436 Kaffir Promise and Capability. 



thought than the proceedings of Christian missionaries in 

 wild lands. In the small and young colony of Natal, there 

 are thirty-six stations occupied by resident missionaries, of 

 which nearly one-third belong to the American Board of 

 Missions. There are several Norwegian missionaries residing 

 in Zulu Land, far beyond the British territory. As a rule, 

 these missionaries settle down in remote wild districts, and 

 build themselves houses there, where other objects and in- 

 fluences do not yet bring civilized men to dwell. Some few 

 of the wild natives gather round their dwellings, fix their huts 

 upon the missionary grounds, attend the missionary religious 

 services, and send their children to the missionary schools. 

 There are altogether about 3000 native people attending the 

 services of the thirty-six missionary stations in Natal. Some 

 of these go for curiosity and amusement • some for what they 

 can get; and some are serious converts to the Christian 

 practice and creed. Whatever may be thought of the actual 

 economy of missionary work, on comparing results with 

 outlay j or of the question whether from Christianity to 

 civilization, or from civilization to Christianity, is the natural 

 and appointed progress for barbarous man, there can be no 

 doubt of the fact that these missionary stations, scattered 

 through the wilderness, do serve as most valuable outposts in 

 the attack of civilization upon barbarism. The most careless 

 and casual comparison of a wild native kraal, with a mission- 

 ary native village in Natal, serves to establish at once this 

 fact. In the wild kraal the Kaffir is a naked savage, squatting* 

 in the sunshine, or skulking in his straw bee-hive, amidst 

 equally naked women, whenever they find intervals from tho 

 bodily drudgery of drawing his water, bearing his burthens, 

 or delving his ground. In the missionary village the Kaffir is 

 a clothed man, living in a square house with a wife and a 

 family of children, who derive their daily bread from the 

 sweat of his brow, and beginning to understand the dignity 

 of labour, the responsibilities of rational existence, and the 

 value of temporal possessions. In many instances he is a 

 curious creature in his new-fledged state, and bears his 

 unaccustomed graces with a very manifest expression of self- 

 e< unplacency. Deference to the white man is a striking and con- 



1 1 feature in the character of tho wild Kaffir. He is even 



slow to follow the example which civilized life sets before him in 



oial things, because he looks upon the white man as a being 



of «n altogether higher order than himself, and as the proper 



inheritor of special gifts and arrangements in which he can 



ye no part. One of the answers occasionally made to 



ionary appeal by wild Kaffirs is, "Oh, yes; that is all 



, true. There is no doubt a great Spirit who looks after, 



