This Led To My Having A Selection
Of The Severer Cases Only, And Prevented The Doctors Being Offended
At My Taking Their Practice Out Of Their Hands.
When attacked
by fever myself, and wishing to ascertain what their practices were,
I could safely intrust myself in their hands on account of their well-known
friendly feelings.
The plan of showing kindness to the natives in their bodily ailments
secures their friendship; this is not the case to the same degree
in old missions, where the people have learned to look upon relief
as a right - a state of things which sometimes happens among ourselves
at home. Medical aid is therefore most valuable in young missions,
though at all stages it is an extremely valuable adjunct to other operations.
I proposed to teach the Makololo to read, but, for the reasons mentioned,
Sekeletu at first declined; after some weeks, however,
Motibe, his father-in-law, and some others, determined to brave
the mysterious book. To all who have not acquired it,
the knowledge of letters is quite unfathomable; there is naught like it
within the compass of their observation; and we have no comparison
with any thing except pictures, to aid them in comprehending
the idea of signs of words. It seems to them supernatural
that we see in a book things taking place, or having occurred at a distance.
No amount of explanation conveys the idea unless they learn to read.
Machinery is equally inexplicable, and money nearly as much so
until they see it in actual use.
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