Address by Rev. G. B. Molefe. Thursday, July 2, 1936. HOW ...

A ddress by Rev. G. B. Molefe. T hursday, July 2, 1936.H O W TO CONSOLIDATE TH E PRINCIPLES OF CH RISTIANITY AM ONGST TH E NA TIV E PE O PL E , W IT H A V IE W TO RAISING TH E

TO NE OF N A T IV E SOCIETY.A t first when I was asked to speak at this gathering

—the N atal M issionary Conference—I was tem pted to decline. M y reason, of course, was th a t the subject “ How to consolidate the Principles of Christianity am ongst the Native people w ith a view to raising the fu ture tone of N ative Society,” w arranted a choice of m en w ith m ore experience in the Mission field.

Second thoughts, however, m ade me decide to accept because m y mind was on the young people w ith whom and am ong whom I live.

Allow me for a m om ent to carry your thoughts back to 1835, when pioneer m issionary enterprise set foot in Natal. These m en came to grips w ith a race th a t had had its o^ra religion and customs. They found th a t the religion of the Natives was group religion. This was som ething alien to the Christian Religion, which is individualistic. Each person m ust decide for himself w hether he accepts Christ or not. W hereas the family, clan, or even the tribe had to conform to the worship of an ancestral spirit, w ith no aim a t all of convicting the individual soul as such to the belief of th is spirit, these m issionaries had to convert and convict the individual soul for Christ. This then was one of the tasks of the m issionary, and we shall see later on w hat effect this has made on the Native people.

T he second th ing that the W hite m issionary found am ong the Native people was a system of laws and cus­tom s which cut across the grain of the m issionaries who did not understand them. They had to break down this system altogether, and sta rt afresh or to build from this configuration pattern a new system , discarding those custom s th a t were essentially inconsistent w ith the spirit of C hrist’s gospel. M ost m issionaries took the first course.

Effect of Missionary Work.— L et me say at once that the work of the m issionaries has been successful to a point. They have been successful, for example, in bringing individual souls to surrender them selves to Christ instead of leading the group as a group to Christ.

Customs.—As regards b lo tting out Native custom s, may say th a t nominally the m issionary has w o n ;

although actually he has been defeated, inasmuch as lip- service is engaged in by a large group of Natives. The customs, some of which are against Christian principles, are being indulged in by many of the Christian N atives’ I^or example, belief in w itchcraft and the bone-thrower has not ceased. Native converts have not left polygamy The only difference is in the practice. There is much unhcenced polygamy. Man continues to have more than one wife, although the others are private wives. The missionary should have stam ped this out gradually.

T h at is why I feel th a t the battle for the Kingdom of Christ am ongst the Natives requires the best and m ost prayerful m essengers of God to struggle w ith this form of sin, otherw ise a new sect of pharisees w ill'b e firmly established.

Church Discipline.—As the years have gone by, Church discipline has slackened considerably. The Native custom s consisted of a system of taboos. Native society was obedient to the laws of the tribe because the individual who violated any of the custom s was ostracised. The tone of Native society was thus high.

Native people have the group mind greatly developed in them. _ This instinct should have been employed by m issionaries of the various denom inations in discipline. If an individual sinned in one denomination, the other denom inations should not receive him until he has been forgiven by his form er m inister. There is no uniform action am ong the various denom inations in stam ping out sin. One church may discipline a Christian, but when he tu rns tow ards another denomination, his sin is over­looked, and he is welcomed. There is no united front against sin.

Separatist Churches.-— Separatist Churches have largely contributed tow ards the cause of the low Christian tone of Native society. Many disciplined Natives tu rn with im punity to these Separatist Churches and become leaders of the people.

Superstition.—-A fter a hundred years’ work of preaching the Gospel of Christ, superstition is still as g rea t as ever. Even Native leaders are not immune from this. In fact, the social progress of Native society has been retarded by this great m onster — superstition. Superstition, the cousin of fear, has a m arked demoralis- ing influence on the spirit. I t dampens hope, kills love and destroys faith. I t m ust be adm itted th a t these three virtues are the basis on which our C hristian Faith is founded. Superstition has thus sapped the strength of the spirit of the Natives. To-day it m atters not how highly-educated a Native m ight be, m istress superstition has her sovereign shrine somewhere in him. This is no sw eeping statem ent.

Christian Principles: How Viewed. — V ery few young people now adays— and even old people — are Christians because they have been convicted of sin. D uring my travel to the Native Institu tions in the Union of South Africa, I rarely came across students who told me frankly that they became Christians because of cer­tain religious experiences. A m ajority of the answers revealed that they became Christians ju st because their parents were Christians. In other words, Christianity has become a m ark of civilisation and goes no further. A man who is a Christian gains the respect of his superiors. T h a t is the general outlook of the average Christian.

