MISSIONARIES AS TRANSMITTERS OF WESTERN
CIVILISATION IN NINETEENTH CENTURY AFRICA
Robert Wesley Goodloe
A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD
at the
University of St Andrews
1955
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MISSIONARIES AS TRANSMITTERS OF WESTERN OIVIUZATION IN NINETEENTH OSKTURT AFRICA
Ï»' Being a % eele preeented by
Robert Weeley Goodloe, J r ., B.A., B.D., to the U niversity of S t. Andrews in ap p lication for the degree of Ph.D.
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the fellow lng Theelc le baeed on the résulta o f Research carried out by me; that the Thesis i s
my
own composition; and that i t has not previously been preeented for a Higher Degree.The Research was carried out in S t. Mary's C ollege, The Univeraity o f S t. Andrews.
Signed;
CERTIFICATE
I c e r tify that haa spent nine
terms In Research on the subject. M issionaries as Transmitters o f Western C iv ilisa tio n in Nineteenth Century A frica, that he has f u lf ille d the conditions o f Ordinance No# 16 (S t. Andrews), and that he is q u alified to submit the accompanying Thesis in ap plication for the degree o f Ph.D.
Signed;
, Professor,
ACADEMIC CAREER
19^7 Matriculated in Southern Methodiet U nivereity, D allas, Texas, U .S.A ., and followed a course leading to the degree of B.A. (S o cia l S cien ces).
1951 Matriculated in Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist U niversity, D allas, Texas, U.S.A.
1952 Matriculated in Candler School of Theology, Emery U niversity, A tlanta, Georgia, and followed a course leading to the degree o f B.D.
TABLE OP OONT&NT&
Ûhapter I . In tro d u c tio n and P relim inary Remarks Page 1 Chapter I I . 1815-1650
A. Background 9
1. P o litic a l c o n d itio ne 2 . European contacte
5# A ttitu d e toward Government
B. Education 1)
1. Nature o f e a rly education 2 . Curriculum
5# Teaching medium
0. A rch itectu re 18
1. E ffe c t o f environment 2 , Typee
o f
a rc h ite c tu re5* E ffo rt and e f f e c t o f B a ttlin g prooeee
D. A g ricu ltu re 21
1. P ereo m l n eceaeity fo r a g ric u ltu re 2. A g ricu ltu re and c iv ilis a tio n
5* A g ric u ltu ra l p ro je c ts
B. I f f o r t e toward M ieeionary Reoeeeion 2 ) 1. B elf-cupport
2 , Development of a Native agency
F. The progresB of O iv iliz a tlo n 28 1. G eneral statem enta
2 . A ttitu d e toward Hativea and N ative cuatome 5# M aru p tlv e e ffe c t»
0 . Oonolualone and Summary 51 Chapter I I I . 1850-1840
A. Background 55
1. P o litic a l conditions
2 . A ttitu d e toward Government
B. Education 59
1. C ontinuation o f rudim entary otage 2. Education and C h ris tia n ity
5# E ducation and c iv ilis a tio n 4 . Curriculum
5 . E ducational development
0. A rc h ite ctu re 42
1. E ffe c t o f environment
[image:8.615.92.563.84.709.2]D, A g riculture
1, A g ric u ltu ra l development
2 . A g ricu ltu re and m leeionary reoeeeion 5 . A g ricu ltu re and c iv iliz a tio n
4# A grioulture and O h rle tla n ity
E, E ffo rt» to w a r# # i»e io m ry Reoeeeion 1# B eIf-eupport
2 . Development of a N ative agency F, The Frogree» o f O iv iliz a tlo n
1# G eneral atatem enti
2* A ttitu d e toward Native» and Kattive cue tome 5# B ieru p tiv e e ffe c t»
0 . Oonciueiona and Bummary Chapter XV* 1640-1660
A. Background
1# P o litic a l condition»
2* A ttitu d e toward Government B# Education
1* E ducation and O h rla tia n ity 2* E ducation and c iv iliz a tio n 5* 0urrimul%m
4* E ducational development C. A rohiteoture
1. E ffe c t o f enviroim ent and m ission p o licy 2, Type» o f a rc h ite c tu re •
5. Encouragement o f Native im ita tio n D, A g ricu ltu re
1. A g ricu ltu re and O h rle tla n ity 2 . A g ricu ltu re and c iv iliz a tio n 5, A g ric u ltu ra l development
B, E ffo rts toward M iceionary Reoeeeion 1. S elf-p u p p o rt
2 . Development o f a Native agency F. The Frogreee o f O iv iliz a tlo n
1* General 'etatem onte
2» A ttitu d e toward Native# and N ative custom» 5# D isru p tiv e e ffe c t»
0 . Ooncluaion» and Summary Chapter V. 1660-1670
A# Background
44
44 4? 50 55 591. P o litic a l conditions
2# A ttitude toward Government B. Education
1, Education and C h ristia n ity
2# E ducation and o iv iliz a tlo n 5, E ducational development
a# A rch itectu re 0
1* E ffe c t o f environment 2 . Type» of a rc h ite c tu re
5. I n s titu tio n a liz e d a rc h ite c tu re
4 . A rc h ite c tu ra l procedure and purpose
D. A g ricu ltu re 98
1# A gricultural p ro ject#
2* A grioulture and G hrietianity 5. A g ricu ltu re and c iv iliz a tio n
B#
E ffo rt# toward Mieeionary Receceion99
1# S elf-eu p p o rt
2 . Development of a Native agency
F. The Progrès# o f O iv iliz a tlo n 10) 1« G eneral atatem ente
2 . A ttitu d e toward Native# and' Native cuetome 5# D iaruptiv# e ffe c t»
4# O on#tractive e ffo rt#
G# Oonclueion# and Summary 110
Chapter VI. 1870-1665
A. Background 115
1, P o litic a l condition»
2 . A ttitu d e toward Government
B. Education 126
1# E ffe c t o f environment
2. Education and O hrietlanity 5* E ducation and c iv iliz a tio n 4 . E d u catlo m l development 5# M offat I n s titu tio n
