Review (jf lieviews, IjSjuG. 



Leading Articles. 



277 



THE NATIVE QUESTION IN SOUTH 

 AFRICA. 



Sir Alfred E. Pease, late Administrator of Native 

 Affairs in the Trans\aal, contriliutes many valuable 

 pages of temperance wisdom to the Contemforary 

 Review on the natixe question in the Transvaal. It 

 is a sad picture that he draws of the- demoralisa- 

 tion introduced among the Kaffirs by contact with the 

 while races. The)- gain, he says, little from our 

 civilisation, and gather much of the worst that it 

 can give. 



We have been accustomed to despise the Portuguese 

 treatment of natives, yet in a note Sir Alfred states 

 a fact which is not very flattering to our national 

 amour propre. 'He says in the Transvaal and in 

 British Colonies the clear evidence of coloured origin 

 - places the half-breed in the categor\- of native. In 

 Portugue.se territorv the opposite principle prevails, 

 the natives with Portuguese blood are recognised as 

 Portuguese. He reminds us that the common idea 

 that we hail ousted the Kaffir from their own lands 

 is historically incorrect. When the white men first 

 landed the only natives were Hottentots and bush- 

 men. The great hordes of Bantus were later in- 

 vaders than the whites. 



RELIGION AND DRESS. 



He speaks kindly but disparagingly of the mis- 

 sionaries. " Christian Kaffir " in the Transvaal is 

 synonymous with impudent rogue. Mission Kaffir 

 women, he says, are less virtuous than the kraal girls. 

 The missionaries in finding themselves disliked by the 

 whites should not by way of reprisal set the black 

 against the white. They should not insist on the 

 natives imitating European attire: — 



The man who can serure the adoption ty the natives of 

 ■ a becoming and efleotive dress will do more than all the 

 missionary societies have done yet to raise them in their 

 own and the white man's respect. 



I,.\BOUR FOR THE MINES. 



Sir Alfred suggests that the recruiting of Kaffir 

 labour for the mines should be taken out of the hands 

 of a monopolist labour association and entrusted to 

 the Native Affairs Department. He adds: — 



There would, in my opinion, then be no need of Chinese 

 nor of talk aliout "compelling" the lazy native to work. 

 I think mii]e managers generali.v would agree that provided 

 the supply were rctiuhir as well as adequate, native labour 

 is more efTir-ient. more economical and in every way pre- 

 ferable to Chinese. No Chinese are employed in any mines 

 ontside the Rand. In the BarbcTtiin. l.ydenlerg and Zout- 

 pansberg a?id other goldfields and mining districts no Chi- 

 nese can be employed under the Ordinance. 



A PROGRAMME OF REFORM. 



Sir .Alfred summarises the suggcitions that li<- 

 advances as follows: — 



1. Subjects deserving our attention at home, and espe- 

 ciall.v of missionary societies: The finalijication of mission- 

 aries: the person.al attitude of niis8ion:irie8 towards the 

 European community; h.andbooks collaborated with Colo- 

 nists advising intending settlers in respect of the training 

 and treatment of nati\es: native dress and person,aI clean- 

 liness tthe nati\e lubturally delights in bathing and wash- 

 ing — the close nu;ivters provided for him by Europeans h.ave 

 made him filthy); the cultivation of such native tastes as 

 tliose for singing, instrumental music, and decoration; in- 



struction in domestic duties and behaviour; the substitu- 

 tion of some system of supervision over native girls for the 

 restraining influences of the tribal system. 



2. Reforms, more particularly of the Colonial province, 

 which, in my opinion, are urgent and practicable: Super- 

 intendence of native education by the State, with State 

 provision for technical instruction in such subjects as hus- 

 bandry, gardening, cookery, laundry work, etc.; the crea- 

 tion of a Nati\e Ijabour Bureau; simplification of the pre- 

 sent h:vrassing Pass Laws; registration of native marriages 

 with the ultimate recognition of one marriage only by the 

 State ; permission to natives to brew Kalhr beer of low 

 alcoholic strength for domestic use : suppression of witch 

 doctors as " smellers out," as distinguished from medicine 

 doctors; individual tenure of land in small holdings; suit- 

 able accommotlation for natives in urban locations and 

 private premises: permission to hunt game on specified 

 lands at specified seasons. 



3. Reforms desirable in the near future: Native repre- 

 sent:ition in :i. Central Native Indaba distinct from any 

 European Legislature; the substitution of the Dutch law 

 of division amongst children, with provision for widows, for 

 the native law of primogeniture. 



With this paper should be read again the well- 

 informed article on the Imperial Control of Native 

 Races, which Mr. H. W. V. Temper ley contributed 

 to the Conlemporary for June. In reviewing Mr. 

 Temperley's proposals, we did not perhaps make 

 sufficiently clear the excellent and first-hand sources 

 from which his facts and judgments were drawn. 



WHAT MAKES THE SUCCESSFUL LAWYER? 



In the Grand Magazine a more than usually in- 

 teresting symposium is devoted to success in the 

 law. In the essential qualifications good health 

 figures prominently. There is difference of opinion 

 as to how far a certain private income to tide the 

 briefless over the time of waiting is an advantage. 

 There is little difference of opinion as to the im- 

 portance of influence, especially influence with 

 solicitors, A judge who is nameless, and whio 

 speaks with remarkable plainness, sSys that he knew 

 two students, one much the better at examinations 

 and much more gifted. The less gifted has a large 

 practice, and knew 120 solicitors the day he was 

 called. The other can but just scrape along, and 

 knew one. Given that a man is not utterly incapable, 

 influence is the great thing. Most authorities agree, 

 however, that there is a great sifting out of able 

 men from fools in the legal profession. The plain- 

 speaking judge thus sums up the qualities most es- 

 sential to the successful lawyer; power of making 

 himself believe in his cases — in other words, power 

 of self-deception, though he does not say so; will- 

 ingness to work up the facts of a case, which is rare; 

 and common sense enough neither to overrate nor 

 underrate the intelligence of judge and jur\-. 



In an article on Underground Berlin, contributed 

 in the June numl^r of VeUiagcn, Dr. Curt Rudolf 

 gives us a graphic picture of the great technical diffi- 

 culties wirich have to be contended with in the lav- 

 ing of pipes and cables -in cities. The streets of Ber- 

 lin, like those of other great cities, have below the 

 surface a perfect network of emberlde'l cables and 

 pipes connected w^ith the supply of gas, water, and 

 electricity, not to speak of the telephones, under- 

 ground railways, etc. 