Europeans have partly contributed to the slackness in C hristian principles. The following facts show th is :

Sunday Keeping.—The early m issionary taugh t and dem onstrated th a t Sunday was a day set apart for wor­ship. To-day, the average Native sees his m aster going out for tennis or golf on a Sunday morning. The servant sa y s : “ These people brought C hristian ity ; they know far better than Native priests, therefore why should we w orry about going to church. To a Native every E uro­pean is a Christian, and the servant takes the cue from

him. Every European, I say, is a force either for uplift­ing- the Christian soul of the Native, or for tu rn ing it to w aywardness. This is entirely due to a misconception th a t every European is a Christian. A postasy is tak ing its grip am ong some Native servants in towns.

A ttitude of Missionaries.-—A nother disturbing fea­ture to the C hristian Native to-day is the a ttitude of many m issionaries towards their Native converts. I w as astounded to read the other day of an unfortunate sta te ­m ent in the Press. A European m issionary wrote to the effect th a t during his 40 years’ service as m issionary am ong natives, he has learnt th a t they could not be trusted , nor relied upon. I t fell to the lot of the editor of the paper to refute this universal statem ent. W hat his native congregation thought of th is fatalism rem ains to be seen. One th ing seems clear to me, Christian Natives have become suspicious of the average m is­sionary and this has discouraged the spirit of C hrist in them.

(a) Bible.—To consolidate the principles of Chris­tian ity am ongst the Native people, I would suggest the following: (a) The Bible: W e should get our N ative people to read more of the Bible. They should be Bible- minded. Every m inister should insist th a t every N ative convert should have a Bible a t home. These Bibles should be read by families every day. An almanac, like the one issued by the Ebenezer Press, should be in every home. There should be Bible circles in the church.

(b) Trained Evangelists.—W e need prayerful men who are trained in the Bible, to undertake a house-to- house evangelism. Such men, only as are found prayer­ful and of good report, should be employed.

(c) Social Service.—W e need young men of good character and love for the gospel to be trained as social workers under the guidance of the church. All social activities should be under the church. The spiritual as well as the physical and moral spheres of the individual should be catered for by the church. The church is not bold enough now, to lead, to denounce vice openly in the pulpit and in the press.

(d) Sympathetic Missionaries. — W e need sym pa­thetic m issionaries who will not only preach the Gospel,

b u t will also help their congregation by doing community service. They should be prayerful men w ith a moral courage to h it out against political injustice. T he m is­sionary who has shown himself a champion for the Natives is a dynamic force to his congregation. W e need the type of Dr. Phillips of old. C hristianity is life. Jesus has sa id : “ I have come th a t they m ight have life, and th a t they m ight have it m ore abundantly .” Any unfair­ness is m inim ising the power of the Spirit. The m is­sionary, therefore, ought to be a man who has himself been sa tura ted with the Spirit of Christ. C hrist w ent am ong the people uplifting and doing good in the home, the stree t and in the temple. H e fought against injustice. H e led thought on many social as well as religious prob­lems. H is followers came to love Him, and to be loyal to Him. “H e was a m ighty transm itter of power. Living in the Light, H e was Him self the true L igh t of Life to the world of m en.” To consolidate the principles of C hristianity , the missionaries m ust get back to the way of Jesus, in order to recapture leadership in the world. “ I am the way,” §aid Jesus. W e as m issionaries have to seek for the way of Christ and keep stra igh t on. The real and effective L igh t th a t is passed through us will depend strictly according to the L igh t we are prepared to receive into our hearts and lives. If we as m issionaries are open to the searching and purifying L igh t of God, then gracious, helpful and energising forces will pass th rough us to the Native converts. I t is the people who walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, who will consoli­date the principles of Christianity am ong the Natives. A m issionary m ust be a conductor of grace and power to the congregation. H e m ust preach w hat he has experienced.

(e) Medical Doctors.—W e need m issionary doctors in the Locations. T h at is the only remedy to kill super­stition. These men m ust be true Christians themselves. In short, they m ust be evangelising doctors.

(f) Education.— I have left education out as I feel th a t the Education D epartm ent is the best man to look after that. T hey are doing m issionary work in that connection, thus giving the m issionaries the opportunity to devote their whole tim e to the spiritual task.

Dr. E. Gumede, M.B., C.H.B., read a paper, T hursday m orning, Ju ly 2, 1936, on—N A T IV E M EDICAL SERVICE OF TH E

FUTURE.

There have been isolated heroes in the cause of Native health in South Africa. Conspicuous am ong them are m issionaries and other doctors who have devoted their lives to the cause. Diseases which Natives had regarded in the past as fatal have been successfully treated by modern European medicine and surgery. The result was th a t Natives were rapidly gaining confidence and hospi­tals were becoming overcrowded.

Four outstanding examples of these hospitals were Dr. Schw eitzer’s in the Congo, Dr. K ing’s in U ganda, and Dr. McCord’s and the V ictoria H ospital in the Union. In addition there were several smaller institutions scat­tered through the country.

These institu tions are now train ing male and female Native nurses, who are able to do valuable work in the locations. The Union He&lth D epartm ent is also tra in ing young Natives and sending them into Native areas where they can prevent and localise disease.

L et there be an attem pt to make medical science part of the N ative’s life. L et his m ind be educated and converted rather than stress the magic powers of a bottle of medicine. Above all let there be no play on his ignorance and superstition for gain.

