PHILLIPS’ NEWS LETTER .

181 Edwards Street, New Haven, Conn. 1st December, 1935*

Dear Friends in Africa,With snow falling in thick flakes

outside thw window, and our furnace fire burning hot to warm us it is a special pleasure to think of sunny Africa and you food friends there. It is high time we took a few minutes to account for rarselves and convey a warm greeting from all.

Life has been strenuous but very interesting since we left Johannesburg on March 3 1st. We spent four bjrsy and re­warding days at the home of Bishop and Mrs. Sims at Capetown; renewed old acquaintance with Mr. and Mrs. W. Mears, and met many others of the Bishop1s friends. Then a fast voyage on the Guilio Cesare to Gibraltar where we stayed long enough for two motor trips into Spain. Then to New York on the S.S. Rex, a wonderful vessel. A week in Hew York, then to Eoston where we stayed until June 1st. We found, ourselves booked for speaking appointments in Mass., Vermont and New Hampshire. This meant transport, and we succeeded in getting a large seven-passenger car at an absurdly low price. This big car we named "Tiny". It has carried us 14,000 miles already.

On June 1st we set out in "Tiny" - our family of six, with camp equipment, personal luggage, moving picture tjpp^ratus, etc,, for a series of Young Peoples' Conferences in the Middle West; the first one being in Nebraska, 1 500 miles from Boston. These conferences gather High School and College young people from a 1 arge area for a week's meetings, there to discuss life's prob­lems from many angles. What a fine, keen lot of boys and girls.' The slogan for Christian youth in America to-day is, "Christian Youth Building a New World!" And in meeting these young folks face to face you cannot but feel that the world they are working toward is going to be a vast improvement on the present m e and for all races and classes.

Betwwen conferences we motored to Minneapolis, Duluth, Bis­marck, etc., to see relatives and friends. A fortnight at a Nor­thern Minnesota Lake was a real joy. After the last conference in the Black Hills in late July we turned Tiny's radiator cap west­ward and spent a most enjoyable week in the Yellowstone National Park which is a wild animal sanctuary much like the Kruger Nation- e1 ^ark in South Africa, but in a glorious mountainous country. i”itl} geysers, painted lakes, hot springs, and other interesting things to see.

Leaving John at Carleton College, in Minnesota, where Sib is beginning his college work, we came to New Haven early in Septem­ber and put James, Ruth and Donald in school here. Then, with the opening of Yale University, things started in earnest for us in

the School cf Graduate Studies. Seminars in Ethnology, Urban Sociology, the Psychology of Culture and Race Relations, with a mass of ethnographic and other reports to prepare, we fill all the hours without any trouble. Dr. Lor am is his usual capable, breexy self. He has attracted students to Yale from all over the world. Those from Africa include Messrs. Mtimkulu and Em- manuelson (Natal), Bain (Capetown), McDowell (Johannesburg), Steytler (Nyasaland) , Mkasa (Uganda), and King (Sierra Leone).Also there are Messrs. Brainerd Bridgman, Sidney Bunker, Howard Ransom and Miss Muriel Maxwell, all of South African connections.So we make quite an African tribe.

Mrs. Phillips is keeping our family well fed and clothed,-?s keeping an old, big house looking spotless, and is weekly travelling up and down this state addressing meetings of women.Last Sunday we went together over ice-covered roads to Holyoke,Mass . for the day.

We are meeting people at meetings and conferences who want to be remembered to friends in South Africa, whom they know:_ Mrs. Britfgman, Miss Makanya, Professor Jabavu, Dr. Xuma (Dr. P.W.Freize and other classmates and friends), Mr. J.D.Rheinallt Jones, and of coarse, cur colleague Dr. James Dexter Taylor. We have mislaid our lists *f these friends in America, so these must be content with a general greeting from their friends in America. Mr, Mkasa from Uganda knows very well Mrs. Maxeke1 s son and the son and daughter of Mrs. Ntsiko, of Johannesburg. They are doing well.

