158 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



" devoted scholar." But according to the same writer there seems 

 to be another race, different from the Bushmen, in this wonderful 

 South Africa, which might be the most primitive race of all man- 

 kind, and which was never properly studied. They are called 

 Kattea, and live in the north of the Transvaal, at three or four 

 days' distance from Pietersburg, from the railway. Dr. Haddon 

 hopes that a serious effort will be made to investigate them. It 

 would be the task of our Anthropological Commission. I would 

 suggest that it should appoint a travelling agent to go to the spot 

 and get all the knowledge possible about these interesting people. 

 The man who would be trusted with such a task, ought, of course, 

 to possess a great measure of tact, wisdom and ability, and could 

 be greatly helped by one or two educated natives. What an immense 

 interest the narration of his travels would give to the Review ! 



Having described, in its main features, what the activity of 

 the Commission of South African Anthropology should be, and 

 coming closer and closer to the practical side of the question, I 

 should add two suggestions about the means of making all that 

 machinery work properly. 



The great difficulty would be to find the man who would be 

 Secretary of the Commission, the living personality w^ho' would 

 link together all those various agencies. A learned, scientific man, 

 he must be, to give to the Review its lustre and assure its 

 success. He ought to know his South Africa well, as well the native 

 as the white South Africa. On the other hand, he must be in svmpathy 

 with the black, because, as Sir Richard Temple says (quoted by Dr. 

 Haddon) " sympathy is one of the chief factors of successful dealings 

 of any kind with human beings." And more than everything else, 

 he must be an enthusiast, understanding the immense importance of 

 the investigations over which he would preside, and not fearing to be 

 somewhat troublesome to those people on the spot who would gather 

 for him the information wanted and who might be sometimes a little 

 too lazy. Is such a man living ? If so. would he consent to undertake 

 such a task? I have spoken about the future Native College as 

 having to become a centre of Bantu study. Would our Secretary be 

 found amongst its future staff? At least, could not this great work 

 of scientific inquiry be connected in some way with that institution ? 



But such a man, such a Review, such a mighty work, would 

 cost much. And here, as everywhere, the sad, deplorable question 

 of funds arises. Where ought they to come from ? From individuals, 

 first of all. There are wealthy men in South Africa. Many have 

 been enriched owing to the collaboration of native labour. Would 

 not some of them make a gift, a substantial gift, to reach the aim? 

 It would be for science ; science is worth sacrifice. But our South 

 African States ought also to contribute regularly to the execution of 

 the scheme. The Transvaal revenue derives more than j/^400,000 

 from the natives. A generous native policy would decide, as a 

 question of honour, that all the money got from the aborigines should 

 go back to them or be spent in their interest. Such is not the case ; 



