The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-17

anI altogether LESS than fifteen did
anything that c"ujd possibly be inter-
prctcl a. Ii>or,iery."
The situation in Natal is typical Of
the growing hostility with which col
onial administrators the world over
look upon the white missionary. He
is unpopular throughout British South
Africa and in India, King Leopold
does not love him in the Congo, Ger
many has had trouble with him in
Southwest Africa and the Cameroons,
and he has been described as gener-
al nuisance in China. And the rea-
son is everywhere the same. The ma
tive convert, "spoiled" by too iber-
al an Interpretation Of the Gospel and
excessive humanitarian coddling, be-
comes restive. insubordinate and I'M
bued with ambitions that are totally
at variance with political 5xpediencv.
Rev. James L. Barton s reply that less
than fifteen Christian converts took
part in the Zulu insurrection may, for
instance, turn out to be a fairly dam
aging admission, if it should be shown
that these fifteen were among the
prominent leaders of the revolt. That
is precisely the grievance Of the var
ious colonial administrators, that the
! educational work of the missionaries
serves to create a class Of native lead
ers who in turn act upon the mass Of
the population. Thus in Natal the
Government insists that native pas
tors be replaced by white clergymen,
or, in other words, that no African be
allowed TO attain a position Of pro-
minence.
However, we fail to see why the
missionaries should think it necessary
to assume an apolo@etic attitude IN
the matter. Rather their position
should be the militant one. For they
must know that not only have they
been in large measure the pioneers
who have built mp colonial realms for
Europe, but are still a powerful in
strument for the prosecution of that
civilizing work which the military
commander and the trader would so
greatly like to have out Of the way. 1t
is really an open question whether;
for every native uprising that mis-
sionary education can be made res
ponsible for, you would not have a
dozen uprisings if the missionary in
fluencei were not present to act as
restraint upon political and economic
oppression on the part of the domin-
ant whites.
Practically what, the ,Jdngo Imper-
ialist says to the mission worker IS
this: You may show the way to US by
exploring and mapping virgin country,
as Livingstone did; you may compile
native syllabaries and accounts of ma
tive customs and modes Of thought so
that we may communicate with them
in the performance Of our duties; you
may build hospitals, orphanages and
houses of refuge, and preach physical
cleanliness and sanitation; you may
occasionally offer victim to the
fury Of the mob; you may even erect
schools, if you will see to it that the
knowledge impaired is in direct line
with the preordained subjection Of
the colored mar to the white, and rais-
es no difficulties about such necessary
phenomena as hut taxes, forced labor
and judicial floggings. Once you have
imbued the native mind with these
fundamental ideas Of lmperiallst
evolution, it were best if you stood
quite aside and let US manage things.
We can imagine the extreme official
view as taking the form that the only
good missionaries are dead mission
aries. In that state they are worth
huge indemnities and entire Chinese
provinces. Alive, they are only in the
way.
From the days Of Las Casas it has
been the province of the Christian
minister among subject peoples to
fight against their unscrupulous ex-
ploitation by foreign masters. The
role is difficult and unpopular, but
essential to the conception Of the mis-
sionary's office. Without it he would
be defenceless against the charge
that his advent has been only the
heralding Of fertilization" that
has come masked upon the native,