LOVEDALE, a mission station in the Victoria East division of the Cape
province, South Africa. It lies 1720 ft. above the sea on the banks of
the Tyumie (Chumie) tributary of the Keiskama river, some 2 m. N. of
Alice, a town 88 m. N.W. by rail of East London. The station was founded
in 1824 by the Glasgow Missionary Society and was named after Dr John
Love, one of the leading members of, and at the time secretary to, the
society. The site first chosen was in the Ncera valley. But in 1834 the
mission buildings were destroyed by the Kaffirs. On rebuilding, the
station was removed somewhat farther north to the banks of the Tyumie.
In 1846 the work at Lovedale was again interrupted, this time by the War
of the Axe (see CAPE COLONY: _History_). On this occasion the buildings
were converted into a fort and garrisoned by regular troops. Once more,
in 1850, the Kaffirs threatened Lovedale and made an attack on the
neighbouring Fort Hare,[1] built during the previous war.
Until 1841 the missionaries had devoted themselves almost entirely to
evangelistic work; in that year the Lovedale Missionary Institute was
founded by the Rev. W. Govan, who, save for brief intervals, continued
at its head until 1870. He was then succeeded by the Rev. James Stewart
(1831-1905), who had joined the mission in 1867, having previously
(1861-1863), and partly in company with David Livingstone, explored the
Zambezi regions. To Stewart, who remained at the head of the institute
till his death, is due the existing organization at Lovedale. The
institute, in addition to its purely church work--in which no sectarian
tests are allowed--provides for the education of natives of both sexes
in nearly all branches of learning (Stewart discontinued the teaching of
Greek and Latin, adopting English as the classic); it also takes
European scholars, no colour distinction being allowed in any department
of the work. The institute gives technical training in many subjects and
maintains various industries, including such diverse enterprises as
farming and printing-works. It also maintains a hospital. The school
buildings rival in accommodation and completeness those of the schools
in large English cities. The sum paid in fees by scholars (of whom fully
nine-tenths were Kaffirs) in the period 1841-1908 was £84,000. The
educational and industrial methods initiated at Lovedale have been
widely adopted by other missionary bodies. Lovedale is now a branch o£
the work of the United Free Church of Scotland.
See R. Young, _African Wastes Reclaimed and Illustrated in the Story
of the Lovedale Mission_ (London, 1902); J. Stewart, _Lovedale, Past
and Present_ (London, 1884), and _Dawn in the Dark Continent_ (London,
1903); J. Wells, _Stewart of Lovedale_ (London, 1908).
FOOTNOTE:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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