King William’s Town

7 2th November, '/ 9 4 1,

T H E LOVEDALE PRESS.

THE CISKEI M ISSIO NARY COUNCIL.12th N ovem ber, 1941.

M IN U T E S AND REPORTT he Council was constituted at 9.30 a.m. in the Twern-

low Hall, King William’s Town, the Chairman, Rev. E. W. Grant, presiding :

Rev. J. J. R. Jolobe led in prayer.1. THE M IN U T ES of the previous meeting having

been circulated were approved.2. Rev. M. Carrick was appointed SECRETARY and

TREASURER.3. T he following are the ACCREDITED R E PR E­

SENTATIVES of the constituent bodies of the Council.(p— Present ; *— Sent an apology).

Methodist Church of South Africa : p 1. Rev. A. A. Wellington

2. Rev. S. Mdala3. Rev. A. J. Cook

p 4. Rev. Dr. H. W. Bennett Church of the Province o f South Africa :

p 1. Rev. J. B. Johnson 2. Rev. W. S. Hall

p 3. Rev. Canon A. E. Jingiso4. Rev. W. S. Gawe»Congregational Union of South Africa :

p 1. Rev. D. Tolmie Fraser2. Pastor Frank Briggs

* 3. Rev. F. C. Bota 4.

Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa :* 1. Rev. Chief H. Mamap 2. Rev. M. Carrick (Secretary-Treasurer)

3. Rev. Wm. Auld4. Rev. J. Hongo

Dutch Reformed Church :1. Rev. G. de C. M urray

p 2. Rev. C. J. Steyn

Lutheran Church :1. Rev. Frans Nickschtat

p 2. Rev. G. H. Pakendorf3. Rev. H. Xatasi

Baptist Union of South Africa : p 1. Rev. B. Pape

Moravian Church :* 1. Rev. P. M oths* 2. Rev. L. Ngqakayi

Anglican Order o f Ethiopia :1. M r. Mile Kika2.

African Methodist Episcopal Church :1. 2.

Presbyterian Church of Africa :1.2. Rev. L. N. Mzimba

Presbyterian Church of South Africa :1. Rev. J. N. M. Paterson2. Rev. F. Stakes

Free Church of Scotland :p 1. Rev. A. Dewar

Church of Scotland :p 1. Rev. Dr. A. W. Wilkie p 2. Rev. R. H. W. Shepherd

Associated Heads of Native Institutions :p 1. Rt. Rev. Dr. C. J. Ferguson-Davie

2. Rev. E. H. Roseveare South African Native College :

p 1. Principal A. K err Student Christian Association :

* 1. M r. H. J. le Roux Cape Education Department :

1. M r. G. H. Welsh2. Mr. E. R. O. Gardiner

Department o f Native Affairs :1. T he Secretary for Native Affairs

p 2. M r. G. Mears, Chief Native Commissioner,Ciskei.

South African Institute o f Race Relations :* 1. Senator the Hon. J. D. Rheinallt Jones p Secundus : Rev. E. W. G rant (Chairman)

Cape African Teachers' Association : p 1. Mr. G. W. M. Ncwana p 2. M r. Z. K. Matthews

Accredited by the Council: p 1. M rs. E. W. Grant p 2. Miss J. L. Rogers p 3. Rev. J. J. R. Jolobe

4.5.6.

Fraternal Delegate from the Transkei :1.

The following visitors were present : Rev. If. W. T . Burvill, Rev. C. C. Vqunga, M r. D. D. T . Jabavu, Rev.II. C. Williams (for Rev. W. S. Hall), M r. G. Letele, Rev. R. Godfrey, Archdeacon C. J. Wyche.

4. CORRESPONDENCE.Mr. Shepherd reported on correspondence with members

of Council regarding the David Livingstone Centenary Celebrations. Dr. Wilkie had also drawn his attention to a resolution of the Lovedale Governing Council on Second­ary Education in rural and urban areas ; it was reported that a Committee appointed by the Secretary General lor Education had already met on this matter.