Although a little late we still wish each of you the best of everything for the New Year. We ore trying to keep up-to-date on South African affairs by reading the daily "Star", the Bantu World, Umteteli,* South. African Outlook, Umsebenzi, and other papers. We wish we ceuld sit down with ea«h of you for a long chat a.bout recent developments sueh as the new Bills re Franchise and Land.It is encouraging to note that the discussion on the bills seems to be bringing South African Bantu leaders together.

December 28th will see Dr. Loram, Mr. Mtimkulu and at Indianapolis, in the mid-West for a big conference at which some3 000 college students from all over the country will be present. Then in the Easter vacation it is planned that a. crowd of^us will motor to the Southern States and visit Negro schools and other institutions and talk with lea.ders in various fields. I wish that each one of you could join us on these trips.

Again, wishing God’s special blessing upon each one of you we are,

3 S' I l o z

Dr. A

D. of E. 12/35

TRANSVAALSE ONDERWYSDEPARTEMENT, THE TRANSVAAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT,

osbus \■O. Box )

PRETORIA

2nd December, 1935.

Sir,The Director has asked me to inform you that

he will be leaving the Witwatersrand Technical Institute at 3.30-on Wednesday, 11th December* Mr. Kuschke will be at Evaton as soon after 33D p.m. as he possibly can.

Yours faithfully,'

a . a tt/itCLERK TO THE DIRECTOR.

.B. Xuma,104 End Street,

Corner End and Bree Streets,Johannesburg.

t

frg* I S i X llW I L F R E D W F R Y

C H A I R M A NJ A M E S M . S P E E R STREASURER

Th e In t e r n a t io n a l C o m m it t e e o f Yo ln g M en ’s Gh iiIs t u n A sso c ia tio n s01-' THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

C O R P O R A T E N A M ET H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O M M I T T E E O F Y O U N G M E N S C H R I S T I A N A S S O C I A T I O N S

3 4 7 MADISOX AVENUE,NEW YORKC H I C A G O O F F I C E

R O O M 1 0 1 4

19 SO. L A S A L L E S T R E E T

December 13, 1935

Dear Dr Xuma:It gives me a great deal of

pleasure to introduce Mrs U S Grant of Evanston, Illinois, who Is making a tour of the Far East and will spend a few days in South Africa. Mrs Grant Is Interested in what the Association is doing in foreign countries. We commend her to your courtesies and hope that it may be possible for you to enable her to see something of the work of the Young Men’s Christian Association and also render such help In her general schedule as you may find possible.

Dr A B Xuma 49 Toby Street SophiatownJohannesburg, South Africa

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'I n x 3 UAT.T, AFRTCAI-T NATIONAL CONVENTION.

10, Adam Arcade,37, Commissioner Street,Johannesburg.31st. December, 1935.

Dear Sir,*» *

I am expecting to be away from Johannesburg for over ten days as from the 5th January and would therefore be pleased if you would attend a meeting of the Transvaal members of the National Executive Committee to be held at this office on SATURDAY the 4th January, 1936, at 12.30 p.m.

It is necessary that we should meet in order that local organisation of the funds and the method thereof should be determined immediately and an appeal^made to the various organisations, associations and societies. The-re is a suggestion that a large committee consisting of official representatives of various association and groups be established and that the Transvaal members of the National Executive Committee act as a committee in the centre of the larger committee, that is a pivot round which the activities of the larger committee will revolve.

Be good to observe the time.Yours faithfully,

H. Selby MsimangGENERAL MANAGER.

EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BEFORE THE‘ A 3 S I Z. 31 \>

C QMI.'I IT TEE OK NATIVE EDUCATION

ByA.B.Xuma, Johannesburg;.

