AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIMENT. 179*' 



The Government authorised the establishment of an Industrial 

 and Farm School in the Chindamora Reserve, at a spot 20 milea 

 from Salisbury. This was started last year, and will serve the 

 Mashona people. This year a second school has been started in 

 the Gwaii Reserve, some 70 miles from Bulawayo, which will serve 

 the Matabele people. In each case a piece of ground is chosen 

 which is typical of that on which most of the people live. Start- 

 ing with simple shelters of poles and grass the pupils are required 

 to erect, under instruction, all their own buildings, simple in form, 

 of pise-de-terre, and of local material throughout. Every pupil 

 during some period of his course, which is of at least a year, and 

 may be two or three, receives instruction and has practice in this 

 work of building. They get out the stone for foundations, dig the 

 soil for the pise, and fell the trees for the woodwork. Frames and 

 roofs are plainly, but properly, constructed by them. Good thatch- 

 ing is taught. The finished buildings present a sound and pleasing 

 appearance*, and they are a flight, but important, advance on 

 the native type. They are easily kept clean, are well lighted and 

 ventilated. If the material is good, and if it is well rammed, we 

 find that white ants do not work in the walls. The floors are also 

 of pise, smeared, and the boys sleep on mats, not beds. Simple 

 furniture is made. But the whole thing is kept as near as possible 

 to Native ideas with just those important improvements that are 

 necessary, so that these may be within the region of possible re- 

 production by the Native at home. There is a skilled European 

 instructor in charge of this work, and he gives simple talks on it 

 twice a week, and does his best to see that everyone understands 

 the process. Everything is done by the pupils themselves, and 

 every care is taken to see that they thoroughly understand the- 

 meaning of the various operations. 



Then there is the agricultural side, also under a European 

 instructor, who manages the farm. Here, again, all the work is 

 done by the pupils, but along educational lines and with constant 

 instruction. Native crops are grown, and only such implements 

 as Natives can afford are used. Lessons are given in the manasre- 

 ment of oxen — it is a mistake to think that the Native knows all 

 about this already — and in proper methods of ploughing. Lands 

 must be carefully stumped and cleared, and then all the successive 

 stages of ploughing, harrowing, cross-ploughing, planting and cul- 

 tivating are taught and practised. The value of manuring and 

 rotation of crops is illustrated by parallel experiments, and records 

 are kept, but all on simple lines, and within the Native's power of 

 understanding and doing. Though it is not practicable for all to 

 be at work on farming at one and the same time, it is arranged 

 that everyone shall have some practice at it during his course, and 

 the lectures are given to the whole school. It should be mentioned 

 that our pupils are almost all strong, well-grown boys, not children. 

 Besides the common lands there are individual plots of 60 x 60 

 feet, where every pupil can be made solely responsible for the cul- 

 tivation of his own plot. They are laid out in long parallel lines, 

 with a road down between, where the manure cart can manoeuvre, 



