IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

TO THE EDITOR OF Native Opinion. SIR,—'Twas this day last week, when the arrival of the King Wm's Town post brought my copy of the Imvo Zabantsundu, dated 17th June. As usual, the wrapper was torn open, and the news columns eagerly scanned. This exciting title caught my eye, as no doubt it has similarly caught that of many other' readers,—' EXTRAORDINARY RE¬VELATIONS'! at once I emagined that the revelations referred to had some re¬ference to a high Government official it may be the Premier of this Colony, or it may be the Crown prosecutor at Griqualand West, having been discovered guilty of I. D. B'-ism; or it may be that some light has-at last gleamed on the ' Felser case,' and that either the Attorney-General for the Colony, or the Solicitor-General's partiality for political party at the expense of duty has been proved beyond doubt; or it may be ' Borane Mdbandla,' the dismissed chief or headman at the Tyumie, had gained his point and turned the tables on the Secretary for Native Affairs! Each of my imagina¬tions was wrong, for the letter was signed ' Lovedalian,' and the subject after all, was Classics for Natives ! I remembered the age in which we live, that it was an age of sensation, and the Editor was therefore to be pardoned for adopting the fashion of the times. [As we avoid tempering with corres¬pondence once inserted, it is hardly just for our correspondent to set what every sensa¬tion ' Lovedalian's ' letter may have pro¬duced to our account.—EDITOR N. Opinion.'] Next came ' Lovedalians ' indictment, a statement of his case,—namely ' that Dr. ' Stewart's proposal to abolish classical ' education at Lovedale, and the serious ' consequences likely to occur to all the ' natives, if they are thus to be deprived of ' so prized an acquisition.' But ' Lovedalian ' must needs preface his remarks,—as is the custom to do of all good speakers, letter-writers, and the like. And in so doing this key to the letter opens to full view a fact, which has marred ' Love¬dalian's ' whole effort,—viz, the impudence of the man, and ungentlemanliness of his language, The offending sentence, it is true, is clothed in fine polished garments of Latin style, and as such, is received by the nnwary crowd to whom it is addressed, with admiration and applause. The phrase runs thus :—' Dr. Stewart's statement that the ' large amount of attention formerly given ' to Classics has produced positive evil is,' quoth Lovedalian, ' a suppressio veri et suggessio falsi.' This spoken in common English does not of course sound half as nice, and dignified as it otherwise should ; for then he would only be understood to say ' a suppression of the truth, and a suggestion of falsehood ': or in other words, — ' Dr. Stewart who holds a very honourable position in this country is a ' —well, I cannot bring my better judgement to agree to my writing out the rest of the sentence, according to the exact meaning of the above reference. But as one of the natives included in Lovedalian's ' all,' I take decided exception to the expression, and protest against the sentiment. If this is the effect of the classical education Lovedalian received at Lovedale, the manner of his letter—if not the matter itself—has proved beyond doubt that to gentlemen of common-sense ' too much attention to Classics ' in his case at least ' has produced positive evil.' Knowing Dr. Stewart to be a gentleman, he is likely to take no notice of ' Lovedalian's ' letter; and, if he does it is certain to be in a spirit which he has always endeavoured to teach all the Lovedale pupils—but evidently without success in ' Lovedalian's ' case—to be civil and respectful to their superiors, and courteous to all men. Mr. Editor, I should be sorry to take up more of your valuable space, but one or two points in ' Lovedalian's' letter still require attention. ' Lovedalian ' seems to be greatly exercised as to the present and future arrangements of the Curriculum at Lovedale; and the threatening danger in connection therewith ' to the students who now study, or shall hereafter study there.' He thus early ''seeks for redress ' through your columns ' from the public.' He might have saved himself the anxiety, and you the trouble and expense of putting into type his voluminous effort, and my similar reply—if you will kindly allow the insertion of that reply in your Native Opinion. If he professes to be so interested in the welfare of Lovedale—the place of his education—one word of enquiry to the authorities there, as to the real state of matters, would have quickly set his mind at rest, and moreover revealed to him how 'seriously misled' he had been—but not by Dr. Stewart. He gives a list of classical Native students of former years, and I see my name also included in the honoured number. He, however, confesses that ' not being at Lovedale and within access to the Institution records he might be at fault with some of his facts.' And so he is. If he will allow me I shall take down from one of the Lovedale Office shelves a copy of the ' Laws, Regulations and Curriculum ' in force in one of the years he mentions—say, 1868—there occurs the following: 1. IN FORCE, 1868.—' Rule HI. There are two departments of study : first, the Preparatory School; second, the Higher or College Department, embracing the usual subjects of a college course, both in Arts and Theology. Europeans, as well as Natives, are admitted to both.' 2. IN FORCE AT PRESENT, 1885.