As a public man and citizen, as a parent and a father of children whose system of training and development will depend upon the recommendations of this Committee and their acceptance or rejection by the Government, as one who received his early training and M s teacher's certificate and also taught children under this educational system, I feelthat I am justified as well as dutybound to make an expression before your Committee in the name of the large number of African parents some of whom are inarticulate.

It may be well to state, before entering into discussion of the questions at issue, that after a brief period of teaching,I left "native education" and went overseas to receive education - I attended Tuskegee Institute, Ala., The University of Minnesota (Academic) Marguette University Medical School, Northwerstern University Medical School (Chicago), Post graduate in surgery and Midwifery, gynaecology at Budapest and Peco in Hungary, and Edinburgh, Schfeland for my British diploma.

In the observations that will follow we shall riot discuss native education, because we do not know tohat native education means. We shall only deal with principles involved in the education of any people. As a matter of fact one is inclined to feel that if the word "native" had been omitted before the word "education there would have been less confusion of thought or contradiction of terms as has appeared in the press reports of the

evidence submitted before your Committee by some of the witnesses.

Educated, intelligent South Africans both white and black would do South Africa a greater service in the field of race relations if they WBBe to approach all questions involved in a cold, detached, honest and scientific manner. They should endeavour

to enlighten and. therefore to guide public opinion out of the misty and muddled thinking of race or colour prejudice. They should face facts and make them their guides. They should not permit preformed judgement and popular opinions to turn them from facts. South Africans both white and black are largely ignorant of real facts of race relations. This ignorance is an opportunity to those who have facts to bring them forward for the benefit and enlightenment of their fellow citizens.

SO-x-CALLED "NATIVE EDUCATION?" We all know that a modern State is organised according to some principles with certain functions.We shall take as our guide a makx brief statement of those principles as stated by one political philosppher G.D.H.Cole, who says r,The essence of the state is to include all sorts of peDple without reference to the sort of people they are, the sort of beliefs theyhold or the sort of work they do V ....... " It (the State) ignoresthe differences between men because it is concerned not with their differences, but with their Identity and its function and interest ares concerned with men's identity and not with their differences."

ment because it appeals to us as being a

goodwill, fair play, and harmonious relations between our differences. Standing on this rock we see no reason why the control of educ. tion of the African should not be under the Minister of Education, from where all education is controlled. The same relation that exists between uhe Union in iius KiSJi&x&i stf s£ij££2j?s£iijj Department andthe Provincial Councils in the control of different types of education for other sections of the community should operate alike for the African. As to details of operation of the plan or as to wfafcfeE what cooperation there should be between the Union and the Prowinces, we may well leave that to the Education department. They have the brains ana they have the machinery.

The first question before us is, WHO SHOULD CONTROL THE

upon which may be built skyscrapers of

T ere/ 3...

EBUCAIIuK COiKITTE, 1955. By A.B.Xtm a. Johannesburt

handingThere are grave objections to iixji&liKg over Native education

o-cto the Native Affairs Departmentasthas been suggested both from

Apoints of view of principle and for practical reasons. The principle involved here is that of identity of interest^. The idea of the Native Affairs Department itself tends th create the impression that the interest of the white man are so different from those of the African that the two may not be conveniently treated as one and at the same time Tradition and race prejudice has brought about differential legislation which has created an apparent difference of interests# Most of our difficulties are created by our few© stream system of legislation making it a crime for black men to do certain tilings which white men can do with impunity. ¥/e dopant this two stream system in education. It leads to the many dis­advantages that native education finds itself in to day.

The practical reasons we referred to are that,among other things, the Native Affairs department is all ready overburdened with the onerous takk of administering the laws and regulations for "Natives only". Besides this department has niether the men, the means, nor the machinery with which to carry out the huge task of educating the children in a population of six million souls. It is anomalous to have one minister of the crown entrusted with the affair of 6000,000 while the affairs of the ot er 2,000,000 are divided among 10 different ministers. This is as it should be, if we mean to get on with the job* The departments of the government should function for all people alike.