0. A rch itectu re 1J4
1. E ffecl. o f environment 2 . 'Type#.of a ro h lte c tu e e .
5# X n a titu tio n a llz e d a rc h ite c tu re
4 . A rc h ite c tu ra l procedure and purpose
0 . A g ricu ltu re 157
1. A g ric u ltu ra l p ro ject#
2 . A g ricu ltu re and c iv iliz a tio n
E. E ffo rts toward M ieeionary R ecession 159 1, B elf-eupport
2# Development o f a Native agency
2 , A ttitude toward Natives and Native customs J. D isruptive e ffe c ts
4. Oonstruetlve e ffo r ts
G# Opncluslons and Summary 1)0
Ohapter V ÏI. I885-X9OO
A. Background I60
1. P o litic a l conditions
2 , A ttitude toward Government
B. Education 171
1. E ffect of environment
2 , Education and O hristianlty 5. Education and O lv lliza tio n 4# Educational development 5. Moffat In stitu tio n
0. A rchitecture 165
1# E ffect o f environment 2 . Types o f architecture
5. A rchitectural procedure and purpose
D. A griculture 166
1. A gricultural projects
2 . A griculture and c iv iliz a tio n
E# E fforts toward Missionary Recession 167 1# Self-support
2# peyelopment o f a Native agency
F# The Progress of O ly lllza tlb n 191 1. General statements
2 . A ttitude toward Natives and Native customs 5* D isruptive e ffe c ts
4# Gonetru otlvé e ffo r ts
Q. Oonolusions and Bunimary 1 0
Ohapter V III. Oonclusions and Analysis
A. Transmission of Western C iv iliza tio n 1 0 1. A ttitude toward Government
2 . E fforts toward S ocial Betterment 5. The Process of O lvlliziatlon
B. Western Church Pattern 222
1. Self-support 2. aelf-prepagatlon 5, Self-government Appendix
A, Survey of tr ib a l l i f e and customs 242 B. Mackenzie to Mullens, 27 January 1666 246 0# Bechuanaland D istr ic t Committee to S ir Bartie
> r . r i ^ 2 5 January , 2^8 D. S ir Bartie Frere to Foreign Secretary of the
s . Hepburn to Whltehouse,
f
June I860 2gOF. Mieeionary Data 2J2
1. Chart o f m leelonariee and station# 2 , Biographioal information
1 . Ohapter I . In tro d u c tio n
During the paet few deoadee, the O h ristla n fo re ig n m ission e n te r- p riee has oome In c re a sin g ly under the strong lig h t o f eerloue examin a tio n , in the form of eoul-aearohing queetlons by those who are numbered among I t s supporter», and In eq u ally stro n g , i f not stro n g e r, c ritic is m
by those who see C h ristia n m lsslone as the d estro y er of e sta b lish e d
so c ia l s tru c tu re s , the re a c tio m ry opposer of nationalism and group s e lf - d eterm in atio n , and the agent of W estern c u ltu re and economic capitalism * While th ese symptoms have not reached the p o in t of larg e sc ale re v o lu tio n in A frica, the recen t tro u b le in Kenya and the rum blings in South A frica p o in t to se rio u s t r i a l s in the fu tu re , and to w ide-spread c ritic is m of C h ristia n m issions as a p a rt o f w hite rule* In a more developed sta g e , the c ritic is m of m issions Issu in g from Ohlna may be taken as the c r i t i cism of many p a rts o f A frica in the future*
^The main chargee are two; That O h ristia n m issions and the Ohurches they have fo ste re d have throughout presupposed and dissem inated the c a p ita lis t c u ltu re o f the West and have been a llie d w ith such fo rc es in Ohlm as were sym pathetic to or Could be the to o ls o f the c a p ita lis t and im p e ria lis t West; and th e re fo re th a t o b je c tiv e ly speaking the m ission and the Ohuroh were fundam entally re a c tio n a ry fo rc e s , opposed
to the tru e in te r e s ts of the people, and hangers-on i f not a c tiv e agents o f the in te r e s ts o f W estern power»; and would rem ain so even i f , as m issions have fo r decades declared to be th e ir f in a l aim , the m ission were i t s e l f ^oyld up and a l l m issio n aries r e tir e d leaving the Ohurch w holly responsible* Secondly, th a t w hatever may have been the form al aim of m ission», th e ir a c tu a l p o licy was such a s not to f o s te r but to preclude the development o f a genuinely dynamic s e lf# governing se lf-su p p o rtin g and expanding Ohuroh*'*^
Though these remark» were mad# s p e c if ic a lly about c r itic is m in Ohlna, such remarks and a ttitu d e s may be found throughout the world in area» emerging through n atio n alism to more im portant s ta tu s in world a ffa irs *
2 . A frica, judging from present event# and circum stances, ie certa in ly no exception to the ru le.
While the outsider has frequently chosen only certain disagreeable aspects of the m issions for c r itic ism , more gen erally he sees the mere presence o f foreigners and th eir ways as dangerous to h is welfare and g o a ls. E specially is th is true o f Oommunitt governments and places where awakened nationalism react® against foreign domination or Influence, In
such ca ses, c r iticism may point out the numerous weak points of O hristian m issions, but more often is too influenced by p o litic a l fe e lin g s and prejudices to be of much constructive value* On the other hand, much outside criticism is good, and can lead to needed reform. Increasingly, a ls o , are the m issionaries and m ission oupportere looking inward on th eir progranmes, and c a llin g a tten tio n to wrong emphases and patterns. These inward criticism * w ill form the bulk o f the fin a l chapter*
ll-defined period* o f It» h isto ry , ranging from complete is o la tio n from a l l contacts with Western c iv iliz a tio n and community, a t the beginning of the endeavour, to the work o f m lnietering largely to a Native sectio n of a predominately Europeanized area by the end o f the century, give clear contrasts for study. In ad d ition , i t s outstanding personnel are o f great in te r e st because of th eir individual p erso n a lities and th eir prominent place In the shaping of South A ffioaà history#
A m ission, in the broader sense o f the term, may be defined as; sending or being sent to perform some function or service; a body of persons sent to a foreign country, e sp e c ia lly for the purpose of conducting n egotiation s, esta b lish in g p o litic a l or commercial r e la tio n s, watching over certa in in te r e s ts , etc,* * In a more s p e c ific sense, O hristian m issions may be defined and summed up as follow s;
*The Work o f m issions is the planting of the v is ib le Ohurch in a l l i t s completeness In areas where i t has never ex isted or has now ceased to e x is t . This may also be expressed by saying
that m issions have as th eir aim the growth o f the Ohurch to I ts d iv in ely appointed lim its which are id en tica l with the geograph ic a l d istrib u tio n o f the human race. The m ission f ie ld i s in fa ct those countries where the v is ib le Ohuroh is not securely planted, together with those sections o f Christendom which are le f t untouched by the Ohurch of the coçntry,,#The v is ib le Ohurch may be said to be planted when she is su ffio le h tly stab le to recru it her clergy from her own country and not require to rely on foreigners; when she has shown her a b ilit y to spread beyond a cliqu e or a so c ia l cla ss; when her work is a ffe c tin g , i f only in a small degree, the whole range o f the l i f e of the country, and When there is s u ffic ie n t organisation to permit unity of d is c ip lin e . The aim o f m issions i s not prim arily to save so u ls, but to provide the permanent means by which souls may be saved. The s p e c ific a lly m issionary task thus understood is transitory; i t i s completed when the Ohurch is estab lish ed throughout the world, *2
The fin a l d efin itio n s necessary to th is th esis are c iv iliz a tio n in general, and Western c iv iliz a tio n In p articu lar, General c iv iliz a tio n
hé
may be defined a»t
developed of advanced s ta te of human ao c lety ; a p a rtic u la r stag e or a p a r tic u la r type o f th le ,* ^
W eetefn c iv iliz a tio n » on the o th er hand, is th a t s p e c ific type found in and spreading from the O ccidental w orld, p a r tic u la r ly the C ontinent' o f Europe and North America, In th is th e s is , the term W estern c i v i l i z a tio n i s used in a more lim ite d sense, d ealin g p rim a rily w ith th a t se c tio n of W estern l i f e found in and springing from G reat B rita in , einoe the p a r tic u la r m ission under co n sid eratio n Is B r itis h , General statem ent a on m isslone and the impact of W estern l i f e on non-O ccidental area» of the world Include the w ider use of the term , most o f which 1* d ir e c tly ap p lica b le to the B ritis h and Boer ways of l i f e i n the par tic u la r are a under c o n sid e ra tio n .