5. IN STIT U TIO NA L CHURCH WORK IN U RBA N AREAS.

Rev. H. W. T . Burvill of Port Elizabeth opened his address by referring to the tendency and policy of segregat­ing Europeans, Coloureds and Natives from one anothei. He remarked that this isolation of the various groups

creates antagonisms, and does not create community of thought or common interests and sympathy. He there­fore advocated Joint Services o f Worship in which a spirit of fellowship could be stimulated.

So far as the European is concerned the Church’s duty is to keep before him the duty of missionary work. “ This is necessary not only to get the sinews of war for mission­ary work, but so that there may be a higher standard of Christian life among professing European Christians which will re-act favourably upon Native and Coloured people.”

U RBAN CONDITIO NS.Dealing with urban areas with which he was acquainted

M r. Burvill continued : “ T he lives of urban Natives arc restricted in the same way as the lives of European town dwellers, but without the amenities of a European town. Hence, the average Native with spare time on his hands has very few activities on which to spend that time. Having been brought into close contact with European ways of life, the lowness of the breadwinner’s wages makes it necessary for the children to go out to work as early as possible. M other also has to go out to work and earn money in order to maintain even a low standard of life in the family.”

THE CHURCH’S TASK.“ T he first thing the Church should do is to see that its

existing organisations are as effective as possible, and develop the pastoral side of its ministry to the fullest extent. T he Church Services should be such as will bring people together regularly for worship and systematic instruction. T he social side of the Church should be developed in such a way as to support and strengthen the spiritual life of the congregations. Sunday Schools should be really effective schools of religious learning, so tha t a real knowledge of our Lord and of worship are gained. It is this teaching which will create the desire

for bettef things and enable the people to use the facilities provided by the Church.

“ T he Church in urban areas can create healthy interest in sports. Football and cricket and their club life may teach loyalty to our Lord and right conduct in daily life. To do this, clubs should be formed with the purpose of allowing professing Christians to join in sport and at the same time maintain their Christian principles. T his is a hard task as with the passing of time it is difficult to keep the initial spirit alive and expressive. Well conducted sports clubs are of immense value in training Christian character and making its members useful in a Church community.

“ T he same can be said of Youth Organisations like the Church Lads’ and Girls’ Brigades, the Boys’ Brigade, Wayfarers and Sunbeams, and Pathfinders. M uch of the success of these institutions will depend on the leaders. No one can be successful who does not give some time in preparation for the meetings, and in arranging activities which will occupy the whole time of the meeting. Discipline should be kindly and firmly maintained.

“ T he Church can also take its share in Social Service. There are Creches and Nursery Schools which give the Churches the opportunity of coming into close contact with the, parents and putting into their minds Christian principles, and advising them of Christian solutions to the problems of life. Creches will receive Government support when they are established and the Government is assured that they are serving a useful purpose.

“ There is also the problem of the girl who has passed Standard V and who is not old enough to go out to service, and who prefers to stay at home rather than take Standard VI. For these the Church may establish domestic science classes so that they can be taught cooking and other useful household work, making them more useful servants and giving them such knowledge as will save them from a period in which discipline over them in the home is sometimes wanting. T he Government will come to any

Church’s assistance with grants for a full time domestic science teacher should it succeed in establishing such classes.

“ Handicraft Schools may be established for backward boys who have left school at Standard II I and others who have gone through to Standard VI but are unable to obtain work. These spend their time fruitlessly roaming through the streets and getting themselves into trouble. Such schools would keep them usefully occupied and the training they received would enable them to search an increased num ber of avenues for employment.

I he Church can also establish hostels for servants. Native girls come in to town locations from the country in search of work ; they have no friends and relations and have to take the poorest possible accommodation offered, and consequently they run grave risks and eventually return to their own locations with an illegitimate child, the object of scorn to the heathen and the cause of the Church losing its reputation, and a hindrance to1 the con­version of the heathen of their district. W here a Servants’ Hostel existed in a town location there would be a place where a girl from the country would be safe and among Christians until she could establish herself in a satisfactory position, and so create a further circle of friends who would be a help to her in living the Christian life.