—' Section V- Should a sufficient number of candidates come forward, a class will be formed to prepare students for the higher certificates, for matriculation in the Cape University, and for the B.A. and M.A. degrees.' So that it would appear that the curriculum at present open both to European and Native in Lovedale gives as much encouragement to study for higher education, and offers better facilities for ' competing at the Cape University Examinations ' than it did then —but under a different system. Here is a nut to crack ! I notice that ' Lovedalian,' like other Kafirs, uses illustrations to give force to his argument. One of these illustrations is a ' span of oxen.' Well, sir, if you want a good span of oxen, pay a good price for it, and you will value that span the more—that is, if you have honestly wrought for the money. In the same way, if you want a high classical education, pay yourself the high price for it. That's fair, isn't it ? I notice, further, that ' Lovedalian ' is a student of Hodge's Theology, or is well up in Metaphysics; and as such is well grounded on the Doctrine of Free Will, or permissive will, or man's free agency, as he calls it. If, therefore, he is open to reason, he will surely allow a practical application of that Doctrine as is proposed in the case under dispute; the process is simple, the remedy unquestionable. Here is it:—If, for instance, ' Mr. Joseph Moss, interpreter of High and Special Courts, Kimberley,' or any other classical student mentioned in ' Lovedalian's ' letter, has the necessary means at his disposal; a gentle exercise of his hands, directed into his pockets by the unmistakable guidance of ' permissive well ' ; and there is a corresponding out-bringing therefrom of the required contents,—that will settle the whole business to the satisfaction of the parties concerned. He may sav why make me pay now, it was not so in former days ? The testimony of the pioneers of Native Education is thus called for. Only one or two are still living. There is old Mr. Thomson, of Balfour, who came in 1821; old Mr Weir, of Lovedale, but now of King William's Town ; and the widow of the late Rev. W. Chalmers, who both came in 1827. They will tell you, sir, that in the early days they had to buy natives to come to church, and had to pay children to come to school. That was jolly ; and I fancy ' Lovedalian's' letter is now agitating for a return of those happy days. He should be supported by I all those who expect to benefit by that retrogressive step. Mr. Editor, yon say ' No.' You admit, therefore, we should march forward in civilization, and take the consequences of enlightened habits, one of which is to pay, amongst other things, for our education, as all civilized nations, whose customs we wish to copy, have to do. At this point, to my mind at least, is revealed Dr. Stewart's wisdom as a com manding general, possessed with wonderful foresight in discovering the weakest point first to be remedied. His action in the matter should at once gain for him the esteem confidence, and loyalty to his leader. ship of every native that wishes the good of his race, and not the ultimate sinking of it to oblivion. I am supposing that his other manifold acts for the benefit of the natives of Africa have so far failed to do so, if we are to take ' Lovedalian's ' letter as the correct Native opinion on the subject. When I read Dr. Stewart's utterances on the subject of Native education, this seems to me to be the correct interpretation of his meaning:—' The mass of the native people of this country are still in gross ignorance, which must speedily be overtaken. Trust¬ing merely to philanthropic helps the way is uncertain, and that source cannot last for ever ; Government can only go so far, and even that which it allows enemies of Native education are clamouring for its discontinu-ance ; that source of help therefore is also in danger' What shall be done ? The best course is for us to bring in our sails. And with the means at present at disposal, let ua make as hurried a speed as possible, and give to as many as possible of these poor people a practical and useful English education which will make them perfectly competent to meet all this life's demands at whatever station of life the man may be called to occupy. As some of the more ambitious of them will aspire to higher honours, after we shall have helped them thus far, and may wish for the luxuries of Classics, no doubt they will be will¬ing to support themselves from their own resources, for the luxuries needed; and we shall still be willing to show them the road to where such luxuries may be obtained and purchased, and how much they may cost. Of all the useful men in Cape Colony, I think the most to be pitied for the worries they endure, and the burden of responsibility they have to bear for a thankless position their names are Dr. Dale, administrator of Government grants-in-aid, Dr. Stewart of Lovedale, the Rev. Charles Taberer, St. Matthew's, and other Principals of similar institutions to that which they have charge. If ' Lovedalian ' or any other native of the same opinions as those expressed in the letter headed ' Extraordinary Revelations,' knew what these good men have to endure, he would better appreciate their worth, and be more than grateful for what he is getting at their hands. I apologise for taking so much of your space, but thank you in anticipation for an early insertion of this letter.