With these d e fin itio n s o f the nature and fu n c tio n of a O h ristia n m ission and W estern c iv iliz a tio n k ept in mind, the scope of th is study comes more c le a rly in to fo c u s. By way o f a s e ttin g , th e p o lit ic a l back ground is developed only so f a r as i t co n trib u tes to an understanding o f the main purpose. Likew ise, the general development and a c tiv i tie s of the London M issionary O oclety in th is te r r ito r y a re shown to give c l a r ity to the f a c ts and co n clu sio n s. In no way i s th is th e s is a com p le te account e ith e r of th e p o lit ic a l background or of a m issionary
h is to ry as such, Iheae aims have been achieved most adequately in nunSer- ous o th er so u rces. R ather, th is th e s is i s concerned w ith the problem o f the content and r e s u lts of th e e s s e n tia lly W estern outlook o f the
^New English D ictionary, TMe d e f in itio n ia too gener&^l fo r a study o f th is type# as the term ^civilized** i s a r e la tiv e cme between the B r it-ish:.'ahd :Ba.tlVe .# y a ^p.f. l i f e , While Mm p o ssessio n o f w ritin g might be taken a s the d lv iÿ p g /iin s (w e B,B,i'ylor# AntjbrpoQlogv ) . the Europeans in that area would nefer have accepted i t as sà tisfa cto x y .
See
a lso5.
n in eteen th century ralBSionarlee me expressed in the facet* of the c iv i liz a tio n brought or attem pted, the general Vleetern leaning» and a ttitu d e * o f the m ioeiom rie* on such subject* a* n a tio n a l lo y a lty , opinion of
and p a r tic ip a tio n in co lo n ialiem , e t c , , and the approach used by the m lB sionariea in try in g to a c t up a Younger Ohuroh, I t s nature and f a i l
ing»# While on the su rface the two subject* of W estern c iv iliz a tio n and » Ohurch o rg a n iz a tio n would not seem to be v i t a l l y lin k e d , y e t the W estern Ohuroh displayed the e s s e n tia lly W estern c h a r a c te r is tic s , and in it* attem pt to e s ta b lis h Ohurches in fo re ig n lands p ro jected i t s O ccidental n atu re to them# In such an u n d ertten d in g , the two fa c e ts a re b a s ic a lly In sep a ra b le, and as such form the ground of study fo r th is th e s is .
This p a rtic u la r m issionary work during the n in eteen th century 1* divided in to six p erio d s, each w ith i t s p a rtic u la r c h a ra c te ris tic s which s e t the tone o f the work done. The f i r s t p erio d , 1815-1850, contain* roughly the pioneer work done in e s ta b lis h in g the s ta tio n s from which the m ission e f f o r t issu ed throughout the country, %ough o th er s ta tio n s were e sta b lish e d l a t e r , Griqua Town ai&d Kuruman were the parent* which served as the fou n d atio n . The follow ing decade, 1850-1840, is based on the newly formed congregations sp ringing la rg e ly from a re v iv a l wave which occurred in 1829, I t* d iffe re n c e from the e a r lie r period lie s in
w ith the clash o f two ways o f l i f e . This period marked the end of a com pletely m lseioim ry Influenced environm ent, and brought those work er# Into the ro le o f m ln letere to the A frloen clem ent o f an In creas in g ly Europeanized society# From th is p o in t, the m issio n aries were no longer fre e to follow th e ir own in c lin a tio n s , but had to make p ro v isio n fo r the bad, aa w ell ae the good, influence» of the European population#
r
U nfettered m issionary p o lic y , then, came in c re a sin g ly to be m odified as co lonialism spread. In th e decade 1660-1879# the discovery of gold and diamonds in the area brought fu rth e r European em ig ratio n , though more in the nature o f mining and b u sin ess, as opposed to the farm ing c h a ra c te ris tic o f the e a r l ie r Boer s e t t l e r s , With th ese d isc o v e rie s , the development o f the country reached a much higher tempo, and p o l i t i c a lly the area gained In im portance, The follow ing p erio d , 1670-1885, was noted as the time during which much of the area reached I t s f in a l p o litic a l boundaries, G rlqualand West being annexed to the Oape Colony in 1871# the land between (Iriqualand V/eet and the Molopo River being annexed to the Oape Colony in 1685# Gind the te r r ito r y north o f B ritis h Bechuanaland and the tw enty-second p a r a lle l south declared, a B ritis h P ro te c to ra te , In te re s tin g e f f e c ts o f colonialism on m ission work and p o lic y may be noted in th is p erio d , as w ell as the B oer-B riton stru g g le which was to r e s u lt in the Boer War a t the close of the cen tu ry . The
f in a l p eriod, 1885-1900, is marked by the com pletion of p o litic a l
7 .
Through th ese p e rio d s, raloalon work, Is seen under a v a r ie ty of o o n d ltlo n e, corresponding roughly to tho s itu a tio n s facing m ission» g e n e ra lly in
X fric a , The baelc f a c ts concerning the te r r ito r y under co n sid eratio n and it* people are taken fo r g ran ted , though a g en eral survey is in cluded in the Appendix f o r ready re fe re n c e .
The source m a te ria l used in th is study may be noted in the b ib lio g raphy# Basic h is to r ic a l background i s taken from general standard work* w ithout d ir e c t re fe re n c e , though fu rth e r readings may be found in the footnotes* Ohapter# I I through V II, containing the bulk o f the th e s is , are based, except fo r p o litic a l background, alm ost e n tir e ly on prim ary source m a te ria l, found in th e Reference L ibrary o f the Wndon Mission* a ry Society# Though o rig in a l books by th e m issio n aries c o n s titu te some o f the prim ary m a te ria l, by f a r th e major p a rt is found in o rig in a l
l e tte r s sen t from the m ission f ie ld to tho D irecto rs in London between 1815 ^nd 1900, and noted in the lib r a r y a t f i r s t under the general South A frican correspondence and la te r under the t i t l e ** Bechuanaland M ission". A ll l e t t e r s may be found a t the London M issionary S o ciety , a# none ou tsid e were used. Books, essay s, and p e rio d ic a l a r tic le s used in the f in a l chapter fo r c r i t i c a l a n a ly sis cover a wide range in the m ission f ie ld — some d ealin g d ir e c tly w ith A fric a, some w ith o th er f ie ld s , and some on m issions in g e n e ra l. In using such a range, I have trie d to p o in t out the u n iv ersal m ission problem#, as w ell as the more s p e c ific ones concerning A frica and th is t e r r i t o r y in p a r tic u la r .
6#
problem# a# my sapervljsor, F rofeasor W.M, MomllXan fo r sharing w ith ## the b e n e fit o f hi# wide experience and knowledge In South A frican hi#**» to ry . Dre. E.W. Smith and O.P. Grove# fo r th e ir kind advice and c r l t i -clam,, springing from th e ir in tim ate knowledge o f O h ristia n m ission# In A frica» and Mis# Iren e F le tc h e r, L ib rarian fo r the London M issionary S o cie ty , whose knowledge o f the m a te ria l saved me much time and trouble#
In conclusion, th is th e s is i s w ritte n from no p a rtic u la r b ia s , but i s an attem pt to examine the h is to ry of a p a rtic u la r m issionary so c ie ty , and to apply to th a t h is to r y th e c ritic is m o f the p a st few decades in order to see those p o in ts on which c ritic is m la ju s tif ie d , as w ell a# to tra c e the root# and development o f c e rta in p resent-day problem## I t is n e ith e r a condemnation o f th e m issio n ariee and th e ir work, nor unbounded p raiee fo r th e ir p ast labour# and t r i a l s . B ather, the a ttitu d e Is one which has a lre ad y been put in to p r in t;
"O ritioiçm o f m ission# is not a d en ial o f much f a ith f u l work now or in the p a s t, nor o f a g re a t measure o f success, There a re , a f te r a l l , th e Younger Ohurches. The gravamen o f such
charge as i s made is not th a t the Younger Ohurches do not e x is t, but th a t they are weaker than they should be; not th a t our fo re fa th e r# were w holly wrong and have l e f t us in an im p o ssib le p o sitio n , but th a t o fte n we have continued thing# which were once r ig h t and are now wrong.*!
