The sun., 1905-07-25
TESTIMONY FROM soUTH AFRICA
tho Attempts % Chvistiahize the kahss'
Described % Unsuccessful.

Described % Unsuccessful.
To THE EpIroR or THE suS-Sfr. Being
q South African, and having lived In country
long the happy hunting ground OF misslona-
ries and their helpers. / oan affirm that 70
South African missionary has never looked
40 no does to other people.
To say that the Kalr. Zulu. Basuto. Maa.
shanRaan, Khoi-Khoi and Matabele would
be better on. spiritually and materially.
without tho Interference Of the missionary
10 saying too little. Strange as 1t may SOUND:
the native OF South Africa stands In less need
OF the oivilizlng influence OF Christianity
than does bis white brother, herded UP IN the
poorer parts OF Christian .cltles. Prior TO
tho advent Of tho white man and his mlsslon-
sry the Kanr was the superior Of the white
man in every respect. Perhaps his manners
wore not quito a. polished a. those. OF tho
missionary, but he lied less than many white
mon: stole less, II at all: was hospitable;
was strictly moral; took orre Of his children
and honored his parents. These traits are
still found In the Kahr but only whe.e the
missionary has not yet settled.
One OF the reasons for this Is that the make
up Of Christianity 10 too imaginary. and that
to Q mind like that OF Kanr only things
that are natural can appeal However. tho
religion being forced down his throat. he
swallows 1t, and, like case OF wrongly
Missionary work In South Africa 10 under
taken from many motives. The most lmpor-
tant. perhaps. is politics; graft 10 close
second: then comes business. and. trailing
. long way behind. Q title real interest In the
Kshr and religious endeavor. II is quite
unnecessary to dwell on the political impor-
tanoe Of the missionary. That this gentle-
man. By means Of his peculiar powers.
influences the making OF treaties with the ma
tivA rbtafa Il ~all knoWp. the fact that
he has often served as the purveyor OF arms
and ammunition to those who, would use them
In the interest Of his Government
The native. a. a lie. 10 tackled very much
on the same principle as are the women and
children In Europe and America. He Is told
that TO 60 to the eaven Of tho white man
no must assist In the salvation Of his black
Stances. % he enc can ss do only By bringing 70 the
station ct hxed intervals q certain share
Ct hs safthy sSSds hsfs4 Anything esn % " a
Cattle. sheep, goats, skins. grain. everything
that can be marketed is welcome.
ss Besides ta the eea isa d no tns Tns hsf hss:
in ins % On s she lands OF the station or in the house
nSte. % ss' xhsrs sSs g
peculiar powers. mainly superstitlous fear.
has reduced entire Kafir villages 70 slavery.
the drawbacks OF ordinary graft. II is hard
e fight i IN any other way than by excluding
or course very little money COLLECTED ss s.,s st
bone reaches the missIonsTy In the ne. fed rnt
s n rb.n ns. o tho wo
soozIsd Soo H hs ss has S. tie o. Of con-
f%ns: afHesHs oered By ss
and the prices paid III salt blankets. beads
old snider rifles. powder and Cape brandy.
or Smoke. as this stun is commonly called.
The miss onsry on his arrival. as q rule.
Of course. troubles him a, little. his
sheooseal semieary go or oe Ike Sunday school
and. as q rule, the Kafr imposes on him to
some extent But this state Of thnss tbs hen doss
dog expression around his mouth disappears
and he takes root deeply, Before long, he
owns some good horses fine. sprnsy Cape
dogs, sends for the rest OF his family. or ac-
one a1d shoT Settles or qoTn tH
sometimes s Ell % one ei Of them gets Knocked on the
head. and then his Christian Goyernment
sends punitlye expedition to instl the fear
0qs1 From this s it viii be- seen that the Kahr has
very little chance Of evadng Christianity.
are other drawbacks to the. Kafirs position
IN the question. The missionary tells him
that in the eyes OF tie Geo o. the
the white man is no better than he, Here
the negro comes to grief. He permits this is
total. as rule. ie highly detrimental to both
the physical and material welfare of the
heathen becomes vicious. and the doctrines
Of Christianlty to. him. indeed. must be
Pn.s n Ss xh3e aps Ts
or course there are some missionaries
whom 1t would be unjust to include in this
some them honestly be belize eye thst the
WorE aces more M RaTm fhan soo %hy mem
should 90 and force their religion on the
:.n s " s hsrd ha to Of eSs ks
whose naturally peaceful existence Is to be
s not liked <, In South 1ns Af,Se
maker. Even the local olericals have no use
for him, for the latter haye long recognized
R ehT.tl.nity may Be, they are not for the con.
sumption of the Kafr. Nobody. In South
Africa makes an attempt @ a. a. considrring the
social conditions and, religion clash. But,
apart from al ths there can be no doubt
Is not OF an imaginative turn Of mind, and in
his own religion. what little he has. the sp-
pernatural Ia hardly represented at ALL This
makes him peculiarly unit to receive Chris
t,an!ty by reason OF it's being purely imdgina-
tive. and whenever he embraces It things go
to the bad with him.
In South Africa mission work, then, can
be classed thus: That undertaken with
political motives as cause the kind carried
ism. and that conducted by. the religious
ali Of them transplant into him kind Of re-
ilaion that found it's EXPRESSION In the human
Ioris Of Rome, and on the sacrificial stones
of Mexico. To convert. a Kafir is very much
like throwing lighted match into a barrel
Of kerosene oil. Either the oil will kill the
flame or a confederation will ensue.
Tnder these circumstances, It would be we'll
for people to keep their pennies and for
reclamation of the city poor, Or perhaps
the last named might spare Themselves the
predicament OF having money to give away
and souls to save by not being too exacting
with their daily pound Of flesh.
GEoRoB A. ScBRrINER.
Modderfontein. Transvaal.
NEW YORK. July 2s.