president's address — SECTION F. 167 



It was necessary to have the natives vaccinated, and it was 

 highly desirable, for many reasons, that it should be done with 

 their consent. At the same time our natives have usually a great 

 horror of the icnife or anything which suggests it, and, further, it 

 was' tO' be expected that, even though the first few might submit 

 willingly enough, the pain and sickness which normally ensue on 

 vaccination would make the process vastly unpopular with the 

 remainder. We wanted, therefore, to put some view before them 

 which would give an adequate explanation of the reason for 

 vaccination, and which would also recommend it to their favorable 

 consideration. So we told them that there was a very dangerous 

 and powerful sorcerer in the West — that was the quarter froan 

 which the small-pox was expected — and that this sorcerer had 

 conjured up a very bad sickness which might come along at any 

 moment. But, though the sorcerer was strong, the Government 

 was stronger, and would protect all who claimed its protection. 

 A mark would be put on the arm of all those who trusted them- 

 selves to the Government ; the sorcerer when he came would see 

 the Government mark, would realizei that he was powerless, and 

 would retire foiled and baffled to his home in the West. But for 

 those who would not receive the mark the Government could, of 

 course, do nothing. 



I have called this an extreme instance of the indirect method, 

 because we worked through the natives' belief in sorcery, which, 

 a? a matter of fact, we are doing our best to extirpate; but I still 

 think that we were right, for we were^ really doing no more than 

 translate the theory of vaccination into a language that a Stone 

 Age savage could understand. Anyhow, whether we were right 

 or wrong, we were successful beyond our wildest dreams — the 

 " Government mark " became hugely popular, uot only medically, 

 but socially, and to be without the mark was to confess oneself the 

 veriest outsider. Fortunately, the sorcerer of the West did not 

 come; but if he had come we were ready for him. 



I admit that I have purposely chosen instances in which the 

 direct method appears rather at a disadvantage, but it is probable 

 that the other — that is, the British, or indirect, method — really 

 i's thei better way of dealing with natives, if only for the reason 

 that it is less " cast iron " and is more capable of adjustment to 

 meet the circumstances cf any individual case. 



Anihrnpology of Service onhj where the Indirect Method is 



Adopted. 



Clearly, if you are going to abolish native customs altogether, 

 i'o is of no practical value to try to understand them, since in any 

 event they have to go ; consequently, anthropological study is of 

 little value where the direct method has been adopted. Where the 

 other, or British, policy is followed it may, in my opinion, be of 

 the very greatest assistance, since, obviously, you cannot decide 