Gentlemen, there must be something radicallywrong with the present arrangement in controlling Native education when a responsible officer of the government can make the statement that the Director of education in the Transvaal made,for your information, that"The last Administrator had assured him last week that during the last eight years the Transvaal Provincial Council had not devoted five minutes to discussing Native Education."

As to the finance of Native Education, we would suggest that1 j 4 • • • •

the necessary amounts sho Id. be budgeted directly from the general revenue and not from the Native Development Fund# As we have previously stated in our discussion of "Native Taxation", the Government should spend for ed^icational needs and social welfare services of the African section not "as little as it can, regardless of the results attained" but spending whatever is necessary in order to produce the best results attainable without thought of what Africans contribute to the State in Drder to benefit from it or what they cost the state; because we educate people not for the value education is to the HHHjaiKXHHi individual, but for the enhanced value such individuals usually are to Society. "Our attitude here is justified by the fact we believe that Native Taxation, as is at present based is unjfelst, inequitable and untenable because it not only taxes children between 18 and 21 years, and old men over 60 years; but it does not consider one*s ability to pay* Above all it lays down a principle that is enonomically wrong that the poorest sections of t he community must find money for its educational needs andsocial services or else go without their education^budgeted for by the Government. That is afe it should be, because the State must looks: after its poor including poor blacks.

The definitions of ”Tax" itself condemns the practice implied in Native Taxation, because "A Tax is^compulsory charge imposed by a public authority'1 and as Professor Taussig puts it "the -Essence of a #ax as distinguished from other charges by the Government is the absence of a direct quid pro quo between the tax payer and the public authority". Further Dr.Dalton says, "A Tax is a compulsory contribution imposed by a public authority irrespective of the exact amount of service/endered to the Tax payer in return, and not imposed as penalty for any legal offence." Professor Henry Saeger says,"A Tax may be defined as a compulsory contribution to the government to defray expenses without reference to the special advantages enjoyed."

We submit therefore that there is no need to speciallytax/...5.

tax the Africans for their education and their welfare because "the fe 3t of service principle" and"the benefit of service principle" implied in the allocation of Native Taxation is wrfcng in principle and is without foundation in economic theory*■ Dr.Hugh Dalton writes in his Public Finance^ "The cost of service principle can be applied to the supply of postal services, electric light etc., by public authorities and the rices of such services can be fixed in acfordance with this principle. But it cannot be applied to service rendered out of the proceeos of t&Kes as distinguished from prices. FOr a tax b. definition, is a payment in return for which no direct and specific quid pro quo is rendered re-Hfr to the tax payer. Ther services, if any, rendered to the £kx

individual members of the Community by expenditure on the King’s Civil list , on Armaments, Police or Public Parks cannot, in fact, be determined, and therefore, the cost of rendering these services to different indidivuals cannot be determined. Thus "the cost of service princile" however equitable it may be in the abstract, is not capable of wide practical applicetion. "The benefit of service principle" falls away in the same way, since thex services rendered individually by many forms of public expenditure cannot be determined the benefits to individuals from such services cannot be defcfewnMed."

Native taxation should be abolished and the African be subjectto pay the same taxes under like conditions as other g ribups haveto pay. He should enjoy the same rights and privileges as to services rendered through public expenditure. Yhile this anomalyof Native taxation still exists, the whole amounjt accruingtherefrom should be paid into general revenue and budgeting forservices to be rendered being baset not on what was contributedbut on what is needed.

NEED FOR MORE SCHOOLS.It has been estimated that over 50% of African children of

school going age cannot find school accommodation. Many schools are awaiting recognition when funds permit. In urban areas one sees

overcrowded/..... 6...

overcrowded schools with often very poor ecccmmddation or none at all for some of the classes which must be held outside"even during inclement wea her. In spite of these overcrowded schools there are thou.sands of little ones who should be in school but are loo^&on the streets and alleys getting an education topical of suhh environment which leads some of them to Juvenile Courts and from there to gaol es there are often no suitable Hostels for African delinquent children. Some of these children finally foil w a criminal career having been victims of their early bad environment and associations end without school discipline.

