244 THE NATIVES OF NATAL IN RELATION TO THE LAND. 



that it is a cement binding together many ancient customs 

 which to-day are proving hindrances to advancement. In a mono- 

 gamous society when a man has courted and married, his attention 

 is devoted to earning his Hving, and, if possible, a better living, 

 year by year, and so the State progresses. Among our Bantu, 

 instead of working and earning, our married man goes philander- 

 ing among the girls, and, from the standpoint we are now 

 considering, he wastes the time of many others as well as himself. 

 When he is sufficiently married the position is no better, for the 

 man who should provide most of the brain and muscle, now 

 reposes in the shade while his wives scratch the ground to grow 

 their scanty crop. 



It wili be seen that I attribute the failure of the Bantu to 

 advance largely to social customs. While many of the customs 

 had a high value, when incorporated as part of a system they lose 

 this value when the whole system is breaking down., The position 

 is a most unfortunate one. By our contact and example we dis- 

 integrate old social order but fail to put anything in its place. 

 I made a comparison a little while back l)etween the agricultural 

 progress made by the European and the Bantu in the last few 

 decades. Such a comparison would be unfair if we did not 

 remember that during the time many hundreds of thousands, if 

 not millions, have been spent in Natal alone to help the European 

 to better his position on the land, while not a ])enny has been given 

 to the native from the public exchequer for the same purpose. 

 We are constanjly preaching the doctrine of the dignity of labour 

 to the native, but we do not see that he has in his labour that 

 greatest incentive of all — hope. When the native sees that by 

 energy and thrift he can acquire many desirable things, and the 

 road is pointed out to him, hope will spring up and make all the 

 difference in his life. But we must show him the road and we 

 must encourage and support hini in it. He cannot achieve, un- 

 aided, progress towards a better life in the native areas, and agri_ 

 citltural development therein is a main road, but Government 

 initiative and assistance will be needed. This work should form 

 one of the chief duties of the non-political Native Affairs Council 

 which I have so ciften recommended, and the idea of which was 

 embodied in the Native Administration Bill of 1917. On general 

 lines the development would follow what has been done in such 

 large measures for the European farmers by the Agricultural 

 Department — agricultural education, establishment of experi- 

 mental plots, introduction of new crops, help in marketing and 

 all the other plans now familiar to us. But the details would have 

 to be altered and adjusted to suit the character and cai>acity of 

 the |>eople with whom we are dealing. For a people like our Bantu 

 who are either in, or just emerging from the patriarchal state, the 

 personal element counts for much more than it does among a 

 ];eople who are indi\idualistic like ourselves. Much will depend 

 <m the knowledge, wisdom and sympathy of the Admiiiistration, 

 and the greatest care should be exercised in choosing those who 

 come into contact with the people. It must be recognised also 



