South Africa -- Description and travel; South Africa -- History -- 1836-1909; South Africa -- History -- To 1836
Civilization can not come at once. The coming I fear under any
circumstances must be slow. But this is the quickest way towards it that
has yet been found. The simple teaching of religion has never brought
large numbers of Natives to live in European habits; but I have no doubt
that European habits will bring about religion. The black man when he
lives with the white man and works under the white man’s guidance will
learn to believe really what the white man really believes himself.
Surely we should not expect him to go faster. But the missionary has
endeavoured to gratify his own soul by making here and there a model
Christian before the pupil has been able to understand any of the
purposes of Christianity. I have not myself seen the model Christian
perfected; but when I have looked down into the Kimberley mine and seen
three or four thousand of them at work,--although each of them would
willingly have stolen a diamond if the occasion came,--I have felt that
I was looking at three or four thousand growing Christians.
Because of this I regard Kimberley as one of the most interesting places
on the face of the earth. I know no other spot on which the work of
civilizing a Savage is being carried on with so signal a success. The
Savages whom we have encountered in our great task of populating the
world have for the most part eluded our grasp by perishing while we have
been considering how we might best deal with them. Here, in South
Africa, a healthy nation remains and assures us by its prolific
tendency that when protected from self-destruction by our fostering care
it will spread and increase beneath our hands. But what was to be done
with these people? Having found that they do not mean to die, by what
means might we instruct them how to live? Teach them to sing hymns, and
all will be well. That is one receipt. Turn them into slaves, and make
them work. That is another receipt. Divide the land with them, and let
them live after their own fashions;--only subject to some little control
from us. That was a third. The hymns have done nothing. The slavery was
of course impossible. And that division of land has been, perhaps not
equally futile, but insufficient for the growing needs of the
people;--insufficient also for our own needs. Though we abuse the Kafir
we want his service, and we want more than our share of his land. But
that which no effort of intelligence could produce has been brought
about by circumstances. The Diamond Fields have been discovered and now
there are ten thousand of these people receiving regular wages and quite
capable of rushing to a magistrate for protection if they be paid a
shilling short on Saturday night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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