While one Is aware of the fact that education is no sure cure fo all criminal inclination, it must, however, be admitted that the school, because of the discipline it provides, Is a great preventive against Xhe influence of a bad envirmnment.

It should, therefore, be urged that the State should start its own schools to absorb this surplus potential school population**-!

The African Teacher is an interesting character in the life of our country. His ts.sk is as important as It is difficult. One wonders how he achieves even what he does under the circumstances. The school environment under which he was trained and now teachers is poor.The classes are too large even 100 pupils or over to one teacher.HHow he can even have successes at examination is great wonder. This, howeve , suggests that there is a real need for more teachers for the efficient handling of even the present school population, besides providing for the thousands of children of school going age who throng the streets and wander upon the veld.

Lack of funds or the depletion of the Native Development Fund has been given as the exduse for the existence of ouch a state of Affairs. If this s. tuation is not met by spending enough money for schooling and discipline of the future citizens by building more

schools, the State will continue to spend more and more for ga&ls

than for education.

Compulsory education in urban areas should begin as soon as possible and should be gradually introduced in rural areas as circumstances permit. School leaving age should be fairly high say about 16 years so that children may be kept off the street until they are old enough to work. Education should be free for all up to and including std. VI#

Here are the general lines we wish to suggest fo: the jds training o the future teachers. They should be given a broader base in general education than at present provided. The University Junior Certificate, at least, should be the entrance qualifications for the teaching certificate instead of, as at present, Std.VI.Later, perhaps, in another 10 or 15 ;ears the Matriculation standard or its equivalent should be preferred as a pre-professional course in education. Ofcourse, many Africanparents have no means for providing for such long and expensive courses. This calls for a serious and honest attempt to raise the economic standard of the African people to provide them with means for some advancement and above mere existence. Until the latter suggestion is. put into operation, assistance should be given through a liberal supply of bursaries by public authorities, councils etc. to suitable candidates who are too poor to pay t eir way throught.

The pay of the African teacher to-day should receive seriousaJJL

and sympathetic consideration, fromai^ those who have the goodwill£ fSa. all people/ The African teacher is perhaps one of the most

Sirmiserably paid4-hard worked .people. Herein the Transvaal even in Urban areas they have to exist on tiie small sum of L5©10-0d. for both married and single teachers. The former may have a family of a wife and three children besides himsiif. On this tf they live in a municipal location they have to pay rent of(25/-) or 30/- as the case may be. Then there is money for food and for clothingwhich are bigger items than rents. There is the expense for sundries.

This/..8...

This does not consider luxuries or bhbhk even self-improvement by corres ondence courses, building up a library or cheating a home environment for the family in keeping with their status and his position of leadership in the community. Teachers should be paici a reasonably decent salary so that they may maintain an l examplary standard fo. their people. It v,ould be such a salary as v:ould give an opportunity for ambitious reoT5le to advance themselves through private study. In that way, not only would the standard of the teaching profession be raised but persons of ability would be attracted into the profession.

Women teachers are far worse off in nay than uneducated girls employed as nurses or domestic servants.

Some of our people believe that the low salary practice is an attempt to discourage the desire for education on the part of the Africa.n.

Being great believers in the influence of environment , v/e would like to make observations in this direction. The environment under which African children are trainee is usually dull, deadening, uninspiring and ■fined'acating. One sees one teacher struggling with f:; om 60 to 100 pupils or more. T is in itself means that no personal attention can be paid to each child. The children are taught either outside sitting on the ground or standing und r the scorching sun or in very cold weather.

Where there is some sort of a building it is usually a large hall with no partitions for differenfcclasses. Many are wood and Iron shanties which are too cold I winter, too hot in summer, draughty and poorly ventillated and po rly lighted.