%n
th is s p i r i t I have made my stu d y .Ohapter I I . 1815-1850 A. Baokgtround
S h o rtly a f te r the beginning o f the n in eteen th century t r i b a l l i f e and m issionary a c tiv i ty in th a t p a rt of the Oape Province o f the Union o f South A frica known form erly aa Grlquftland West and B ritis h Bechuana- lan d , and the p resen t Bechuanaland P ro te c to ra te entered recorded h is to ry . The G riquae, who were the f i r s t group In co n tact w ith the London M issionary S o ciety in th is te r r i t o r y , were a m ixture of Dutch and
H o tten to t blood. As European m igration pushed north and e a s t, these Small groups were gathered to g e th er by various lead ers and moved over the Orange R iver, where a number o f them s e ttle d a t K laarw ater, la te r known as Oriquatown. About 1820, feuds arose among the G rlquas, and
one group s e ttle d a t Oampbell, some t h i r t y m iles to the e a s t. Another group likew ise moved, though to D aniel*s K uil, about f i f t y mile# to the n o rth . The Griquae who remained behind chose fo r th e ir lead er Andriea W aterboer, a H o tten to t who had been born in the Gape GoXony. A number o f the Griquas had never s e ttle d w ith these main groups and liv ed in
the mountains pursuing the l i f e o f b a n d its, or BergenaArs, as they were c a lle d . T heir a c t i v i t i e s added g re a tly to the confusion and un-
settlem en t caused by the feu d s.
in tu rn #& ped '# m s t a t i W on 4%ii who war# in
e f ^ c tL # ® ê im ilà r' to. tW - o a s tiM o f 6 stoho; iUtô\vw%têr#; the in?»-;4
dlrèot é^feot#
o fOhékà^ were fe lt
m'far away a#' ^%'obTmm##...^. largely
tWough the ao ti'tltiee of the Mseioimri'etr such immudere' were twleè;-
repelled and scattered: in 1023 and 1824& About 'i
03
dy''hno:^r: p eril
having it# aoprcW; in Ghakn*# a c tiv itie s§> àaôe It# appea^hce -north' of'
the O r# # River Moeelek&t##Ohlef -of the Batehele an#: once a 11
■
tenant'under -Ohstof broke away and took his troop# as far west a# thek-
southwestern section of the present TranetUal# There 'he;c#tabli#hed:>^
wide sphere of influence# placing many,tribes in a s t À # ###a l i ^: '
and pillaging the countrysid#. Such# thenr -were the factor#’'whibh com
bined to mke very unstable p o litical conditioh# in th is ared ddri^-
the in itia l period of the' work of the London .Missionary .Society.!
''In t h is f i r e t period# European contact# with t h i» a#.d'-weji^ few. : and. o f . l i t t l e sig n ific a n c e except fo r the # # 1 1 tn n d fu l o f scio n - ' '
- . . . - . . V V .' ' / / : : y a rie # working th e re , fh i# .fact may e a s ily be understood by a g la n ce ' ; a t -the.M atpgy. o f SputU iifrlean, .esjaaeio n , % e plit o f
from thé 6app d id mp't r e a lly assume algRifdPaRt prpport'ipnâ' u h til a f M r 1836» though th e re • • • ■ * ■ . - • ' , • ' '
m o
a an alm ost .constant trick le:-.W fcrc- tl^ t.-tim e , '-'■il - •; , I /. .j • ,-. s . 4. • _. •The a re a w d e r. consideration# hpv^v#ri d id n o t - f e d of ''Euro p é e n , m ig # ti on fo r a 'number- o f year##- and th e p e fip d o f 1815-1030
wi^
fo r a l l p r a c tic a l purpose# be aonoldered only in.;thé; lig h t.■ o f m
ission-!yor;n:wr# detailed .study of thi# bac%r#nd * -. both-^f;thi#
11
,
ary ooataot*, except fo r the few tra d e rs and tra v e le rs who made ocoae» lo m l appearance»♦
Though the Oape and i t s Oovernment were f a r d is ta n t from the scene o f London M issionary S o ciety a c tiv i tie s north of the Orange H iver, the a ttitu d e s o f the m issio n aries toward Government were of importance a# marking a stage in the basic Q hurch-State p rin c ip le which was a p a rt o f the to ta l m issionary context as viewed from th e stan d p o in t of i t s Western co n ten t. In a study of th is s o rt i t is necessary f i r s t to see the p o sitio n of the S o ciety and th en to note v a ria tio n s a c tu a lly in the m ission f ie ld . A L e tte r o f I n s tru c tio n s , g iv e n .to a l l m issio n aries by the L.ÎI.B. upon leaving B r ita in , reg ard le ss of d e s tin a tio n , a t th is tim e, s ta te s regarding the re la tio n s h ip w ith Government*
* Remember, th a t th e o b je ct o f your m ission is to propagate, not the p o litic s o f th is w orld, however im portant p rin c ip le s of en* lig h ten ed and e q u ita b le government in them selves may be, but the d o ctrin e s and laws o f th a t kingdom which is not of th is w orld. In reg ard , th e re fo re , to the a d m in istra tio n o f the government under which you re s id e , w hether conducted by European or n ativ e a u th o r itie s , we e n jo in , in the stro n g est manner, an e n tire avoid»» anoe o f a l l re fe re n c e , both in your public teaching and p riv a te
in te rc o u rse , except so f a r as i t is necessary, to ex p lain as a p a rt o f O h ristia n m o rality , the duty which O hristian» owe to
-The powers th a t b e .* fo r the enjoyment of to le ra tio n , and the p ro te c tio n of person and p ro p erty , be th an k fu l yourselves and teach your converts to be thankful a ls o . The utmost you have
reason to ex p ect, in many ca ses, is to le ra tio n , and the p ro te c tio n of your pereon and property; and i f even th a t should be debied, beyond the lim its o f the B ritis h Empire, you must e ith e r p a tie n tly subm it, or peaceably r e t i r e . Should i t be necessary fp r you, in the colonies o f your own country, or the places su b je c t to i t s r u le , to appeal to your r ig h ts as a B ritis h su b ject a g a in st law le s s oppression, or in ju s tic e , do i t only when o th er means f a i l . I f your lo t i s c a s t amongst an u n c iv ilise d people, who a re ju s t emerging from a s ta te o f barbarism , whose frame o f so c ie ty is y e t, in a g re a t degree, to be formed, and whose laws are y e t to be
1 2 .
to p o ssess, your advloe may be asked, and your a s s is ta n c e be o f Im portance, both to prevent e v il and to promote ex ten siv e good. But we e n jo in you to re fu se , a b so lu te ly , to ex e rc ise c i v i l power or a u th o rity , y o u rselv es, and never do wore than give advice or p o in t out how such a f f a ir s are managed in c iv i lis e d c o u n trie s."
I t may be seen from the above statem en t, th a t the London M issionary S ociety shared w ith o th er lik e nonconform ist groups the g re a t h e si tancy to e n te r in to anything which seemed lik e e sta b lish e d church!sm. Though the door was l e f t open fo r frie n d ly cooperation w ith the S ta te to a c e rta in p o in t, and fo r m eeting unusual circum stances, the guiding p rin c ip le was f a r from encouraging such p ra c tic e as a normal procedure. C e rta in ly , the ru lin g concerning form al p o litic a l d u tie s i s c le a r be yond any doubt.
