IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

KNOWING Mr. Price,the Traffic Manager as we do, we think the hardship to Native travellers as revealed by the sub- joined communication which appeared in the Dispatch, requires only to be pointed out to be removed. A writer signing himself ' Only a Nigger' says : SIR,—May I call attention through your columns to an order of the Traffic Manager of the Border Railway which compels all natives to show a certificate, from some competent person, that they are free from small-pox. Now if a person with an infectious disease travels in a public conveyance without informing the owner of the nature of his complaint, the law provides for his punishment, but the onus probandi does not rest with him but with the authorites, and the Traffic Manager, therefore, has no right to ask for this certificate ; and the plan is itself foolish, for I think doctors will te.l you that small-pox is not infectious till the rash comes out, and then the person carries his certificate plainly written on his face. If a certificate is asked for at all it should be for one certifying that the native has not come from an infected kraal. The doctors charge 2s. 6d. for these certificates, which the native has to pay. This is unjust. If the railway authorities want a certificate they should pay for it themselves. One case came to my notice of a woman who received intelligence of the sickness of her child at Peelton, and not knowing the rule, she presented herself at the ticket office a few minutes before the departure of the train, and not having the necessary certificate had to wait until next day in suspense as to the fate of her child. THERE is no use in blinking matters. The Tembus on the colonial side of the Indwe river, in what is generally called the Tambookie Location, have grievances as strong perhaps as those of their neighbours on the other side. The one which we draw attention to is agrarian. In our last issue we gave publicity to the follow- in'' letter written in Kafir by one ot these people: ' It is now nearly font years, it I mistake not, since we made efforts to ask our Parent, the Goverment, not to take our land from the Imvani right up the Indwe river to the Indwe coal mines, with the object of constructing a railway. The Ministers of the day were literally besieged with letters from us which carried our requests and cries on account of a matter that has been so painful to us that some oi us have betaken theniselves to other lands, for we were given to understand that the Government ordered it, and as (Government is a heavystone which cannot be moved, wegaveway. A deputation composed of our grey-headed our minister was sent to Cape represent our hard case to the authorities. All the Tembus willingly contributed to their expenses. Mr. Sauer who held power then well knows how sincere the Tembu people were. To this day there has been no amelioration ot our condition. Seeing now that the railway route up this tract of country has been finally abandoned, we still pray the Government to deal fairly' bv us in this matter. Our being settled together with Europeans is not conducive to our happiness and progress as we are still an ignorant people. We pray Government to give the land back to the Tembus.' IT cannot be wondered at that the prevailing distress among the Natives should result in their inability to pay taxes. It has been hinted that some ot these be remitted to such a time as the people will be in a position to pay. Meantime some of their associations are examining the incidence of the taxes and an anomaly and inequality has been discovered in the House Duty Act. The Victoria East Association has passed a resolution which will be sent to Mr. Advocate Rose-Innes, M L A to the effect that Parliament be memorialized to alter the House Duty Act which, as it now stands presses heavily upon the poor man, while it is not so to the wealthy. According to the Act 10s is paid as duty for a house valued ot £100 and vet a house worth £1 so long ns it is 'a Native's is paid for at the same rate. The Association will pray that duty- on a house valued at £50 be 5s, and one under £50 be 2s 6d. This will equalize the burden. WE understand from a correspondent that some of the principal Natives in a Native district have drawn upon them- natives tho censure of the representatives of Government living near them, because near the residence of Natives, a meeting was held to discuss the propriety of joining the Empire League, or in some way expressing continued loyalty to the Queen and a desire to remain under her flag This the Government official referred to appears to regard as sedition. Is he a member of the Bond oris he acting under orders from Mr. Schermbrucker? (INOX PETERS of Zonnebloem must, we suppose, have counted the cost before stirring up, as he did in his report noticed in these columns some weeks age, the dying embers of the vexed controversy on the merits of Classical versus Mathematical training of youthful intellects He has had to face the heavy cannonade of the Christian Express, which observes: ' The report says : Our system ot instruction is based on the time-honoured theory that classics and mathematics