IsiXhosa Intellectual Traditions (IsiXIT) Digital Archive

THE following paragraph appears in the Queen's Town Repre¬sentative :— Lovedale native boys appear to be running European boys rather tight in the matter of education. A contemporary states that it was a noticeable fact that at the re¬cent examinations, prior to the breaking up of the schools, these native scholars carried off almost 'all the prizes and headed nearly all the lists of class places. It is stated that this circumstance is mainly due to the fact that the coloured boys have been studying longer at the institution than the boys of European extraction. But is it not signifi¬cant that native boys should have headed the lists at all ? And does it not look strange that the white boys were not long enough going to school to enable them to compete with a prospect of success? If we had written thus we would expect to be accused of race pre¬judice' and might even see our¬selves charged with attempting to stir up a bad feeling between Eng¬lish and native pupils in one of the largest and most important Educa¬tional Establishment in this colony. We do not know where one con-temporary obtained the information upon which the paragraph is based, but we presume it to be correct, and cannot be otherwise than gratified at native scholars doing so well in an Institution where colour is not taken into account by the teachers, and all in a class are placed accord¬ing to merit. Not many Europeans can fully realize the difficulties under which native children have to work in schools. They are not in the habit of seeing shelves of books belonging to their parents. There are no splendidly bound books in a Kafir drawing-room—books which even the old folks consider too valuable to read; nor are there newspapers arriving at the kraal by every mail which the men read to themselves and to others. The 'Royal Reader' which a child brings from school is often the first book the grown up people have ever handled; and not often is the boy anxious to learn allowed time or opportunity for pre-paring his lesson. He and his com-panions speak Kafir, and they think in Kafir; so that the school lan¬guage does not respond to teachers' questions as readily as a mother¬tongue. Nor is this all. Children who speak German for example, have difficulty in learning in an English school; but their's is only the diffi¬culty of translation. All the words in the English language Have equi¬valents in German: and most of what they are taught they hear talked about in their homes. But Kafir is a poor language. Whether much of it has been lost for the want of the art of writing, or whether it is growing, is an open question ; but in a school in the present day Kafir children have to learn words, and the ideas which these words represent. When this difficulty is considered, we think it will be conceded that when natives begin to rise in class above English boys, they have done 'extra well.' Some educated natives are charg¬ed with complaining that the in¬struction given is not high enough or wide enough ; but whether that is so or not, it is necessary to remind all our readers—English and Native that the test of a school course is the advantage it gives in real life. And this is where danger is to be apprehended because of the success of Native lads in school. There is a necessity for saying to each one of these pupils—both boys and girls do not think that because you can repeat a lesson better than some English scholars do, that therefore you must get on better in life than they will. Learning and putting learning to good account do not always follow, and the complaint against Native pupils is that they are unpractical, always wanting definite instruction for each duty, and appearing to be away in the clouds when a machine should be controlled, or stopped. This is where the English scholar wins ; he promptly adjusts his faculties to the work on hand, and constantly strives to do something original and yet within the limits of what is de¬manded by the times. This is the aim every Native must have who is to succeed in life, if heading the class means going on to this so far well, but only so far. ' GERRYMANDERING.' THOSE who care to follow the progress of political events in this, country will remember the trip through the Transkei, taken by Mr. DE WET. the present Secretary for Native Affairs, the object of which, to use his own words, was to search for a policy. Unfortunately the honourable gentleman unknowingly, perhaps carried out a policy which is at present bearing deplorable results. He rearranged the boun¬dary of the Cala and the St. Mark's districts in such a manner that a big slice of the former was annexed to the latter. The strip annexed had a vast population of Tembu's who were involved in the recentrebellion, and who had hardly taken to the present order of things. It is to Mr. LEVEY'S credit that while they were still under him they were quiet, and were pursuing their daily avocations. As in the other parts of the charge of this efficient official, the rampart stealing was unknown here as well. Since the annexa-tion, however, all this has changed; this district has become a perfect Alsatia, and a menace to the industrious people in the immediate vicinity. The spoors of stolen stock invariably lead to Mtingwevu and Nququ (by the way, outlandish names as well to the Kafir as to the European speaker,) and those who trace it are insulted and sat upon.' The facts we have gathered on the spot, are that the people were merely informed of the fact they had been separated from the Cala district and added to St. Mark's. There was no formal meet¬ing with the officials they look up to. The consequence is that all sorts of unfounded statements have been circulated among the crowd, the most fatal of which is that they are under no Magistrate, but that they have been handed over to their Chief, MATANZIMA, who, they say, has given orders that all School people must remove to Mr. LEVEY'S district. We have had letters on this subject before now, but pre¬ferred to have more light before drawing attention to the matter. It is just possible that had the matter been re resented to the people by the Chief Magistrate, Major ELLIOT, in the presence of their Magistrates, and pains taken to have the matter explained in a manner that would leave no doubt, the country might have been spared the expense of putting down the demon of lawlessnesss which has been called forth. But this has not been done, and, worse still this turbulent population is miles and miles away from the seat of Magis¬tracy to which they have been annexed. We trust Government will reconsider its decision in this matter.