Since much o f th e m issionaries* a ttitu d e toward Government was a ffe c te d by the Government* s a ttitu d e toward them, i t i s o f im portance to note the p o sitio n o f Government r e la tin g to th ese L.M.B. a g e n ts. Before 1820, m issio n aries were too o fte n looked upon w ith su sp icio n by the men in power, and agents of the various S o c ie tie s sometimes had d if f i c u lt ie s both w ith in and w ithout the Colony, am the follow ing
statem ent shows;;
"P rio r to Dr* P h ilip * s a r r iv a l, th ere had been a stro n g tendency on the p a rt of the Government to re g u la te the movements of the m issio n a rie s, a t one time p ro h ib itin g th e ir d ep artu re to s ta tio n s o u tsid e the lim its of the Colony, a t another re c a llin g them. But as e a rly as December 28, 1820, he was ab le to w rite , *We can now send m issio n aries where w# w ill.* " !
I t was not u n til a f te r 1820 th a t m issionary opinion became e v id e n t, fo r se v eral reaso n s. The Oape was a g re a t d ista n c e from th is a re a . L itt le
1 %
was known of i t , and the a tte n tio n of Government o f f ic ia ls was d ire c te d elsew here. Except fo r I n te r e s t in occasional tra d e rs and tr a v e lle r s , th e re were no stro n g t i e s except w ith th e m issio n a rie s, and these cer ta in ly were not stro n g . Dr. John P h ilip , S uperintendent o f the Hociety** M issions in South A fric a, was In te re s te d , however, and h is in flu en ce began to be f e l t . Boon a f te r 1820, the f i r s t o f f ic ia l move in th is iso la te d te r r ito r y was the appointm ent of a Government agent to Griqua Town. Though the re a c tio n s to th is s itu a tio n were hardly in d ic a tiv e of the f u l l a ttitu d e of the m issio n aries toward Government, n e v e rth e le ss, th is does c o n s titu te th e ro o t of la te r ev e n ts. The beginning was sm all, but c e rta in ly not unim portant.
The g en eral opinion a t Griqua Town was very favourable to the
presence o f a Government Agent. They saw in him a means o f bringing peace to the area in place of the co nstant feuding among the Griquas and the d isa stro u s ra id s and general so c ia l in s t a b il ity caused by the B ergenaars. Perhaps the c le a r e s t statem ent o f th is a ttitu d e may be found in a l e t t e r w ritte n by G hristépher Bass to the D irecto rs in 1825*"We long d a ily a f t e r h is coming to hear what w ill be done and w ith th a t Government might do something, not only th a t the Griquas might be brought in a b e tte r s ta te , but th e ir irre g u
l a r i t y and cru el conduct w ill g re a tly shut the door o f the in te r i o r , which would be most lam en tab le."!
The Agent, Mr. H e lv ill, was a lso te r y in te re s te d in the work of the m ission, even preaching on occasions in the absence of the m ission a r ie s . The understanding was made, however, th a t th e re was a b so lu te ly
1
Saes to Foreign S ecretary of the L.M.B., 12 January 1825. For fu rth e r15
.
no o f f ic ia l connection between the S ociety and the Agent, Thus, by hi# in te r e é t, Mr. MeXvill received fu rth e r the approval o f the men a t
Grie^ua Town* Upon re sig n in g from h i# p oet, the Agent made some in te r e s tin g comment# in a l e t t e r to the D irecto r# , which c a s t some lig h t on the s itu a tio n :
"With referen ce to th e O olonial Government, i t may be necessary fo r th e D irecto rs to know th a t an idea e x ist# th a t the m ission# a rie # o f the London M issionary S ociety are d isa ffe c te d to Govern ment, which is In ju rio u s to th e ir ch a ra c te r as w ell as to the
cause of the m ission, I am sure I can vouch fo r the m issio n aries in these p a r ts , th a t they a re q u ite averse from p o litic a l med d lin g , and I have te s tif ie d to Government in my l e t t e r of ré s ig n a tio n th e ir w illin g n ess to use th e ir In fle e n c e , what they posses#, fo r th e public good*"!
This l e t t e r In d icate# th a t the Government s t i l l had it# h e s ita tio n s re garding th e m issio n a rie s, and th a t the m issio n aries were not to ta lly convinced of the goodness o f the Government*# In ten tio n s* Most of a l l , however, i t s ta te s d e f in ite ly the p o sitio n taken by the m issio n aries o f n o n -p a rtic ip a tio n in p o litic a l m a tte rs. Even w ith allow ances taken in to c o n sid e ra tio n , th is may be taken as the O hurch-State p o lic y of the f i r s t p erio d . Again and ag ain in fu tu re p erio d s, i t w ill be noted th a t the d e s ire fo r Government as a means o f peace and s t a b ili ty was one of the determ ining fa c to rs in the a ttitu d e of the m issio n aries toward Government.
B, Education
On the su b je ct o f ed u catio n , the London M issionary S o ciety la id down in th e L e tte r of In s tru c tio n s it# policy Aonoerning the e s ta b lis h ment of m ission school#:
1 6 .
*You w ill probably be c a lle d to engage in the em tabllehment of BChoole; th a t among the r le ln g g en eratio n the eeed o f divine tr u th may be eown# and a new ch aracter given to the population of th e country In which you re s id e . The work i s h ig h ly impor#» ta n t and arduous, and deserves a p ro p o rtio n ate measure o f your a tte n tio n . Mhile g en eral knowledge is b e n e fic ia l, and much o f i t exceedingly v alu ab le , you w ill remember th a t i t i s the d is sem ination of knowledge, as a d ir e c t means o f advancing r e lig io n , th a t i s your proper o b je c t. You roust guard a g a in st the e e c u la r- Ix ln g tendency o f ed u catio n , which Is m erely d ire c te d to human scien ce. Let your plans th e re fo re provide, as f a r as i s p ra c ti ca b le, fo r the due union o f th a t knowledge which promotes the s p ir itu a l in te r e s ts o f mankind w ith th a t knowledge which tends m erely to th e ir se cu la r advantage.**
I t is evident from th is statem ent th a t, although the d issem ination of ** se c u la r’* knowledge was im portant, the im in purpose of education was the stren g th en in g and spreading of C h ristia n ideas and purposes. F u rth e r, m issio n aries were charged w ith the duty of personal su p erv isio n over
the schools as schedules p erm itted . On th is su b je c t, the men seercdd to follow unanimously the general p rin c ip le o f the S o ciety , though w ith v a ria tio n s which were more ev id en t in la te r tim es as the theory was put In to p ra c tic e .
In considering the programme of education in th is p eriod, the f a c t must be kept in ralnd th a t th is was a time o f p ioneering, both p h y sic ally and s p ir itu a lly . The m le e io m rie s had come to a land which was w ithout the normal am enities of l i f e found a t home. Much o f th e ir time was spent m erely in providing fo r the basic food, e h e lte r and c lo th in g . Most o f the rem aining hours were spent in e s ta b lis h in g them selves on a frie n d ly b asis w ith the O hiefs and people, and in preaching in order to build up a nucleus o f N ative C h ristia n * . E ducational a c t i v i t i e s , th en , needed to r e s t on c e rta in fa c to rs — the frie n d sh ip of the people, the
17.
ooneiderabXa amount o f apadework, and the d e s ire fo r education on the p a rt o f the N atives themeelvem. W ithin the f if te e n years o f the f i r s t p erio d , a l l these fa c to rs were a t le a s t In p a rt achieved, though the le v e l was n e c e ssa rily a t an elem entary sta g e .