are the best known instillments of training the mind in right habits of thought and in power of expression.' And it goes on to explain and defend this method, and especially the large amount of attention given to classics. Now this plan has been tried at Lovedale and, so fir as natives are concerned, it has been found, not only to do no special good, but to produce positive evil. Consequently, we have, for many years, opposed such education for natives, and the confessed failure at Zonnebloem can, we think, be largely referred to this cause, and confirms our views. We regret that the report before us contains no hint of any intention to abandon the system that has not suc- ceeded, and try another more adapted to the special circumstances and wants of the people for whom Zonnebloem exists. WITHOUT presuming even to take sides in a subject that is in such able hands as those of the leader-writer of the Christian Express and Warden Peters, we must confess to some inability to understand how any system of education can, more than any other, ' do no good, but produce positive evil' to any' class of people, or black. Of course we heartily White Longfellow's immortal lines : subscribe to = nothing useless is. or low; Each thing in its place is best; and what seems but idle show strengthens and supports the rest. THE ITALICS are our own, but in our opinion the truth expressed in the words italicized remains the same when applied to classical as well as to mathematical education in school where everything is for the most part pure theory. IN connection with the controversy between the Principals of two important educational Institutions in this country, the Cape Argus has a lengthy article headed ' Classics for Natives,' and treats the Warden of Zonnebloem to a terrific onslaught for his daring to place on record his admiration of the time- honoured theory of training the minds of natives to think by means of setting before them some Latin or Greek to trans¬late. In the course of the same article it goes on to say that ' some of the edu-cated natives think that opposition to a high type of education for them proceeds from 'European jealousy at their pro¬gress.' On no account, we presume, can the Cape Argus be charged with hostility or unfairness to natives ; but as an organ of liberal views we fail to comprehend how it can reconcile Liberal principles with a curtailed and cur-headed system for the natives only and another for the whites. A classical course for students may be good or bad; indeed, this matter is still exercising the ingenuity of learned men in the old country, but we demur from the doctrine that would single out colour for its enforcement. If those who hold that classics are no good in educa¬tion are sincere and consistent, they must forthwith agitate for their omission by the Cape University and other public examining bodies. To begin by the Natives of whom, perhaps, one in ten thousand has really looked into a classical work, though many may have heard o the names Latin and Greek, and may even have expressed their curiosity to learn those languages, and to allow Uni¬versities to make these subjects compul-sory, is, we judge, straining at that and swallowing a camel. WE are not particularly called upon to notice at considerable length the quality of the exhibits at the Agricultural and Pastoral Show which came off last week, nor has the present writer the necessary knowledge to enable him to compare it with previous ones. Nevertheless what was exhibited shows that the drought and the depression arising from it have not crushed the spirit of enterprise in the farmers and merchants of the country. We shall not soon forget the invigorating remark of the Rev. Canon Woodrooffe, that 'this was a wonderful country—two months rain would dispel their present depression and make them all prosperous and glad again.' We noticed, with a degree of disappointment the absence of a class of exhibits which a show aiming at en- couraging agriculturalists should not be without. We allude, of course, to articles produced by the Natives. Not very long ago tho forage grown by the Native far- mers of Keiskama Hoek held its own, and even more than its own, against that grown by the German farmers in the Borough market. Various things which the Natives do, can, or should grow, can have prizes fixed upon them, and many Natives would be only too glad to exhibit. This, we trust, will be noted in the ar- rangements for the next. It is to the advantage of the district that Natives should become growers, and an institution of the nature of the Agricultural Society should spare no efforts to encourage them in this course. ONE day last week six men from Tem- buland had an interview with Mr. Hem- ming, who was chairman of the Tembu- land Settlement Commission to represent their case to which we called attention editorially a few issues back. We under stand that Mr. Hemming has promised to inquire into their grievances, and deal justly to them compatibly with the deci- sions of the Commission, which is, we understand, all that they wish for. We believe, moreover, that Mr. Levey is doing all in his power to see that the interests of these men do not suffer.