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THE PRESERVATION OF OUR NATIONAL MONUMENTS. 



By C. Graham Botha, 

 Keeper of the Archives, Cape Town. 



Read July 13, 1921. 



Among the several heritages which nations enjoy must be 

 reckoned their national monuments, their relics of bygone days. 

 Many nations possess a variety of reminiscences of long ago. Some 

 are only of passing interest, others have a scientific and historical 

 value which cannot be under-estimated. These tell us something 

 not only of the people who created them but also aid us in link- 

 ing up facts not to be obtained elsewhere. 



Very often a building, a stone, or a piece of paper will unravel 

 more mysteries than we can ever imagine. A stone or broken 

 implement picked up can give us a clue which will settle a con- 

 troverted point or add to our present knowledge. We cannot and 

 should not ignore the smallest evidence which will help us in our 

 studies. 



Need anyone ask what is the use of all these traces of the 

 long ago ? The archaeologist knows their value and the scientist 

 is ever watchful for the latest discoveries. They tell us something 

 of the people who lived in the centuries gone by, they aid us to 

 recreate the past and inform us of the manners and customs of 

 those who have gone before. Are not many of us trying to learn 

 something of the ages past, are we not delving, into records of the 

 country to obtain a true history of it? Where these are deficient 

 do we not seek for the remains of what our forebears have left of 

 their work ? Take the early history of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. 

 Are we not indebted to those who have discovered and are still 

 bringing to light the remains of cities, villages, buildings and 

 stones of hundreds and even thousands of years old ? From these 

 evidences we know much about the early people of those countries. 

 We are able to recreate their story, to learn of their manners and 

 customs, arts and sciences, and the extent of their civilisation. 



If we acknowledge these facts then why should these monu- 

 ments not be preserved and why should those which are in the 

 making and will stand as links of the present to the future genera- 

 tions not receive the same attention ? I feel confident that no 

 one will deny this duty. It is a duty which should be recognised 

 by every nation. In Europe most countries have laws by which 

 their ancient landmarks are preserved and rescued from the hand 

 of the vandal. 



South Africa can claim a history of little more than two and 

 a half centuries as far as European civilisation is concerned. 

 Scattered over its area of the Union are monuments and relics 

 which tell us of the early struggles of the pioneers, their defeats 

 and successes. Here and there are marks of their progress which 

 show the development and opening up of the country. Too few 