The m issio n aries of th is p erio d , in s e ttin g th e ir newly formed schools in to m otion, took what was in some ways the path o f le a s t re s is ta n c e . For in sta n c e , they had learned the lo c a l language in stead of teaching E nglish to th e ir people ( in f a c t, some o f the e a r l ie r m ission a r ie s were Dutch or German) and had begun as soon a s p o ssib le to tra n s la te the B ible in to th e N ative tongues. When the problem o f teaching medium a ro se , they a l l seemed to favour the use of lo c a l languages, and
continued to do so fo r many y ea rs, even though i t involved such d i f f i c u ltie s as lack o f su ita b le teaching m a te ria l, the lack of a w ritte n Native language, v a r ie tie s o f d ia le c ts , and o th er such problem s. This fa c to r did not apply so much to Griqua Town, whose in h a b ita n ts fo r the most p a rt spoke Dutch (A frik aa n s), d esp ite the m in o rity group of B atlap i p re se n t. On the po in t o f teaching medium, the p o licy a t th is time was q u ite c le a r and uncom plicated, as the follow ing q u o tatio n from Kuruman re p re se n ta tiv e ly shows*
’*! hope to see th e tim e when every book read , and every w ort spoken in our c h ild re n ’s school, w ill be in the Bichuana Ian# guftg®,"!
The curriculum , as evidenced from statem ents by the m issio n a rie s, coupled w ith the expressed purpose of the L.M.B. in e s ta b lis h in g miseio n schools,
in d ic a te s the im portance and n atu re of education in th is e a rly period
18
.
and the em ail amount o f d if f e r e n tia tio n between re lig io u s and eeoular education. In s ta tin g the su b je c ts taught a t Qriqua Town, the L.M.B. Report fo r 1825 in d ic a te * the* importance o f reading and w ritin g , es p e c ia lly fo r B ible stu d y . Regular re lig io u s in s tru c tio n a lso in d icate* the prim ary re lig io u s nature of education during th is p erio d .
"They are in stru c te d in read in g , w ritin g , and cip h erin g ; are catechised tw ice awekk, and commit to memory p o rtio n s of the S c rip tu re s."
Ho inform ation is a v a ila b le on th e curriculum a t Kuruman, but since i t was la te r in g e ttin g s ta rte d than the establishm ent a t Griqua Town,
the school a t Griqua Town may be assumed to have been the more advanced in development. Education was s t i l l a t a d e f in ite ly elem entary le v e l, but the "th re e R’e" had been planted w ith a stro n g ly re lig io u s em p h a sis, As is more d e f in ite ly ex h ib ite d in the next p erio d , form al education was used fo r the propagation and undergirding of re lig io u s in s tru c tio n , w hile inform al teach in g and example were used to a lim ite d e x te n t fo r the more w orldly asp ects of N ative development* There is no evidence to presume, however, th a t "re lig io u s" and "secu lar" edu c a tio n were s u b s ta n tia lly d iffe re n tia te d in th is p erio d ,
0. A rch itectu re
-19
,
fo r th e ir herds* On the o th e r hand, th is s itu a tio n did not apply to Buoh a degree f a r th e r to the north among the Tswana, who were s e t tle d in to v illa g e s , and s h ifte d only seaso n a lly , when a t c e rta in tim es o f the year the o a ttle were d riv en to the o u tp o sts fo r b e tte r p astu re and water* M issionaries working among the Griqua nomade had to faoe th is problem of m o b ility , and th e ir re a c tio n s are to be found in a rc h i te c tu re as w ell as in o th e r f ie ld s to be discussed* A second fa c to r com plicated the problem o f sta b le a rc h ite c tu re in a moving environ ment* During th e years 1815-1850, th e area was to rn by lo c a l w arfare, mentioned e a rlie r* This added even more to the general in s t a b il ity , and delayed the development of a rc h ite c tu re f o r years*Aside from th e problems o f the general environm ent, o th e r d i f f i c u ltie s had to be faced* F ir s t, what kind o f a rc h ite c tu re could be developed by a mere handful of men, not more than six a t any one time and not more than th ree a t any one sta tio n ? Bven I f the A fricans had been w illin g a t th is tim e, l i t t l e help could be expected from them u n til they had been taught th e new methods. U n til th a t tim e should a r r iv e , a l l the work had to be done by men who o fte n did not have p r a c tic a l experience w ith construction* Although b ric k s, sto n e , and th a tch in g were a v a ila b le , tim ber was sc arce, and o b tain ab le only from a considerable distance* Permanent co n stru c tio n m a te ria l req u ired
2Q.
fo r tr a v e llin g lig h tly # Under the co n d itio n e, what were the e a rly a r c h ite c tu ra l products o f th e raieeiom rlee?
The unanimous f i r s t choice was the "pole and reed" type of con s tru c tio n , pattern ed la rg e ly a f te r Native use. Borne of the e a rly m issio n aries in South A fric a, such as Head and Janz, d is c ip le s o f Vanderkemp, chose d e lib e ra te ly to follow the Natives* example# O thers seemed to follow out o f necessity# The use of poles fo r w alls and th atch fo r ro o fs was by fa r the e a s ie s t and le a s t expensive method* In a d d itio n , i t made movement easy In an environment where tr a n s itio n was the ru le ra th e r than th e exception* I t s drawbacks were i t s tem
porary nature In the long run, and th e g re a t amount o f re p a ir and d is comfort involved# Both a t Kuruman and Griqua Town, th is was the e a r l ie s t construction*^ th e m issio n aries were not long in re a liz in g th a t th is form of c o n stru c tio n was not the type they d e sire d , and the com parative speed w ith which th is a rc h ite c tu re was abandoned in d ic a te s more than Ju st the presence o f in h e re n t flaws# With a few ex cep tio n s, the e a rly m issio n aries seemed to show th a t they had no in te n tio n of "going
N ative", or of assuming many N ative customs and modes o f l i f e in order to make th e ir message more a t home* I f such had been the obvious in
te n tio n , they probably would have reta in ed the o ld er and more p rim itiv e method, or a t le a s t not have abandoned i t eo rapidly#
In bringing about the change, the m issio n aries tr ie d to do two
th in g s • F ir s t, they had to e f f e c t more permanent se ttle m en t among the people, e s p e c ia lly in the so u th , or permanent m ission s tru c tu re s would have been of no value# This was done in the c o n so lid atio n and b u ild in g up o f towns a t Kuruman and Griqua Town—an attem pt a t changing p a s to ra l p u rsu its in to a g r ic u ltu r a l ones, and even in a few Inatancee In to urban ones# With r e la tiv e success a t s e ttlin g the N atives in d e f in ite s i t e s , the way was paved fo r b rick or stone stru ctu re s#
Although b u ild in g was n e c e ss a rily of a sm all s c a le , the s ig n if i cance of the e a rly use of b rick or stone in a r e la tiv e ly permanent type of s tru c tu re , as compared w ith the pole and reed method, must not be overlooked, fo r i t In d icated th e fix ed n ature o f the s ta tio n s and the unexpressed p resu p p o sitio n th a t the p la n tin g o f O h ria tia n lty was not dependent on using the indigenous p attern s# ^ p ie fa c to r o f a rc h i te c tu re was but one of the expressions of th is id e a , and o th e rs may be found in the subsequent sections# The trend may be c a rrie d one step fu rth e r by noting th a t the m issio n aries a lso encouraged the Im ita tio n o f th is fo re ig n s ty le by the A f ri c a n s . ^
D# A g ricu ltu re
The importance o f A g ricu ltu re to the m ission cause a t th is tim e, and indeed, a t subsequent tim es, would be d i f f i c u l t to overestim ate# The m issio n a rie s, f a r from the more developed areas to the south, could procure food fo r them selves and th e ir f ami lié # only by th e ir own labour
^The e a r l ie s t use of b rick or stone a t Griqua Town in 1816 i s noted in the re p ly of W right and Hughes to a Government Q u eitlo n aire, 29 Ju ly 1651, and i t s e a r l i e s t use a t Kuruman in M offat and Hamilton to Burder, 1 December 1825#
22
,
in t i l l i n g th e « o il and by ocoaeional b a rte r w ith the people among whom they worked. I t i s not s u rp ris in g , th en , to find th a t one of the f i r s t task* undertaken a f te r se ttle m en t was th a t of p la n tin g gardens. Upon th is , a l l th e ir o th er work depended.
