60 
ARTICLES OP COMMERCE 
observed, and, oven in localities where no missionary lives, 
religious meetings aro regularly held, and children and 
adults taught to read by tho more advanced of their own 
fellow-countrymen; and no ono is allowed to make a pro- 
fession of faith by baptism unless ho knows how to road 
and understands tho nature of the Christian religion 
Tho Bcchuana Mission has boon so far successful that, 
when coming from tho interior, wo always felt, on reaching 
Kuruman, that wo had rcturnod to civilized lifo. But 1 
would not givo any ono to understand by this that thoy 
Are modol Christians, — wo cannot claim to bo model Chris- 
tians ourselves,— or oven in any degreo superior to tho 
mombors of our country churches. Thoy aro moro stingy 
and greedy than the poor at homo ; but in many respect* 
tho two aro exactly aliko. On asking an intelligent chief 
what ho thought of them, ho replied, “You whito men 
havo no idea of how wiekod wo are; we know each other 
bettor than you: somo feign beliof to ingratiate thcmsolvo* 
with tho missionaries; somo profess Christianity because 
they liko tho now system, which gives so much more 
importance to tho poor, and dcsiro that tho old systorn 
may pass away; and tho rest — a pretty largo number — 
profess bccauso thoy aro really truo believers.’’ This 
testimony may bo considered as very noarly oorroct. 
Thero is not much prospect of this country ovor pro 
ducing much of tho materials of commoreo oxcopt wool 
At present tho chief articles of trado are karossos or man 
tlos, — tho skins of which they aro composed come from th® 
Desert; next to them, ivory, tho quantity of which cannot 
now bo groat, inasmuch as the means of shooting elephant® 
is sedulously debarred entrance into tho country. A few 
■kins and horns, and somo eattlo, mnko up tho romnindoi 
of tho exports. English goods, sugar, tea, and cofl'oo are 
tho articles received in oxchango. All tho natives of these 
parts soon bccomo remarkably fond of coffee. Tho acm* 
of respectability among tho Bcchuanas is tho possession of 
eattlo and a wagon. It is remarkable that, though these 