Harmonious Work.D uring th e ja s t epidemic some of us had the unique

opportunity of trea ting patients in consultation with Native doctors. I t was an opportunity for two diver­gent and m isguidedly antagonistic a ttitudes of trea ting disease, yet we worked quite harm oniously.

W e established ourselves into local medical councils, and invariably saved our patients, preserved our self- respect, and had a chance to sit down and ta lk in abstract w ithout suspicion.

T he local inyangas, whose name is legion, began to tru s t and consult me about their patients. This diplo­m acy of w inning their respect and favour ended in each supplying the other w ith medicine and advice for the benefits of the patients.

In the minds of Africans the genuine old inyanga is passing away slowly, and for the lack of som ething scien­tific his place is being taken by quacks and robbers.

For the future let us be sure in our m inds_that the w orkers the Government puts into the field are not in­ferior, and let us be sure th a t their equipm ent is not half­hearted and the policy not spasmodic.

E xcerpt of address by Dr. Brookes. T hursday evening, a t W esley Church.

A COM PARISON OF TH E PR E SE N T SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CO NDITION OF TH E NA TIV E

W ITH TH AT OF FIFTY YEARS AGO.

The change can best be symbolised by the growth on the Rand. Johannesburg is a potent cause of change. I t has done a g reat deal of harm and a great deal of good. Religion is not the only th ing the Native has taken back from the mine compound. H e has taken disease as well.

L iteracy am ong the Natives has increased ten or tw enty tim es in the last fifty years. In spite of m iserable equipm ent, schools are better than they were fifty years ago. Natives are now reading the newspapers.

W ithin the last fifty years local councils have been established. There are now 43 local councils, one of w hich is concerned with 2,000,000 people and spends £ 200,000 a year.

B ut although the Native has advanced in some respects, he has gone back in others.

F ifty years ago it was an unquestionable axiom in the Cape th a t the Native could qualify for citizenship. This has been destroyed and som ething put in its place which may be quite good, but it is not common citizen­ship.

W hat industry there was in 1885 was open to the Native, and even in 1903 the Native was encouraged in the towns to take his place in industry. Now industry after industry is being closed to the Native.

To-day the Native is being over-regulated and over­legislated for. In 1935 there were over 4,000,000 Native offences com mitted in the Union. T he num ber of con­victions for tax default was enormous. Ten years ago the num ber of convictions was nothing like last year’s total. The increase is unhealthy and undesirable. I t is retrogression.

The relations between the Natives and Police in South Africa have never been more unsatisfactory than to-day. I am not blam ing anyone. I t would be untrue to say th a t every Native is perfect. There are crim inals am ong the Native people. I t would be ju st as untrue to say the Natives have no friend am ong the police in the country. W hatever the cause, the position is m ost unsatisfactory.

Address delivered by the Rev. John L. Dube. CentralM ethodist Church, on T hursday, Ju ly 2, 1936.You have ju st been listening to the speeches of

European leaders of thought testifying in eloquent term s to the value of m issionary work am ongst the B antu peo­ple for close on a hundred years. To-night, I stand before you as the m outhpiece of th a t people to bear w itness in term s no less sincere to the gratitude of struggling millions of my people for the uplift they are receiving th rough the m issionaries from the dread hand of w itch­craft and all th a t it means to the vision of the spiritual ideal and through it to enjoy the benefits of health and education. No words of mine can adequately express the depth of th a t gratitude, but if I could send a message from my people to the spirits of those brave figures who have laboured on our behalf in the past, and have given their lives for us and our uplift, it would be th is :—

“ T ell them th a t their work has not been in vain; tell them we are not unresponsive; tell them we are fighting, struggling against our own weaknesses of ignorance and superstition, and that though our pro­gress may be slow and at tim es we m ay suffer set­backs, we shall win through, and th a t no power on earth can stop us from eventually taking our places in this continent for the common good of us all.”I do not think that we realise the difficulties under

which the m issionaries of the past laboured in their endeavour to prom ote the civilisation of the B antu peo­ple, and how, w ithout any w ritten language, records or literature to w ork upon except a rich oral tradition, they succeeded in m aking the impact they did upon the B antu people until to-day we have a complete and com­prehensive w ritten language sufficient to enable us to educate and send our sons to the colleges of Europe and Am erica to compete on equal term s w ith the m ost dis­tinguished intellects of those countries, and to emerge from the ordeal w ith credit to them selves and to the country of their b irth . For this, we pay tribu te to our m issionaries who, w ith a singleness of purpose, have always realised th a t there can only be one solution of our problem and that is the common heritage of the Christian religion.

Before the advent of the Christian m issionary there was a general system of spirit-worship, and ancestor- worship played a very im portant part in this religion. T here were, of course, spirits o ther than those of ances­tors, both bad and good. W itchcraft or sorcery consisted in using the influence of bad spirits, w hether they were ancestral or non-ancestral, and magic consisted in using the influence of the good spirits. I t was the power of these spirits to visit the living with pestilences, disease and death, which made it necessary to placate them and it was this belief, driven deep into the history of all B antu people, th a t the m issionary had to combat. I t is to the credit of the missionary that this hindrance to the development of my people is fast crum bling away in the face of the wondrous influence of the C hristian faith. To-day thousands upon thousands of the Bantu people

have accepted the tenets of the C hristian faith and are in tu rn spreading the Gospel of Christ over South Africa.

