452 NATIVE EDUCATION IN THE TRANSKEI. 



and doing efficient work. The Act recognised him without dehn- 

 ing his position, maintained a wise silence about his duties in 

 connection with the control and management of the schools, and 

 expected him to provide the necessary buildings and even equip- 

 ment. 



It is his duty to supervise the teachers in their duties, to 

 advise and help them, to examine the schools from time to time, 

 to organise and direct the religiotis instruction, and in cases of 

 serious trouble he exercises the power of dismissal. 



All this work, if thoroughly done, entails a fair amount of 

 correspondence, and mtich more of time and labour, for most 

 teachers need constant stipervision, and the outstations are 

 often some distance away; and when it is remembered that the 

 work in connection with the schools is only a part — and that 

 not the main part — of the missionary's duties, it will l)e con- 

 ceded that his time and strength are fully taxed. As much as 

 fi.ooo per annum, and more, passes through the hands of some 

 superintendents, in (lovernment and General Council ^jrants, and 

 every penny of this money is paid out in salaries to the teachers, 

 and for all this extra res])onsibility and work the superintendent 

 neither receives nor desires any renuineration from the State. 

 It is done because the first duty of the missionary is to enlighten, 

 Christianitv ha\ ing evervthing to gain by the dissemination of 

 knowledge. If men are taught to think aright, even heathen 

 men, then tiiey will live aright ; and anything done to lift native 

 thought out of the animal rut, and provide something j)ttre and 

 clean and uplifting to think around and speak abotit, is to be wel- 

 comed. Too often the conversation of the heathen is but a cess- 

 pool of immoral thotight — from which they need emancipation. 

 This is simply due to the fact that they are ignorant. In the 

 early days their minds were fully occui)ied by warlike i)ursuits. 

 or in hunting, and in their leisure hours they would think alx)ut 

 these things, and relate the stories to (Mie and another of their 

 friends. To-day there is no outlet in these directions, nor has 

 there been for years, and consequently their thoughts seem to 

 concentrate upon cattle. Kafir beer, and women. esi)ecially the 

 more degrading aspects of these stibjects. If these same people 

 were better informed on other subjects this deplorable state of 

 things would atitomatically right itself in large measure — and 

 we look to education to lead to cleaner thinking and better living. 

 In any case, the miM-e edtication they get, the more intelli- 

 gent and sturdy will be the ])roducts of missionary effort. For 

 these and other reasons, which need not here be specified, the 

 stiperintendents are prej)ared to undertake the burden oif Native 

 Education without any monetary return. It is not too nnich to 

 say that the wliole fabric rests upon them, and that the with- 

 drawal (.)f tlie missionary superintendents would mean the virtual 

 collapse of nati\e education. 



To begin with, excluding an ahnost negligil)le percentage, 

 abnost all the schools are held in cinirch l)uildings, or school 

 l)nil(lin,ys, ])ni\i(lc(l 1)\- the nn'ssionary su])erintendent. Usually 



