ARE MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA A FAILURE?
By S. N. Haskell
In the San Francisco Examiner of January last there appeared an article under the heading, “How Hypocritical Dutch Boers in South Africa Demoralize the Kaffirs.”—“Missions said to Do Great Harm.” The article referred to may have passed the memory of many of your readers, but to my mind it does great injustice to the Dutch Boers and the missionary effort among the Kaffirs. It is no more than just that we “give the devil his due.” It is true that South Africa is settled by many of the same class of people that came to the American shores two hundred years ago or more. But the conditions were very different. These French Huguenots, who sailed from the shores of Holland, where they had fled from the fierce hand of persecution, to seek a home in the Netherlands, brought with them to Africa the same disposition to enforce religious laws that the Puritans carried to the eastern part of America. The large Dutch element which came with them brought the same spirit of persecution. In the New World it developed into burning witches, whipping innocent Quakers, banishing Baptists, etc. But in Africa this principle of persecution expended itself upon the helpless Kaffirs. Among the Dutch, however, there are as fine people as can be found in the world. From the European standpoint they are not as enterprising as the Yankee, who is noted the world over for his wits and his genius for inventing “wooden nutmegs,” “wooden clocks,” as also the larger and more important inventions at which the world wonders. But people forget that it was the circumstances that made the American what he is. Becoming an independent nation, mingling with every class of Europeans, have called forth that inventive genius and intelligence which characterize the Yankee. He has had the advantage of the world’s intelligence by the exchange of ideas with the most enlightened of the world. But those who went to Africa settled among the natives, who were nothing but children of nature, without God or any knowledge of civilization whatever. These Huguenots and Dutch, in the course of two generations, were blended into one element, known as the Dutch Boers. These emigrants settled on large plantations, many of them never seeing the extent of their domains, having only natives for associates. This excluded them from the civilization of the outer world; and with the reforms of the nineteenth century they are unacquainted. Civilization is not the work of a day or a year, or even of a century. The great improvements in the United States are the product of the nineteenth century. The previous century had prepared the way for it, so as we entered upon the present hundred years, arts and sciences rapidly developed. Not so with Africa; they knew comparatively nothing of this progress, and so, from the American standpoint, they are greatly behind in the world’s improvements. Neither do they realize their condition. They have lived in much the same way year after year, generation after generation, fighting the lion and the tiger, and tribes of natives, which are neither human nor animal, until, to the Christianized people of the Western Continent, they seem quite hardened. The Dutchmen of South Africa are a religious people, but are behind in many things, and if left to themselves would have laws similar to the proverbial “blue laws” of Connecticut. Admitting all of this to be true, it is not right or just to charge upon the Dutch Boer the immorality of the native. It is not by any means the Dutchmen who have given the greatest mold to the natives. Neither is it the Christian element or missions that have corrupted the natives. It can not be said that the Kaffir is naturally truthful and honest. It is well known from those who have much to do with them, that they have habits that are far from what we term honest. They are, and have been for thousands of years, educated to the idea that lying and stealing are all right if not found out. This is as natural for them as it is for the Christian people to believe that it is wrong to lie or steal. I have known many professed Christian people, even in California, to palm off on the unsuspecting, worthless articles as valuable. In view of these things is it a great marvel if occasionally the poor native falls into some of his former habits after becoming enlightened? And is it surprising that the Dutch, living as they have in this dark continent of Africa so long, should have formed some of those habits? But what is it that so demoralizes the natives? The question is easily answered. When any mission is established in any country for the evangelization of the heathen, or any commercial relation is introduced, the unprincipled white man with his accursed liquor traffic establishes himself, and introduces many vices the natives never would have known if not brought to them. These vices once introduced among the untutored natives, who have no moral training to hold their passions in check, carry every wicked habit to excess. Not knowing the effect of these vices upon them physically or morally, there is no restraint upon them. As for those natives who have been educated in Christian mission schools, the number who make a success in life will compare favorably with those who have passed examinations at Harvard or some other college of repute. There is dishonesty among both classes, and there are the honest and enterprising. But dishonesty in America may wear a different dress than in Africa, and it is the same in other countries. Every people clothe their sins in a garment most fitting, according to their own ideas. It is true that the moral standing of the people in a country like South Africa is not as high generally as in countries more enlightened, especially in those countries where they have schools in abundance and meetinghouses in every town. I have traveled in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and I find human nature the same, with this exception, that vice wears a different garb in different countries. They have different ways and different customs, and there are many recognized customs in one land that would be discarded as entirely out of character in another. So were we to judge the people in any one country by the standard in another, they would fall far below par. There is much truth in the story, that has gone its round, of a Quaker who said to his wife, “Is it not strange, Dorothy, that all the world is queer but thee and me? And I think thee a little queer sometimes.” I would as soon trust myself with those of the natives who come from the mission schools in South Africa as from our schools in America. There are the good and the bad in both instances. Remove the missionary influence from the native African and you have a dark people indeed. And we can but think that people who can see no good in the missions take a very superficial view of the situation. They certainly have a wrong idea of the true condition of affairs. As to my nationality, I am an American, having spent several years in the noble state of California. I am not ignorant of the ways and customs of that people, neither am I altogether ignorant of the vices of the native African. There are large tribes who have very strict laws against any unprincipled European settling among them, unless he has some legitimate business, professedly, at least, that will benefit the native. One of these is the Basuto tribe. For something over sixty years the French Evangelical Society have had their missions in the country. Their influence is felt all through the tribe to a greater or less extent. No land is sold, or even leased, to any one. None but those having a legitimate business are allowed to remain in the country. At the request of natives and the missionaries no intoxicating liquor is permitted to be brought into the country, and there is a heavy penalty for violation of the law. Here is a class of heathen natives that have not come in contact with the unprincipled white man, as in other tribes. A more hospitable people you never saw. You will not find a more friendly people, always ready to assist you in any lawful enterprise. Any one who has ever been among them, and has also been among other tribes, will at once see a contrast between those who have had a Christian influence, without the white man’s liquor traffic and accompanying vices, and those who have had the influence of missions counteracted by the unprincipled white man scattering seeds of vice of every kind among them. I am not speaking from mere reports, but from what I know, from what I have seen and experienced among them. I have shared the hospitality of the Basuto in his hut or house, have traveled from village to village among them, and have met them under varied circumstances. In cultivating the soil they have many of the late American improvements, and yet they are heathen. There is one thing that should be remembered in this country, and that is, the Dutch Boors are not the persons to establish missions among any class of natives. They do not believe in missionary effort among them. Like the writer in the Examiner, they think it makes the natives worse. So upon this point they are well guarded. But those establishing missions are among the best of men, whose influence is good anywhere. Therefore, while we would be far from saying that there are not some bad natives where missionary effort has been put forth, and perhaps even worse than before coming in contact with such effort, yet it gives an entirely wrong impression to say that the missionary influence is in any way responsible12for such result. It is also far from correct to suppose that the Dutch Boer, with all his sins, is responsible for it. The charge properly comes back upon the unprincipled white man, who carries vices into their midst, such as the liquor traffic and all the wickedness that goes with it. Those who take a strong position against the Dutch on these grounds, and because of the mission effort among the natives, have not a clear knowledge of the facts, or are unduly prejudiced against the Christian religion. Cape Town, South Africa, March 18, 1896.