B ut the preaching- of the Gospel was but one object of the m issionary endeavour. I t is true it was the main one, but on the other hand, the way had to be prepared for the acceptance of the Gospel, and here again the brun t of educating the people fell upon the M issionary, and how well he discharged his task is evidenced by the general average of intelligence of the Bantu people. To-day the Bantu people will be found "holding positions of responsibility and tru s t th roughout our Sub-Continent with no other educational facilities open to them than those of the Mission School, and I venture to think th a t the reflective European opinion can find only one verdict and th a t is th a t the m issionary has here again done his work well and faithfully.

As for the Bantu, he has proved th a t he can w ith­stand the shock of W estern civilisation. W hilst the Indian of America and the A ustralian aboriginee have died out before the tide of W estern civilisation, the B antu people of South Africa have increased. H e refuses to die or droop before civilisation. He has adapted him ­self to the changing tim es of the passing years, and has b rought as his contribution a happiness in life and power to endure, and is revealing from day to day inner values in life little dream t of by earlier m issionaries, upon which the modern m issionary m ust build. I t is upon those values we m ust build. Do not be tem pted to tear down the old structure entirely and replace it w ith a new. Rather, build upon it; replace it, if you will, plank by plank, but retain the old and sure foundations and let there eventually emerge a new and m ore solid structure capable of standing up against the winds and tides of life. To you, then, who are carrying on the noble trad i­tions of a great order, I say :—

“ Be not dispirited, let your m otto be to serve man as you have done in the past, irrespective of creed or colour. Your reward may not be apparent, but it is there in the lowly hearts of millions of my people for whom you stand as the bulwark against oppression and injustice and the beacon light of hope and civilisation.”

Address delivered by Rev. M. J. Mpanza. Thursday, Ju ly 2, 1936.

A REV IEW OF N A T IV E MORAL PROGRESS FOR TH E LAST FIFTY YEARS.

The Executive Committee of the N atal M issionary Conference asked me to give an address o n : “ A Review of Native Moral Progress for the last SO years.” W hen considering my age and experience, I th ink the Execu­tive Committee made a mistake by asking a simple young man of 45 years old for such a good address. Y et I did not wish to disappoint them, and therefore I have ven­tured to tackle it, and hope you will excuse me for my m istakes and shortcom ings.

Before I em bark on the little canoe of my address, I would like to express in brief my Bantu people’s g ra ti­tude and mine to the m issionaries of all denom inations for the great th ings they have done for my race in endeavouring to purify its prim itive custom s and to pre­serve its moral standards by the religion of our Saviour Jesus Christ. W e are indeed highly indebted to the missionaries, as well as lady missionaries, to m any E uro­pean friends, and the Government, for their rem arkable efforts to uplift our African people. Any success the Black man has is always traced back to his fatherly m issionary and his sym pathetic European friend.

As for Native moral progress during the last fifty years, I should rather say its review is two-fold, namely, good aspect and bad aspect.

Its good aspect is tha t by coming into contact with the m issionaries and some good Europeans, the moral standard of the Bantu has been improved and strengthen­ed. The good example set by these invaluable friends of the Bantu is bearing good fruits, and the character and conduct of the African are being educated and protected. All over the country we find good products am ong the B antu who endeavour to lead useful lives and thus set examples to their own fellow men.

On the other hand, the bad aspect of the Bantu moral standard is caused by the combination of two bad influences, viz., bad elements of the original heathens, and bad elem ents of the foreign nations. Some Natives by coming into contact w ith undesirable elements of overseas races—and after acquiring their indecent ways —resort to their original heathen vices, and become poisonous and destructive to their good moral standard as a race, and become worse than the time they were raw heathens.

In this address, I have tim e only to deal with a few of the m oral aspects in B antu life. I have tried to relate how our people treated their m oral concerns during their prim itive stage before any white men came to our coun­try. I have also tried to compare this w ith the modern ways which are employed by the Bantu to-day, after coming into contact w ith foreign nations.

(1). Benevolence and Hospitality.To-day we find very good work which is being done

by some sym pathetic Europeans to help the poor and the needy. They organise different Benevolent Societies for children and adults and thus relieve them from misery.

One may think th a t the Bantu had nothing of these Benevolent Societies before W hite people came to South Africa. They had them of course! Only their methods were not organised as Europeans’.

I t was in the Black m an’s heart to help the poor and especially during starvation time. Long, long before the m issionary came, there was the custom of “ Ukutekelisana.” I have not got a proper English word for it. “ U kutekelisana” m eant th is : W hen there was starvation in the country, people who were starv ing used to appeal for help to those who had reaped enough. These good heathen people never refused nor asked for any money, but simply filled the “ Izinqalati ” (m at basket) of the hungry with mealies, mabele, amadata, umbhondwe, ubhatata, udonqa, etc.