“ There is an opportunity for the Church in town loca­tions which have large surrounding populations to draw upon, to open school hostels for children who come into town for their education. Parents endeavour to get the best education they can for their children and if they cannot afford to send them to a large Institution they will send them to a town where they can get what they require and board the children as best they can among friends or relations. Such accommodation is far from satisfactory.

“ How best can the Church combat excessive drinking in urban areas ? I do not look for reform of ‘ drink ’ habits along the line of restrictions. We must study the ques­tion from its social aspects and set up counter-attractions

which will supply the elements of sociability which drink­ing customs give. This might be met in part by Church Institutes where men could foregather for social purposes, such as social evenings or lectures on popular subjects, and the giving of concerts. T he Churches might well make themselves responsible for such buildings in every urban location.

“ My own idea, which I have not yet been able to put into practice, of dealing with street loafers at night, that is, with those who spend the evening on shop stoeps and there concoct all kinds of crime and learn debasing habits, is to run a cafe club. A front room in a building on or near the main street could be opened as a cafe, in charge of a person who is a Christian social worker, for the purpose of using the contact he gains in serving those who frequent the place in order to bring his influence to bear on them, and lead them to better things. Since these cafes might be run without much expense several could exist in the larger locations. This is an advantage as the hooligan type ot youth goes about in gangs which do not easily mix.

“ All these suggestions involve finance, which brings me back to my first point—that we must not neglect the Euro­peans in our efforts to increase institutional work among Natives in urban areas, for it is from the European that the finances will have to be obtained for many years to come, and also a certain proportion of the workers required for the various organisations. T he European will give il lie feels it is a religious duty to give. We m ust therefore keep before our European congregations the duty of making disciples of all nations, so that they may be willing to help in the activities I have mentioned, which, if effectively run, can be used to make disciples for C hrist.”

D ISC U SSIO N .In the discussion that followed the address these aspects

of institutional Church work in urban areas were stressed :The Need, was evidenced by the fact that Missionary

work in South Africa began in the rural areas and the

Churches had not been active enough in following the people to the towns. Examples both from Great Britain and South Africa, including the work of the M ethodist Central Halls, Lax of Poplar, the Pleasance in Edinburgh, and Sophiatown and District Six in Cape Town, were cited to show that the Church was alive to the problems and was seeking to do something to meet them, and to show that the Christian faith was at the heart of these enterprises and was the driving power of them. But this kind of activity would have to be multiplied and new methods be found to meet new conditions of life. T he question that was in many minds about the employment of graduates from the Jan Hofmevr School of Social Studies was not one which the Church should leave to the Municipalities. Mere humanitarianism without the religious motive had always been a failure.

Attention was drawn to the fact that work among Africans is becoming increasingly a social problem rather than a racial one, and the need for co-ordination bf various enterprises was evident, not merely for the purpose of avoiding a large num ber of appeals for funds but also to tackle the work more systematically. Cambridge U niver­sity had made an experiment in village colleges which housed the school during the forenoon, the W omen’s Adult Educational Centre in the afternoon, Youth activi­ties in the early evening, and recreational activities (in the widest sense) for men in the later hours of each day.

Several speakers stressed the need of doing something definite for girls who leave school after Standard V and boys who leave after Standard III , and one pointed out how the boys were being lost to the Church ; in his experi­ence the proportion of boys to girls in confirmation classes was deplorably small.

One of the greatest needs was to find something con­structive for young lads to do in their leisure time, mainly after 7 p.m. each evening.

Joint Worship. Several members endorsed the senti­ments of the speaker, maintaining that joint services of

worship for all races stimulated the sense of brotherhood in the Church of Christ and helped to counteract division between the races. It was thought that the leaders of the various communities could also hold similar meetings with profit.

