346 THE LAND OF THE LION 



"Well, gentlemen, supposing we call the calf's tail a leg, 

 how many legs has a calf then ? " Again the Committee 

 protested. "Please answer my question, gentlemen." "In 

 that case, Mr. President, the calf has five legs." "No, 

 gentlemen, for our calling the tail a leg does not make it one, 

 the calf has still only four legs. Good morning ! " 



Every native between the Nile Valley and the sea may 

 be declared free, his bonds may be broken, his master 

 deprived of his services, and he of that master's protection 

 and rule. But no declaration will make him free. He 

 must have some master. No worse fate can befall him 

 than to be deprived of one master and given no other. 

 The very first step in his regeneration is taken when he is 

 induced, forced, if necessary, to work. In part, he can 

 be induced to work. I have pointed out again and again, 

 that the East African does admirably the work he likes 

 doing, if he is wisely and firmly forced to keep on doing 

 it. The theorist who would insist on pulling down and 

 opposing all plans for exerting pressure on the native, 

 because such plans can be labelled "forced labour" is no 

 friend of the African. It is the influence of such blind 

 theorizing, self-satisfied and ignorant as it is, that thwarts 

 often and brings to nothing the wise efforts of those who 

 know the native, and are on the spot making sacrifices to 

 aid and educate him efforts that often the self-confident 

 philanthropist in a far-away land might not be ready to 

 make. 



The native can be taught agriculture, the men can in 

 time be taught to take part in it, as well as the women, but 

 it is necessarily a slow work. The native can be trained 

 into a fair mechanic. He naturally takes to iron work, 

 pottery, brick-making, stone cutting, carpentry. But 

 to teach him it is absolutely necessary to indenture him 

 and make him stick to his job till he has gained a certain 

 proficiency in it; otherwise in a few weeks or months he 