I would like to ask this question : H ow is it to-day am ong the heathen and Christian B antu? I beg to leave this question w ith you to answer, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen.

A nother good thing which was done by the Bantu during their prim itive stage was the custom of “ Uku- kwanya or “ Ukukotoza.” This, too, was a national practice backed up by the public opinion. “ Ukukwanya ” was done during the harvest time. The workers in the fields used purposely to leave some crops in order that the children of the district and the poor could come and pick up w hat was left, as did R uth of the Bible. A fter this, different herds of cattle of the d istrict were grazed on the reaped fields. The w riter of this address once go t 5 / - w orth of the “ U kukw anya ” mealies when he was 10 years old.

May I ask the same question again : How is it to-day? The answ er is: Some heathen and Christian children don’t know the m eaning of the word “ U ku­kw anya.” The B^ntu do not leave anything in the fields for the poor any more, and anyone who would try to go and pick up som ething in the reaped fields, or send his cattle there, could be charged for theft and trespassing.

As for Hospitality. O ur forefathers were full of hospitable qualities. If shipwrecked sailors during the fifteenth century could rise up and speak, they could testify to this fact. They were treated hospitably by the Bantu who lived at the coast of Natal and the Cape. T hey gave them food, fresh water, and night shelter, and carried their goods to their destination.

And in the later centuries, we read from books th a t when early European settlers came to N atal, they were treated kindly by the Bantu. O ur great Zulu K ing Tshaka gave them a piece of land on the coast including the place where the famous City of D urban stands to-day. N ot only that, but we are told by some of the early settlers and m issionaries that at some of the Bantu heathen homes they were received kindly and were given “ am asi,” “ u tsh w a la” and other varieties of the Bantu food, and were given fine m ats to sleep on.

O ur forefathers did not do this to the Europeans only, but it was a national custom to trea t the travellers of the K ing kindly, and to give them food and nisjht- shelter free of charge.„ To-day you find the extreme opposite of this.

j • -e chanSed considerably. M ost of the heathen and Christian Bantu do not seem to possess th a t hospi­tality any more. I a ttribu te this to poverty and scarcity of good harvests, and also to the fact tha t the Bantu have copied the W estern ways of treating travellers. Each traveller is expected to pay for night shelter and food at the hotels. W e find it a very heavy burden to-day to practise this prim itive hospitality because we are tem pted to adapt ourselves to the modern ways which we see being done by civilised races. And at the same time it is very hard to get our travellers adapted to the new ways. They still expect to have everything for nothing, as it was done before the Europeans came to this country.

2. Punctuality.. . . T “ do anything in time is a very im portant th ing

with the W estern Nations. I t is a ve^y difficult affair with the Bantu to keep time. W e are often blamed for' this. Of course, educated Bantu do their best to keep to time, ju st as Europeans do, but in several cases we

Jt veiT hard, in so far as th is: tha t some say if one w ants to convene a Bantu m eeting to s ta rt a t 9 a m he should deceive them and say the m eeting will start at o a.m., so th a t they be on time.

One may wonder and say, why is it hard for the Bantu to be in tim e? I will try to explain. The Bantu kept time in their own way, not as Europeans do. The Bantu reckoned tim e not by hours or m inutes, because they owned no watches. They only counted bv davs weeks, m onths and years, and their watch was the sun.u u Stlli ’ , 1 am Very P,eased t0 mention th a t th is good habit of keeping time is gaining ground with m ost of our people. They have learned to apologise just as the European does when he comes a few m inutes after the appointed time.

3. Temperance.Europeans have Tem perance Associations which are

intended to protect hum an beings from the dangers of alcohol, which destroy m any good families. Tem perance Societies have saved m any people from destruction.

I am very delighted to say tha t the Bantu too, in their prim itive stage, had their own ways of protecting their folk from the dangers of excessive drinking. G lut­tonous people were ridiculed and despised by the com­m unity. As for beer drinks, no young m an was allowed to drink w ith “ Amakehla ” (m arried m en), neither chil­dren nor women were allowed.

H abitual drunkards were denounced and nicknamed “ Izabhukazana ” (w orthless people). The young were not perm itted to drink to an excess; this was abominable.

W hen we compare the past tim e and the present, we find that th ings have gone worse, as m ost of y<5u know. Now, Natives don’t drink their beer only, bu t they drink European liquor and many kinds of poisonous alcoholic drinks which are m anufactured by them , such as “ Isi- shim eyana,” “ Isiqata,” “ Kill-m e-quick,” “ Sqedaviki,” “ Igw ebu,” “ Sgwagwagwa,” etc. These deadly Bantu drinks were not known fifty years ago. Many young men and women come to tow ns and ruin their health w ith these poisonous drinks. I very much regret to m ention th a t the M unicipal Beer H alls in towns help to spread drunkenness am ongst the Bantu. Many young B antu who have never tasted beer before learn to drink at these M unicipal Beer Halls, and from there they crave for stronger drinks, and thus join illicit liquor traffic, the result of which is exploitation of the poor unfortunate B antu financially. They spend trem endous big sum s of money in purchasing these illicit drinks, and in paying excessive fines a t the Law Courts when they are arrested at these illicit liquor places. Something m ust be done to protect the Bantu from this evil.