Aside from the personal stake they had in su ccessfu l a g ric u ltu re , t h i s b asic a r t o f mankind served them in th e ir e v a n g e lis tic work. Indeed, in the long ru n , i t was one of th e p illa r s upon which th e ir work re s te d . A g ricu ltu re was used to convert th e N atives, as f a r as p o ssib le , from a roving, tr a n s ito r y , p a s to ra l economy, e s p e c ia lly in the so u th , to a more permanent one which congregated people In to d e f in ite groups around
fo u n tain s or sp rin g s o f w ate r, VJhile not n early eo much among the
Tswana as among the G riqua», n ev erth eless th is had a taking e f f e c t upon th e A frican s, taught them the value of p riv a te p ro p erty , and developed a higher sense of group community l i f e . More Important* however, was the f a c t th a t the new mode of l i f e made the task of s p ir itu a l develop ment e a s ie r fo r th e m issio n a rie e , NO longer did they have to tra v e l as much to co n tact and preach to the people who were coming to be congre gated under the d ir e c t and co n tin u al m issionary su p e rv isio n ,
"By the new arrangem ent o f the land and w ater of the s ta tio n we fin d th a t i t s reso u rces are doubled which is a p o in t gained
of v a s t im portance as I t regards the In crease of means fo r tem p o ral improvement o f our people and as i t resp ecte the p r iv i lege thus o ffe re d to so many fam ilies o f an uninterupted r e s i dence under the means of grace#*!
Another r e s u lt of th le s e ttlin g process was i t s close connection w ith the development o f c iv iliz a tio n . As e a rly as 1825, a statem ent
'
^ ^ "
^
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' ... '' ' "
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ia);,.
warn made which showed th e n eo eesity of c iv iliz a tio n * » being ee tab lieh e d on an a g r ic u ltu r a l ra th e r than p a e to re l economy#
*###by continuing a t the old s ta tio n a complète b a r r ie r wae even in our way of being u se fu l in p o in t o f c iv iliz a tio n which must o rig in a te and depend on the c u ltu re of the ground, A ^ in , in 1627, a c le a r statement o f d e fin ite p o lic y , shared by a l l the m ission personnel, may be found#
"The c iv ilis e d a r t most e n tic in g to them, most adapted to th e ir land and c lim a te, and most im m ediately conducive to th e ir ex te rn a l improvement, i s our mode of a g ric u ltu re # The B rethren here a ls o had th e same view of i t , and th e re fo re the g re a te s t ex e rtio n s have been made fo r i t s promotion amongst th e n a t iv e s ," -Though the m issio n aries were in favour of ra is in g some s o r t a # le v e l o f c iv iliz a tio n among the N atives, a t th is p o in t i t is not d e fin ite to what e x te n t and what type they had in mind# L ater developments show Bbmewhat d iv erg en t p o in ts o f view , and i t may be assumed th a t they had th e ir ro o ts , though undefined, in th is period#
 review of the a g r ic u ltu r a l a c tiv i tie s o f the period may be broken down in to two s p e c ific p ro je c ts , m iscellaneous improvement#, and two re fle c tio n s on the concom itant f a c to rs , At both Griqua Town and K urum n, the la rg e s t tem poral undertakings o f the period were un» doubtedly ir r ig a tio n schemes la stin g over a period o f se v eral years#^ Behind th ese two p ro je c ts lie s the f a c t th a t from alm ost the very f i r s t , the m issio n aries had been encouraging the Native© to follow th e ir ex ample in p la n tin g gardens, and the r e s u lts may be drawn from the
en-^Moffat and Hamilton to D ire c to rs, 1 December 1825# ^Hughes to Burder, 1 December IÔ27#
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th u s la e tlo and optim lfctle reference* to the growing dependence on and ta e te fo r vegetable* pa the p a rt o f the A frican*. By 19^9, a g ric u ltu re had aeeumed an Im portant place In the l i f e of the m ission environm ent, accompanied by i t s more su b tle influence* mentioned e a rlie r # While th e Tewam around Kuruman had p rev io u sly c u ltiv a te d the s o i l , the .m ission-a rie # introduced th e use o f the plough ission-and the rission-a is in g of new crop* among them, and e s p e c ia lly among, th e Griqua* did th e new emphasi* on a g ric u ltu re e f f e c t considerable change#
" ...o u r people a re p a r tic u la r ly in d u strio u s th is year in th e ir a g r ic u ltu r a l p u rsu it* in which perhaps th ey are more fix ed and and which are b e tte r d ire c te d and more extended than in any year preceding#"*
Two p o in ts remain to be brought out# F ir s t, much o f the e a rly work was done so le ly by the m issio n a rie s, and only la te r were they aided by A frican labour# They had to convince the people th a t v eg etab les were b e n e fic ia l, th a t the work could be done, and th en show them how to do the work, in th e meimtlme stru g g lin g to overcome th e ir somewhat le th a r g ic frame of mind. I t is no wonder th a t ten year* elapsed before such p ro je c ts could be done. Second, the L#M.S# men had se v eral re s u lt* in mind In pursuing these e f f o rt* i s u f fic ie n t food, the tra in in g of the A fricans in steady work and in d u strio u s h a b its , eventual se lf-su p p o rt fo r the m ission s ta tio n s , development of the e n tire country, the es tablishm ent of the b a sis fo r c iv iliz a tio n , and the g ath erin g of the
people in to workable groups fo r e v a n g elizatio n and s p ir itu a l c u ltiv a tio n , a i l the w hile gaining th e ir tr u s t and approval as a u th o rita tiv e and
2 5
,-?
■ S
b é n é fic ia n t le a d e rs. A g ricu ltu re, then, played an im portant ro le in the
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e n tire scheme o f th e m iesion, and continued to do eo fo r many years# E# E ffo rts toward M issionary R ecession
For want of a b e tte r term . M issionary R ecession is used to d escrib e the w ithdraw al o f fo re ig n support and personnel from an indigenous
Ohuroh which grows to govern i t s e l f , support i t s e l f , provide i t s own le a d e rsh ip , and in tu rn to a c t as an instrum ent in the spread of the Gospel to o th er p a r ts . Sooner or la te r , most m ission s o c ie tie s have come to re a liz e th a t e ffe c tiv e and la s tin g work must depend on the firm p la n tin g of the Ohuroh In n ativ e s o il to save both e f f o r t and money which could be used elsewhere# In I t s L e tte r o f I n s tr u c tio n s .
the London M issionary S o ciety d e a lt w ith th is problem o f m issionary recessio n a f te r the p la n tin g of (C h ristian ity in a p a rtic u la r area*
"You w ill teach such a body ( lo c a l church) the im portant duty o f supporting i t s e l f , and a lso o f making due provis io n fo r the p erp etu atio n and ex tension o f the Gospel in surrounding p a r ts . The reasonableness and n e c e ssity of th is must be ap p aren t. Unless M issionary S o c ie tie s a re from time to time re lie v e d from the expense o f supporting p a rtic u la r M issions, by those M issions becoming independent of fo re ig n a id , i t w ill be u tte r ly im possible fo r them to accom plish what th ey aim a t— the d iffu s io n o f the Gospel through the whole heathen world#*
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Indigenous, and the expenditure of p ro p erty by the o u tf it end voyages to d is te n t c o u n trie s, beside many o th e r c o n sid e ra tio n s, which w ill re a d ily occur to you, show the v a s t importance o f ra is in g up a body o f n ativ e labourers in every country where m issions are e sta b lish e d .*
Tbese statem ents show th a t from the f i r s t the L.M.B. re a liz e d th a t m issions must n et e s s e n tia lly be appendages o f the p aren t Ohuroh, but must stand on th e ir f e e t as la s tin g , indigenous o rg a n iz a tio n s. The working out of these b asic p rin c ip le s , however, was not always done as d e c isiv e ly as these statem ents might in f e r , and what might be c a lle d th e sin s o f om ission and commission in a c tu a l m issionary procedure
have given r is e to many preeentW ay problems, many o f Which w ill be discussed in a la te r se c tio n .
