62 ARTICLES OF COMMERCE. 



observed, and, even in localities where no missionary lives, 

 religious meetings are regularly held, and children and 

 adults taught to read by the more advanced of their own 

 fellow-countrymen; and no one is allowed to make a pro- 

 fession of faith by baptism unless he knows how to read 

 and understands the nature of the Christian religion. 



The Bechuana Mission has been so far successful that, 

 when coming from the interior, we always felt, on reaching 

 Kuruman, that we had returned to civilized life. But I 

 would not give any one to understand by this that they 

 are model Christians, — we cannot claim to be model Chris- 

 tians ourselves, — or even in any degree superior to the 

 members of our country churches. They are more stingy 

 and greedy than the poor ak home ; but in many respect? 

 the two are exactly alike. Offlasking an intelligent chief 

 what he thought of them, he replied, " You white men 

 have no idea of how wicked we are; we know each other 

 better than you : some feign belief to ingratiate themselves 

 with the missionaries; some profess Christianity because 

 they like the new system, which gives so much more 

 importance to the poor, and desire that the old system 

 may pass away; and the rest — a pretty large number — 

 profess because they are really true believers." Thir 

 testimony may be considered as very nearly correct. 



There is not much prospect of this country ever pro 

 ducing much of the materials of commerce except wool 

 At present the chief articles of trade are karosees or man 

 ties, — the skins of which they are composed come from the 

 Desert; next to them, ivory, the quantity of which cannot 

 now be great, inasmuch as the means of shooting elephant? 

 is sedulously debarred entrance into the country. A low 

 skins and horns, and some cattle, make up the remainder . 

 of the exports. English goods, sugar, tea, and coffee are 

 the articles received in exchange. All the natives of these 

 parts soon become remarkably fond of coffee. The acme 

 of respectability among the Bechuanas is the possession of 

 cattle and a wagon. It is remarkable that, though these 