Many of these halls are primarily used for Church buildings and alone used for schools during week days.as a result the furniture is often composed of benches (forms) v/ith a back rest; so that one sees little ones bending over trying to do their writing lessons

Even/ 9...

EDUCATION "OLQiilTTEiS; By Dr» A.B.Xuma, Johannesburg,w

Even where there are some sort of desks for the unper classes, thedudt

child has to accommodate himself Instead of the deslc beingA

accommodated to tne child. As a result one may see little ones sitting bfeM&d a desk so high that only their heads can be seen and yet their trying to do a writing lesson. Tall ones may be seen bending over a desk too low for their size. Others are or the floor or standing also trying to wfcfcte.

The light, if any may fall in any direction or as it is the case in one place we knov, may be so poor as to be only about one candle iikht or so.

In this way we consider that the African school feends to be a source of ill health predisposing to the formations of certain defects, deformuties, and predisposing to infections and as a result of reduced resistence through the exposure , we have just described.

Even in some of the tr ining schools the dormitory accommo­dation gives one the impression of an army barracks than a training school. The furnishings and the accommodation in these places do not give either the boys or the girls an ideal for neatness ana proper furnishing of a £ome. In other words, all along most of the African students are the books but are not learning to live the life.

In one tra:'. ing school where hygiene is taught the students^* generations have washed themselves year in and year out in a dam of stagnant water. No wonder that during the recent New World Education Fellowship Conference Which met at Cape Town and in Johannesburg some of the school inspectors complained that the African teacher is taught hygiene at school but he neither teaches nor practices it in either hit school nor his home. It is because he has no materials for its application because the school is the problematic type we have described. The home of his ideal remains financially a dream.

A way/ 10

e d u c a t i on c o m m i t e e e. b_ T)t, . n Y • A.B.Xuma, Johannesburg. »

4 way out of this deplorable state of affairs^to amalgamatethe various mission shcoools and the establishment of state schoolsas well. All this mustbe coupled with a medical school inspectionwhich should see to it that only proper furniture are used and onlybuildings which meet public health requirements are built undersucn a system the school then becomes a centre for health propagandainstead of "a source of ill-health" and both teachers and pupils are wakened to healthful living.

The amalgamation will be of advantage in pooling together the recources of different denominations both mental and material.It makes the putting of better school buildings a certainty. It would aslo encourage state cooperation or the taking over by the State or public authorities the provision of the plant or the paying of the rent to the cooperating bodies.

Under such conditions better qualified and more able teachers could be employed for better salaries without regard to any denominational bias, it would then be easier for the African teacher like other groups to r celve the full status of a civil** servant** with rights and privileges. There would be less emphasis placed on denominational affiliations but more on educatingal attainments and standards to the advantages of the whole system.

Unaer this system a great essential in all education would be a possibility that is, the establishment of reasonable school lioration and thus incMo Siting the reading habit from the earlydays. This would be a real opportunit. to create a truly educational and educative environment in the Native school.

In what has been said so far one may t ke us to be enemies ofthe missionary enterprise. This is fartherest from our minds. T.evouIg, however, admit that we do not agree with any attempt to use thescnool for denominational propaganda more than it is for education, we believe j

in and support all religious instruction that aims at

development/ll...

-EUi<. C i ' v E E • By Dr. A.B.Xuma, Johannesburg.developing a good life and character. We see no good purpose to bS served by dividing furture generations into opposec denominations.We believein the unity of character and in united church with unity of purpose.

If, however, the suggestion of -proselytising through the school is eliminates, we hsve no quarrel if some denominational school existed for the service of the whole community permitting religious freedom and not in any xxx# way hindering common effort for the establi• hment of a publich school system. Vie, kourselves know of such schools and universities, l.e have attended some of them in different parts of the world. They attract students from all parts of the world and of the different nations^,races, and religions by their high educational standards. The;/ also employ eminent personalities and educationists on their staffs without regard to their denominations. Religious instructions are available through public lectures and non-denominational organisations such as the -.Iv.. C. A*, Y.Yv.C.A. etc. Denominational activities are by no means restricted outside MkkE&xixxE&xxxfeksix school hours. Such institutions are not to be discouraged.