4. Truthfulness and Honesty.These were characteristics of m ost of the Bantu

people. The liars and dishonest were severely punished by the King. Nowadays some Bantu are drifting away from tru thfulness and honesty. There is a Zulu saying

which is common to-day am ongst the Bantu. “ P ika Mpezeni kuyapikwa ! ” (Deny Mpezeni, it is a custom to deny!). This was said by a Chief a t Court advising his son who had a case before the M agistrate. M ay our people continue to seek for the T ru th as they le a rn ed jt from the m issionaries and tha t they be honest in their deals. (5). Sympathy.

I t was the custom of the Bantu to share each o ther’s troubles. W hen a person died in a certain locality, it was a national custom for all the members of th a t d istrict to condole the bereaved family. A person who did not come to express his sym pathy to the bereaved was looked upon as a wizard who had caused the death of the deceased.

This sym pathetic attitude of the Bantu was prom i­nent evfen when Europeans came to live am ong them . They heartily m ourned for a deceased m ember of their European’s m aster’s family.

You all know how the body of the famous Dr. L ivingstone was treated by his servants. Even when they happen to work for cruel European m asters, the B antu seldom retaliate. Even when he is to rtured the African rarely loses his tem per. Take the case of the negroes in America, for instance. W hile they were slaves they did not hate their m asters. W hen their m asters died, they composed a m ourning song for him, as this one: “ All the darkies am a ’weeping, Massa in de cold, cold g ro u n d ; Down in the cornfields hear their m ournful sound.” Even during the W ar of the Em ancipation of Slaves in America, when men in the South went to war, negroes were left to look after the families of those who fought against their emancipation.

I am delighted to say that even to-day my people have not drifted away from this aspect, w ith the excep­tion of a very small minority.

6. Chastity.Anyone who transgressed the law of chastity am ong

the Bantu was severely dealt with. In the case of a m arried woman, the punishm ent was death to both parties.

There were different methods of preserving the chastity of the Bantu for all sections of the communitv. V irgins of the district had their own Council, which was led by the “ Amaqikiza ” (older section). No “ Ama- tsh itsho ” (younger section) were allowed to choose lovers w ithout the permission of the Amaqikiza. Any virgin who had offended the virgins of the district by being careless with her character was badly handled by the “ Am aqikiza.” In the case of m inor cases she was denounced and scolded, and in serious cases she was thrashed and rubbed with sand till some parts of her body bled. A young man of the race who had offended the virgins was also punished by them as according to the nature of his offence. In serious cases the young man was forced to pay a fine of one cow, which was killed at once and its m eat eaten by aged women.

V irgins did not a ttend the wedding of a virgin who had got an illegitim ate child, and they did not eat the m eat of her w edding feast.

V irgins were, periodically examined by the m arried women of the d istric t in order to find out w hether their v irginity was still perfect or not.

All these custom s helped to preserve the moral pres­tige of the B antu people as a race. May the missionaries of all denom inations and all who are concerned in the Bantu progress, scrutinise the Native custom s and those which are not contrary to the Bible be not interfered with. T here are some very good customs am ong the B antu which, after they had become C hristians, were wrongfully throw n away.

I t grieves my heart to mention definitely that chastity of the B antu to-day is not as it used to be. I wish not to be m isunderstood in my above rem arks about Bantu morals. I do not mean to say th a t the Bantu were righteous, and th a t the coming of the m issionaries with the Gospel was unnecessary. N ot at a l l ! I would never for a m om ent nurse that in my mind. As I have m en­tioned earlier in my address, the m issionaries have done great things for the African peoples spiritually and m aterially.

In conclusion, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to be able to say that in spite of all these agencies th a t tend to lower the morals of the Bantu, we shall not fear. “ God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in tim e of trouble. Therefore will we never, never fear.”

The religion of Jesus Christ, preached by earnest C hristian servants of O ur Lord, will in its powerful force bring all these enemies and m any more down at our feet. “ Glory be to God on h ig h ! ”

CO NSTITUTIO N OF TH E NATAL M ISSIONARY CONFERENCE.

I.—Objects.1. To further Christian Missions in Natal and other

parts of South-East Africa.2. To encourage fraternal intercourse and co­

operation am ongst M inisters, Missionaries and others interested in Mission work belonging to the various denominations.

3. To dissem inate inform ation am ong the public generally with a view to arousing a sym pathetic under­standing of m issionary operations.

4. To further the education and general advance­m ent of the Bantu.

5. To collect M issionary statistics.6. To obtain papers on subjects relating to Mis­

sionary work.7. To consider all questions th a t m ay bear, through

legislation or otherwise, upon the religious, economic, social and educational in terests of the Bantu.

8. To examine into the methods of M issionary work w ith the object of securing, as far as practicable, uni­form ity of action in dealing with Native customs, needs and development.

