I'KKSIDENTIAL ADDRKSS SKCTION E. 1 15 



I. — Preliminary Considerations. 



I. Introductory. 



The accomplishment of the Union of South African States 

 in the year 1910 a.d. was a great and notable event in South 

 African history. The bitterness that, of necessity, had been 

 engendered by the Anglo-Boer War made the triumph of the 

 cotisummation of Union all the more notable, and conqueror and 

 conquered were never so great as when this vision of statesman- 

 ship became an accomplished fact. 



But having said this, it is essential that we should remind 

 ourselves of a question of the first magnitude which stands across 

 the threshold of the future, demanding the attention of the 

 newly-formed Union. Great, undoubtedly, was the task which 

 had for its solution the destiny of a million whites, half of them 

 Boers, and the other half British ; but what shall we say of the 

 problem, the subject of our present study, which has for its 

 solution the whole destiny of the seven million natives within our 

 borders ? The relative greatness of the problem is to some extent 

 indicated by the figures already given, but the complications are 

 many and serious. It is not too much to say that the future of 

 South Africa, nay more, of the African continent, hangs upon 

 the statesmanship of our handling of the Bantu during the 

 troublous days of transition from communism to individualism. 



2. The Evolution of the Native. 



In the presence of acuter problems this one has been awaiting 

 attention too long, and to-day the forces are in an active state of 

 disturbed movement because their development has been, and yet 

 is, so abnormal and erratic. In governing primitive peoples, the 

 ideal to be held in view is to secure a steady development in all 

 departments of the native national life, that intellectually, morally, 

 socially, economically, and, in these days of reaction from the 

 material to the spiritual, one may well add spiritually, there may 

 be a steady evolution, unaccompanied by strikes, rebellions, con- 

 fusion and violence, until fulness of national expression is found. 

 That this should happen is obviously in the best interests of all 

 concerned, not least in the best interests of the white population 

 scattered about in small groups in the midst of an overwhelming 

 native population. If, however, one suggests that education of 

 the native is the golden key, it seems that there are not wanting 

 others to raise the challenge ! That there could be such a chal- 

 lenge in these days is surely a striking commentary ; neverthe- 

 less it is the expression of a view so frequently met with in 

 certain circles in South Africa and elsewhere that it has seemed 

 worth while to make full enquiry into the whole situation, having 

 special regard to the breakdown of tribalism and the develop- 

 ment of individualism. The fact is that, view it how we will, 

 native education cannot but proceed, and if there is adverse 

 criticism, it may be due to the fact that we are educating on 

 wrong lines, or to other causes, which may discover themselves in 

 the course of enquiry. 



