270 THE CONGO FREE STATE 



strong opinions with regard to the Belgians' treat- 

 ment of native women, to the judicial treatment 

 of natives and Europeans, and to the question of 

 a money currency. The attitude of the Belgians 

 towards native women — and the same thing is often 

 seen in their dealings with servants and native 

 soldiers of non-commissioned rank — shows generally 

 an error in the direction of over- familiarity rather than 

 of severity. I have seen natives interrupt and join 

 in a conversation between Europeans in a manner 

 which would certainly not be tolerated for a moment 

 in any of our African colonies. The fault arises, 

 probably, from their lack of experience in dealing 

 with native races ; they have not the advantage 

 of centuries of colonizing habits in their blood, 

 but there is no reason to suppose that they are 

 not eager to profit by the mistakes that they have 

 made. 



With regard to the functions of the judges, 

 the Government has made the grievous mistake 

 of conceiving too many laws and regulations, and 

 leaving too little to local circumstances and the 

 initiative of the man on the spot. The result too 

 often is that the harassed official or the learned 

 judge (often a very youthful person) finds himself 

 perplexed by conflicting rules and unable to carry 

 them out, and his lack of authority loses him the 

 respect of the natives. Utter savages though most 

 of them are, they have been accustomed to receive 

 in times past from their native or Arab rulers a 