9. To co-operate with Join t Councils, M issionary Conferences, and other bodies working for Native benefit.

II.—Membership.1. (a) The Conference shall consist of M inisters,

M issionaries and others connected with any Christian communion or society.

(b) New m embers shall ordinarily be adm itted by vote of the m ajority of the Conference on nom ination by a member or m em bers present.

(c) O therw ise applications for membership may be made to the Executive through the Secretary, the Execu­tive to have the power to adm it such to membership.

2. All m em bers shall be entitled to speak and vote at any m eeting of the Conference.

3. (a) An annual subscription, payable in advance, shall be paid by each member, as follow s: Europeans 5/-, Bantu m em bers 2/-.

(b) Any member failing to pay the subscriptions for two consecutive Conferences shall be deemed to have forfeited the righ t of membership.

4. Corresponding members may be adm itted by the vote of the Conference in the usual way, or by Executive action.

III.— Meetings.1. An annual m eeting shall be held at the tim e and

place appointed by the Executive.2. D uring its session Conference shall be opened

each day w ith the reading of scripture and prayer, devo­tional exercises, and each adjournm ent shall be accom­panied with prayer.

3. The m eetings of the Conference shall be presided over by the President, or, in his absence, by a Vice- President.

4. The order of proceedings shall be arranged by the Executive.5. Subjects for discussion shall not be introduced w ithout notice, except by permission of the Conference.

6. S ittings shall be held w ith open doors unless the Conference, in any special case, decide otherwise.

7. A report of the proceedings shall be prepared by the Secretary, and printed, if funds permit.

8. A Balance Sheet shall be prepared and printed w ith the R eport of Proceedings.

IV.— Officers.1. The officers shall consist of a President, a

European V ice-President, a Bantu Vice-President, a'nd a Secretary-Treasurer, chosen at each Conference for the ensuing Conference, and to take office at the close of the Conference a t which they are elected.

2. The Executive shall consist of the four officers, together with the retiring President and Vice-Presidents, and one lady member.

3. A N om inating Committee of five shall be chosen early in each Conference to present nom inations, two names to be presented for each of the four vacancies.

(b) O ther nom inations may be made by members.(c) V oting shall be by ballot.4. In the event of the President and V ice-Presidents

being absent, Conference shall elect a new President at the beginning of the Conference.

5. Four shall constitu te a quorum for m eeting of the Executive.

HONORARY ROLL.Miss Grace Hitchcock, U.S.A.Miss M ary Hitchcock, U.S.A.Dr. Geo. Gale, F o rt Hare, Alice, Cape Province.Rev. J. D. Taylor, D.D., 19 E leanor Street, Fairview,

Johannesburg.EM ERITUS ROLL.

Rev. S. and Mrs. Aitchison, Harding.Rev. N. B raatvedt, Durban.Rev. John Bruce, M.A., Scotland.Rev. H. Cotton, 32 L ancaster Road, Durban.Mrs. S. Ransom, U.S.A.Rev. David RusselL Miss L. Graham, Bulwer.Rev. L. O. Feyling, D urban North.Rev. J. Metcalf, Caister Crescent, Durban. '

ACTIVE ROLL.Abraham , Rev. R. L., Groutville.A4kleby, Rev. J., Em tulw a M.S., Mt. Elias P.O. Adnesgaard, Rev., Qudeni.A strup, The Rt. Rev. Bishop Johs., D.D., Kranskop. Ballentine, Rev. T. R., 342 M usgrave Road, Durban.

Barker, Miss Marion, Pisgah M.S., Harding-.Bates, W . G., 86 Beatrice Street, Durban.Botterell, Miss Inez, Dumisa.Brittenden, Miss R. L., Inanda Seminary, Phoenix. Brookes, Dr. E dgar H., Adams M.S.Brueckner, Dr. K. R., Adams M.S.Caluza, Rev. F. M., 47 Sidney Road, Durban.Carter, Miss Minnie E., Inanda Seminary, Phoenix. Cawston, Dr. F. G., 14 Britannia Buildings, Durban. Christoferson, Rev. A. F., Esperanza.Clarke, Miss E. F., 43 North Ridge Road, Durban. Cragg, Rev. A. W . and Mrs., 91 Ridge Road. Scottsville,