M ission re c e ssio n may be considered in two p a rte — s e lf support and the development of a N ative agency. In th is f i r s t p erio d , the p rin c ip le o f se lf-su p p o rt seems to have been re a liz e d by the m ission a r ie s and e f f o r ts to a c e rta in ex te n t a c tu a lly put Into p ra c tic e , but n ot much could as y e t be done. Before any e f f o r t toward se lf-su p p o rt could be made, conversions had to come and congregations had to r i s e . Even a f te r s u f f ic ie n t people came w ith in the m ission in flu en c e, they had to be convinced o f the n e c e ssity o f th e ir supporting th e ir own O h ristla n a c tiv i tie s ra th e r than being m erely the re o eip lan t» o f mis sio n ary lab o u r, and th ey had to be helped in to the p o s itio n of being ab le to donate s u f f ic ie n tly .
The goal to which the m issio n aries pointed was the A u x iliary
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th e ir own people and In o th er p a rte o f the w orld. In many re sp e c te , theee S o c ie tie s were p attern ed a f te r the p aren t o rg a n iz a tio n in Lon don, though of a secondary le v e l. Fund» c o lle c te d from the congre gation» went in to a c e n tra l fund which was deducted from the annual expenditure of the L.M.B. in th a t quarter# Thus, the prim ary aim was to d efray the m ission expense» as much as p o ssib le , thereby enabling the B ooiety to tr a n s f e r some of i t s funds to o th e r a re a s . One o f the good underlying fe a tu re s of th is system was the p la n tin g o f th e con cept of the Ohuroh as a p rim arily m issionary body dedicated to the
spread o f the Gospel, and not s o le ly fo r I ts own w elfare. The p r in o if f l drawback was th e f a c t th a t the lo c a l congregations could not see th e ir c o n trib u tio n s a c tu a lly being put to work fo r th e ir lo c a l work, nor could they handle and c o n tro l th e funds. From the beginning, the f i n an cial asp ect of the m ission was in fo re ig n hand» and remained eo fo r many, many y e a rs. However, the s t a r t was made toward s e lf-su p p o rt and toward eventual fin a n c ia l, w ithdraw al on the p a rt o f the S o cie ty .
K
second co n trib u tio n , toward m ission se lf-su p p o rt was in terms . o f a c tu a l human labour given to the m ission e n te rp ris e s . Though the A fricans were w illin g and able to do more a t a la te r tim e, they did come to help in a r c h ite c tu r a l c o n stru c tio n and a g r ic u ltu r a l p ro je c ts .26
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the i n s t i l l i n g of a ze al to preach the Gospel among one’s own people and to those beyond, a firm grasp o f th e d u tie s and im p licatio n s o f the C h ristia n m in istry , and a c e rta in le v e l of education along w ith the personal en rich in g from a c le a r understanding o f b asic C h ristia n p rin cip les# To th e m issio n aries of th a t day, i t was necessary f i r s t to have congregations, s t a r t schools in the co m iu n ities, and r a is e up a lead ersh ip from th a t environment# The hope fo r such a speedy develop ment may be seen in the follow ing illu s tr a tio n ;
"% e c h ild re n o f th e Bechuanae re g u la rly atte n d the school, and make good p ro g re ss. The m issio n aries consider i t not improbable th a t some of th ese youths may be the f i r s t to convey the Gospel to th e ir own countrymen#**!
Though the m issio n ariee were o p tim istic about th e fu tu re , they seemed not to consider a N ative m in istry p ossible u n til the next g en eratio n could be train ed # U n til th a t tim e, they were content to le a n on lo c a l e ld e rs and o th er v o lu n tary la y church o f f ic e r s , and to employ the A fricans in minor p a s to ra l tasks# In the memntime, they turned most of th e ir a tte n tio n to the o th e r work a t hand. From the evidenèe o f th is p erio d , th e re seemed to be no d e sire to keep the N ative out of a fu tu re m in istry or to prolong i t in order to keep c o n tro l. Future events prove th is ; r a th e r, they longed fo r the day to come but were content to w ait.
F# The Progress of C iv iliz a tio n
A c o n sid e ra tio n of th e development of c iv iliz a tio n in th is period must take account o f two fa c to rs — the a ttitu d e o f the m issio n aries
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toward the A frican and h ie way o f l i f e , or c u ltu ra l p a tte rn s , and the e f f e c t of any changes on th a t s o c ie ty brought about by Ihe m iaG ionariee,^ the O h ristia n meeeage, and the c u ltu re from which the m ieeiohariee
o rig in a te d . In regard to the f i r e t , the m iesionariee g e n e ra lly seemed shocked a t th e way o f l i f e o f the people among whom they worked. Their i n i t i a l d isg u st seems to have been born from th e ir f ru s tra te d e f f o rts to stim u late the N atives to th in k lo g ic a lly , e s p e c ia lly along re lig io u s lin e s . No doubt th is d if f ic u lty influenced th e ir o th er a ttitu d e s , also#
"A sameness mark» the events o f each resuming day. No con v e rsio n s, no en q u irin g a f te r God, no o b je ctio n s ra ise d to ex e rc ise our powers in defence. In d iffe re n c e and s tu p id ity form the w reath of every brow. Ignorance and g ro sse st Ig* norance form the b asis of every h e a rt. Things e a rth ly ,
sen su al, and d e v ilis h stim u la te to motion and m irth , w hile the g re a t concerns of the s o u l’s redem ption appear to them lik e a ragged garment in which they see n e ith e r lo v e lin e ss nor w orth. We preachÿ we converse, we c a te c h ise , but w ith out th e le a s t apparent su ccess. Only s a tia te th e ir mendi cant s p i r i t s by p erp etu al g iving and you a re a l l th a t i s good, but refu se to meet th e ir endless demands and th e ir theme of p ra ise i s turned to rid ic u le and abuse.
The re a c tio n to th is d is in te r e s t in things s p ir itu a l was met by con tinued preaching and d isc u ssio n , but e f f o rts to do away w ith oth er customs, which we»e a r e s u lt of th e assum ption of C h ris tia n ity as synonymous or n early so w ith B ritis h c iv iliz a tio n , personal d isg u st a t such ra d ic a lly d if f e r e n t ways o f l i f e , and f r u s tr a tio n a t the seem ing f a ilu r e to p la n t C h ristia n f a i t h and knowledge, took o th er form s. C lothing e s p e c ia lly f e l l under th e condemnation o f the m le slo n a rles, who f e l t th a t a h a lf-c lo th e d savage could not be a O hristian# Dewing
^For a general survy o f the N ative way o f l i f e , see the se c tio n in the Appendix.