Pastoral Work. One African member felt that while programmes of social work were necessary much could be done by friendly contacts between Europeans and Africans and by the spreading of good cheer which is often lacking in dull homes ; he endorsed M r. Burvill’s view that simple interest in the people by visiting them in their homes was one of the surest ways of helping them.

Sports Clubs were suggested as an activity that the Church should encourage more than it has done in the p a s t ; it ought not to be impossible to teach Christianity through clean and healthy sport. At present Christmas tournaments in football and cricket are led by students from Institutions.

School Hostels in urban areas were criticised in view of the fact that they would attract to the towns children who ought to be receiving their education in the rural areas and so would divorce them further from their normal home atmosphere. If the town has any attraction for rural students it should be countered by making homes in the rural areas attractive.

Servants' "Hostels have not yet been tried in the towns of the Cape but they are working successfully in Johannes­burg, notably at the Bantu M en’s Social Centre.

Y .M .C .A . T he possibilities of directing the activities of this organisation into channels of social service was brought up by one member. At present groups of young men in the Churches are formed into meetings which they call Y .M .C.A’s though they have no connection with the world-wide organisation, and they exist solely for the purpose of preaching and conducting revival meetings. The associations should be nursed in such a way as to develop the sense of social service and the carrying out of a social programme.

M en’s Work, T he African Church is at present regard­ed by many as a women’s affair even though traditionally the African man is the head and ruler of the community. T he only thing that is attracting African men in urban areas at present is politics, and perpetual discussion of political questions is unhealthy. Club work connected with the Church would give them other outlets of a more recreative and educational nature.

Educational Work was emphasised as a means of afford­ing profitable employment of leisure time and the institu­tion of N ight Schools was commended ; these would in the first instance provide for those who desired to further their education—and their num ber is considerable—and avoid the evils attendant on education by correspondence.

The Distribution o f Literature and teaching people to read were suggested as a simple beginning of the problem of adult education. If ministers would get books and bring the more suitable ones to the notice of their people they would find a welcome response. Many people would like to read more and to read better but they do not know where to procure the material.

W ith regard to the problem of Drink it was urged that we should give people something constructive to do and not merely condemn their habits.

A lady member strongly requested that in all social service the unity of the Home should be safeguarded. It is the primary ready-made centre of culture and fellowship. Homes should be placed first and social clubs second. W omen’s Clubs are, however, doing good work in creating a taste for the aesthetic by teaching sewing, attractive cooking and ways of beautifying the home. Stating that in many African homes there was little that was helpful and much that was dull, another member pled for Home Demonstrators on the analogy of Agricultural Demons­trators and Social Workers.

The Part Africans must play was suitably emphasised by one member who gave instances from his own experience of successful social work being done in town locations by

African men and women who had developed a civic sense, a sense of responsibility to the African community. Too often such efforts are dependent on the personality of one or a few persons and fade away on their removal from the district. A more wide-spread civic sense is needed. T he criticism was made that the aims of many educated Africans were orientated selfishly and that if this were not so they would form the nucleus of centres of social service.

The Part of the Government in schemes of Social Services for Africans was touched on and it was suggested that the Department of Social Welfare should include non-Euro- peans within its scope. It appears that the Government would be prepared to consider giving help to Churches which run social centres.

Co-operation between the Churches was laid down emphatically as the surest and best way of undertaking Institutional Church Work in urban areas. T he problem is too large for sectarianism and the Ciskei M is­sionary Council would call on Churches working in urban areas to get together in a spirit of friendly co-operation in order to undertake more effective social work. In most locations large halls are now available but the only use to which they have been put so far is private parties and meetings. Places and buildings are available but it is the people that we have to get at.

DECISIONS.T he Council agreed that an account of the Address and

of the discussion appear in the Outlook, and that the m atter be referred to the Christian Council possibly for further discussion at its Conference in June 1042 on Christianity and Reconstruction.

6. THE CHRISTIAN COUNCIL.T he Council then heard a statement of the re-organi­

sation of the Christian Council from Rev. A. A. Welling­ton, the newly elected President. A pamphlet entitled A New Beginning was distributed. T he Christian Council

is arranging for a Conference in June next on Christianity and Reconstruction.

