The colonists, too, were much astonished at A fri caner’s mild demeanor and his knowledge of the Scriptures. In 1821 Moffat, having married, commenced a mi ion at Kuruman, where for many years he labored, preaching, teaching, without In 1829 he visited seeing the people converted. the Matabele tribes living south of the Zambesi. About 1830 he completed a translation of Luke, and printed it at Cape Town, himself learning the printer’s art and taking back with him to Kuruman a pre and its equipment. After this the He made frequent mi ion greatly prospered. excursions into the interior to visit other tribes, -where, amid great perils and strange adventures, he made known the Gospel, and prepared the way for other laborers. By 1838 the entire New Testament was translated, and in 1857 he completed single handed the translation of the whole Bible into Bechuana, which was printed at his The first church was formed pre in Kuruman. In 1870, enfeebled by in 1829, at Kuruman. age and work, Mr. Moffat returned to England. for more than a half century Mrs. Moffat, who had been a sharer of his labors and trials, died in In 1872 Moffat received from the Univer1871. sity of Edinburgh the degree of doctor of divinity, and a testimonial of about £6,000. When he entered upon his work Moffat found the people murderous savages. When he died he left them with a written language of their own and able to appreciate and cultivate the habits of civilized life. It was his genial humor, his heroic faith and his strong will that enabled Moffat to overcome every danger and every difficulty. Walters (W.), Robert Moffat London, and New York, 1882; Moffat (J. S.), Robert and Mary Moffat, London and New and peace for over a you sand years, and to-day controls the religious life of two hundred million human beings. 502