P ieterm aritzburg.Dahle, Rev. S., Um pum ulo M.S., Mapumulo.Dear, Miss I. S., P isgah M.S., H arding.Dent, S. R., P.O . Box 395, M aritzburg.Dewar, Rev. James, 188 Loop Street, M aritzburg. Dower, Rev. M artin J., 88 Gordon Road, Durban.Dube, Mr. Charles, Inyoni, Zululand.Dube, Rev. J. L., Ph.D. Ohlange, Phoenix.Falck, Rev. S. M., P.O. Box 88, Dundee.Farup, Rev. J. (on furlough, U.S.A.).Ferguson, Mr. A. N., Mansfield M.S., Izkigolweni. Fridolv, Rev. C., P.O. Box 37, Kom atipoort, Transvaal. Frost, Miss C. E., Adams M.S.Follosoe, Rev. N. M., M tunzini P.O., Zululand.Gibbs, Rev. E. S., Izingolweni.Gilje, Miss B., Um pum ulo Inst., P.O. Mapumulo. Goddard, Rev. Frank, Ikwezi M.S., Harding. - Gronli.'-'R^v J, -F^-(x>n- fiirloHffh, TJ.StAt̂ .Gumede, Rev. Posselt, Inanda P.O., via Phoenix. Gumede, Dr. Inis, Inanda P.O., via' Phoenix.Gumede, Rev. Enos B., 26 Somtseu Road, Durban. H aldorsen, Rev. M. C., Empangeni.H alland Mrs., A. W ., Izotsha.Hallendorf, Rev. K., Rorkesdrift.H arris, Mrs. E. A. M., Dum isa P.O.H artm an, Miss A., Item ba M.S., Enqabeni.Hawkins, Rev. John and Mrs., Lansdowne M.S., M atuba-

tuba.Hervey, Rev. P. J. and Mrs., 26 Somtseu Road, Durban. Johanson, Rev. K. J., 129 H artley Rd., Overport, Durban.

Jonsson, Miss S., Box 88, Dundee.Kempe, Dean A. R. Box 88, Dundee.Kjelvei, Rev. John, Eotim ati M.S., P.O. Mapumulo. Keyes, Mrs. A. K., 95 W inderm ere Road, Durban.Kriel, Miss M. M., Y.W .C.A., Esplanade, Durban. Krook, Miss H., Um pum ulo M.S., Mapumulo.Larsen, Miss E., Kwa Mondi, Eshowe, Zululand. Leisegang, Rev. T. M., M ahlabatini, Zululand.Lowe, Sister M., Concord, 95 W inderm ere Road, Durban. Luthuli, Chief Albert, Groutville.Mahon, Mr. A., D raycott Rail.M agnussen, Rev. E., H artley Road, Durban.M akhanya, H. M. S. & Mrs., Im bum bulu M.S., Amanzim-

toti.M akhanya, Miss Sibusisiwe Violet, Im bum bulu M.S.,

Am anzim toti.Malcolm, Mr. D. McK., Box 395, M aritzburg.Matibela, Mr. A. F., 48 Cathedral Road, Durban. M atthews, Mr. Z. K., Fort Hare, Alice, C.P.M avaneni, Rev. J., Appelsbosch, via Dalton.McCord, Dr. J. B. (on furlough, U.S.A.).Molefe, Rev. Geo. B., Methodist Native Church, New­

castle.Mpanza, Rev. M. J., Box 1570, Durban.M timkulu, Rev. am L M r3==A., 79 N orth Street, Durban. M yklebust, Rev. and Mrs. O. G., Um pum ulo Inst., P.O.

Mapumulo.Ndawonde, Rev. W ., P.O. Inanda, via Phoenix.Nduli, Rev. N. M., 86 Beatrice Street, Durban.Ngcobo, Rev. R. M., P.O. Umtwalumi.Ngcobo, Mr. Selby, Adams M.S.Nhlapo, Rev. S., St. F a ith ’s Mission, Durban.Nicholls, Rev. A., Edendale, via M aritzburg.Nyembezi, Rev. I. M., Indaleni M.S., Richmond. Odendaal, Rev. M. W., Dundee.O ’Hanlon, Miss K., c /o Mrs. W . L. N eithardt, Clairwood. Palm , Sister M artha, M ahlabatini, Zululand.Pam la, Rev. N., Driefontein.Phipson, Mr. C. A. and Mrs., 17 Phipson Rd., Scottsville,

M aritzburg.Reuling, Mr. John and Mrs., Adams M.S.Rodseth, Rev. P. A., Kwa Mondi, via Eshowe.

Sandburg, Nurse A., P.O . Ceza, Zululand.Sandstrom , Rev. J. furlougfo7~8weden).Scoggings, Rev. F., The Deanery, Loop Street, P ieter­

m aritzburg.Scroombie, Rev. G. A., Mehlomnyama.Sibiya, Rev. J. M., Dundee.Sililo, Rev. M., New Scotland, M aritzburg.Sililo, Rev. T., Adams M.S.Sivetye, Rev. G. M., Imfumi M.S., via Umkomaas. Skarin, Miss A., P.O. Ceza, Zululand.Skavang, Miss M., Eshowe, Zululand.Steele, Rev. E. H., St. Faiths, Carlisle Street, Durban. Stick, Rev. H. A. and Mrs., Adams M.S.Suter, Rev. F„ Dumisa.Taylor, Dr. A. B., 29 McCord Road, O verport, Durban. T itlestad, Rev. L. M., 150 Bellevue Road, Durban. W albridge, Miss M. E., Inanda Seminary, Phoenix. W ebb, Mr. Maurice, 123 M anning Road, Durban. W hitem an, Mr. H. W ., 41a Prince Street, Durban. Zululand, The Rt. Rev. Bishop W m ., Vryheid.

Collection Number: AD1715

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974

PUBLISHER: Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation

Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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