7. SALARIES OF TEACHERS IN NATIVE SECONDARY AND HIGH SCHOOLS.

After discussion on this m atter the Notice of Motion prepared by M r. Z. K. M atthews was unanimously passed. T he Ciskei Missionary Council urges the Government to provide the necessary funds to make it possible for the Cape Education Department to pay the whole of the salaries of teachers in all Native Secondary and High Schools as is done in the other Provinces and as is done in the Cape itself in the case of Native Secondary and High Schools under School Board control, and in the case of all other salaries. T he removal of this anomaly will bring about a much-needed reduction in the cost of secondary education in boarding schools for Natives in the Cape Province.

It was agreed to send the above resolution to the Secretary for Native Affairs, the Native Representative Council and the Cape Education Department.

8. BEER HALLS.T he following motion on this subject was passed

unanimously after discussion :T he Ciskei Missionary Council firmly believes that all

those who have the welfare of the African people at heart are alarmed by the serious proportions which the Beer Problem is assuming in urban areas.

The Council is convinced that the Attempt to deal with this evil by granting urban local authorities a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of Beer has not produced the desired results, namely, the lessening of drunkenness, the prevention of illicit beer-brewing and the reduction of the num ber of convictions for contraventions of the liquor laws by Natives.

T he Council therefore urges the Government to amend

the sections of the Natives (Urban Areas) Act relating to Beer so as

(1) to give the permanent residents of Native Locations or Villages (or portions of them) the option of refusing to have a Beer Hall established in their m id s t;

(2) to control through licence or otherwise the brew­ing of beer, and to make the unauthorised possession or sale of beer a punishable offence ;

(3) to prevent Municipalities under any circumstances from paying into their Native Revenue Accounts the profits made out of Beer and thus evade their duty to finance services for urban Natives out of their General R evenue;Or, to reduce the cost of Beer, in order to make profit above a certain small percentage impossible ;Or, to authorise that Beer profits be paid into a special urban Native T rust Fund to be administered separate­ly from the Native Revenue Account for the promo­tion of activities calculated to lessen the Drink Evil among Natives.

It was agreed to transm it this Motion to the Secretary of the Native Affairs Commission which is at present writing its report on the subject, and to the Press.

9. M INUTE BOOK OF THE UNITED MISSIONARY CONFERENCE.

Dr. Wilkie handed over to the Council the M inute Book of the United Missionary Conference containing a record of its meetings from 28th May 1862 to 3rd July 1890, which he had found at Lovedale. He thought that this Conference was one of the predecessors of the Ciskei Missionary Council.

10. FINANCIAL STATEM ENT .T he Financial statement showing a balance ol /,f> 5s. 9d.

was tabled by M r. Shepherd ; the Statement was adopted by the Council.

It was noted that a num ber of affiliated Churches and

Missionary Societies had failed to send in their annual contributions of 5/- per member.

11. ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEARERS.Rt. Rev. Bp. C. J. Ferguson-Davie was unanimously

and cordially elected as Chairman for the next two years.Dr. A. Kerr and IBp. C. J. Ferguson-Davie were elected

to represent the Council on the Christian Council.T he Standing Committee was elected as follows : Rev.

W. Spencer Hall, Rev. Dr. H. M. Bennett, Rev. W. W. Shilling, Rev. Canon A. E. Jingiso, Rev. E. W. Grant, Mr. 7,. K. Matthews. T he Chairman and Secretary are members ex-officio.

Representatives accredited by the Council : Mrs. E. W. Grant, Miss J. L. Rogers, Rev. J. B. Johnson, Rev. J. J. R. Jolobe.

12. THANKS.T he Chairman expressed the thanks of the Council to

Rev. J. B. Johnson and his Churchwardens for the free use of the Twemlow Hall, and to the ladies who provided tea in the morning and afternoon.

T he meeting was closed with prayer at 4.0 p.m.

Collection Number: AD1715

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974

PUBLISHER: Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation

Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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