West African Studies

I have not reached the heights of eloquence that others—my superiors, such as the ship’s purser—would reach if they were in my place. However, for those who are unaware of the situation—those who only see England’s good intentions and view government systems as harmless, inanimate things—I may seem to be speaking harshly. I would not have mentioned this matter at all if I did not clearly see that our current method of managing tropical territories under the Crown Colony system The "Crown Colony" system refers to direct rule of a colony by the British government via an appointed governor and council, rather than through local representation or chartered companies. is financially dangerous. Furthermore, it brings suffering to the native peoples and disgrace to the English gentlemen who are required to obey and carry out the orders dictated by that system.

Plotinus Plotinus (c. 204–270 AD) was a major philosopher of the ancient world and the founder of Neoplatonism. very properly said that the right course of action is to "superimpose the idea upon the actual" original: "superimpose the idea upon the actual"—this refers to applying a moral or theoretical ideal to the physical reality of the world.. I am not one of those people who will tell you that progress is impossible; in fact, I am particularly hopeful regarding this matter. England has an excellent ideal regarding its duty toward the native peoples of West Africa. In the West African people themselves, she has an excellent "actual" reality upon which to apply that ideal. All that is missing is the correct method. I can assure you that Science—meaning true knowledge, or what the philosopher Spinoza Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) was a Dutch philosopher; he used the phrase "inward aid of God" to refer to the human intellect and the pursuit of knowledge. termed "the inward aid of God"—can provide that method for you. I am not Science itself, but merely one of her "brick-makers" Kingsley frequently described herself as a humble collector of facts (bricks) that professional scientists could use to build theories., and I urge you to turn to her. Remember that you have tried to manage African affairs without her help for 400 years, and on the road to civilization and progress, you have traveled as poorly as if you were riding on a cabbage leaf A metaphor for a very slow, flimsy, or ineffective means of travel..

I now have only the pleasant duty of noting that in this book I have said nothing regarding missionary questions. I do not think it will ever be necessary for me to discuss those questions again, except perhaps with Nonconformist missionaries Nonconformists were British Protestants (such as Methodists or Baptists) who did not belong to the established Church of England. Kingsley often clashed with them over their portrayals of African culture.. I say this deliberately because, while I do not retract a single word of what I have said previously, the act of saying it has demon—