ARCHIVAL PROBLEMS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 48$ 



Thus the ancient epic lived on and on, altering and renovat- 

 ing its form, and modifying its contents according to the ambient 

 taste. It left untouched what constituted its pristine originality, 

 and kept the efficiency by which it permanently fascinated and 

 amused such audiences as were not too exacting unimpaired. The 

 student of literature bent on collecting and classifying among the 

 productions of human genius those which have not suffered too 

 badly from the caprices and vagaries of fashion, and which could 

 naturally not suffer much from these, because they did not wish to 

 please any other taste but the simple, conservative, and stable taste 

 of the people, will be quite prepared to award if not a first prize, 

 then certainly a second, to the "Pelerinage de Charlemagne." 



ARCHIVAL PROBLEMS IN SOUTH AFRIC 



BY 



C. Graham Botha, 

 Keeper of the Archives, ('ape Town. 



Bend July 13, 1921. 



In recent years the matter of aichives, their preservation 

 and accessibility, has received some attention. But this is only 

 the beginning of the interest which should be taken in our national 

 records. They form the chief monuments of our history, and 

 reflect with remarkable fidelity conditions throughout the country 

 at various periods. In South Africa the pre-Union records are 

 centralised in the capitals of the four Provinces — that is, those 

 of the Central Government of the former colonies are still to be 

 found in Cape Town, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg and Bloemfon- 

 tein respectively. In course of time some of these will have an 

 historical value, and it will be necessary to preserve them for the 

 historical scholar. 



Those who have worked in the big archives in Europe will 

 know how much the science of archives has developed. There 

 archivism is a profession, and the man who desires to become a 

 member of the archive staff must, show proof of his qualification. 

 In some countries he must undergo several years of training of 

 a high standard ; for instance, in France he must produce a 

 diploma from the Ecole de Chartes, and in Holland from the 

 recently established School of Archives. In Germany and Belgium 

 there is also a regular course to be gone through. 



In South Africa we are at the beginning of our archival 

 problems, and we have the great advantage to begin, as it were, 

 with a clean sheet, and take our model, not from any particular 

 country, but the best from each country, and adapt it, as far 

 as practicable, to our own needs. 



One of the many matters which requires our early attention 

 is that of having some legislation which will provide for the trans- 