It must, however, be emphasised here that the existence of educational enterprises, private or missionary, in organisation or support is by no means a substitute for State activity nor does it relieve the State of its bounden duty to provide equal and adequate opportunities for the education of all its citizens irrespective of race, colour, or relious Msixsgss beliefs,

dcopeAs toxixxgggjgfeHx and content of Native education.in South

Africa, we believe that it should have no limits. It shorld be as wide as life itself in aim and scope. The principles and methods undefcjying its control should be the same as those applied to Europeans and other groups because people are educ ted not for the good that education is to the individuals but for the benefit that educated individuals should be to Society.

Any/...12.....

Any trained men or woman who makes a contribution to human krati knowledge is a benefactor to humanity in genaral and a credit to his country* What we call civilisation to day is the sum total of contributions made by men and women of different races and colours from time immemorial.

The African like any other human being must be trained to control his environment as far as human knowledge and capabilities are concerned, he should be developed through his training to make reasonable and harmonious adjustments when ei.traations arise. He should be "brought into vital touch with his environment". For the African in South Africa wh is the object of our discussion j. his environment will mean "All external circumstances which influence his active life" chief among \ hich is the European neighbour with his language, his mental attitude and outlook with his tools of industry.The educaLion of the African, therefore, must among other things fit him to make harmonious adjustments with the Ruropean through under­standing his language, appreciating his attitude and outlook and being Enabled to assist the European and cooperate with him in the use of the toolaxxof industry and in the promotion of public welfare.

Vs/e are qulteaware here that one of the witnesses was reportedas having said that "It was a waste of time to aptly methods used for theEuropean child, The Native is a fchild was not benefited by the teachingof history, geogranh , and arithmetic, and the official languages".This is a tragic comedy. Tragic because as we have pointed out,

us which is ither there is ignorance as well as prejudice amongst aiX KHgi&s femi Hisstoo lazy to view situations from all angles but also refuses to seethe angles even whan exhibited. It is a comedy because experienceand facts everywhere refut the statement.

If the statement of this witness is to be taken seriously we would like to know whether hhe so-called European education in South Africa it superior to education in the British Isles, the

United States of America, ana the Continents of European,

_____________ _________ because/ 13....

because there are scores of S.African natives who have qualified, of all sorts of oroffessions and academic degrees without specially adopted system of instruction and not in the native language but in the language of the country. Atoove all, these Africans most of them have returned home to work with and for the advancement of their poeple. They have not become deracialised.

Besides even in the evidence this witness with many others of his kind are trying to analyse and abstract ramified situation in an offici&l foreign language if you please.

It is pleasing to note that most of the members of this commission have had more and are still having further experience with native affairs and native education than the witness® ?/hose evidence we have just referred to. Those who, have not, raetotx such experience have had training such as will assist them to arrive at rat onal, scientific conclusions.

Now any intelligent person knows that general education is a necessary foundation to either industrial, agricultural or professional training. Even Agriculture which so many think that it mean::: merely turning the soil over and throwing in se-ds and so forth is based upon so much of science that the best agriculturist and guides to farming are in the first instance scientists and only secondarily^ practical farmers.

Men who have a good educational foundation usually rise faste in trades or industry and are more capable of seeing and making chances lor the expansion of what otherwise might have been a srm 11 enterprise. They can use their hands ; s well as their imagination.

-*

The African like all other races needs training in trades and vocations.

Reports of evidence of some of the witnesses before the commission are to the effect that it was useless to trj-in Africansin trades because the whites will not employ Africans as ski led workmen.

That/..14////

Collection Number: AD843

XUMA, A.B., Papers

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