CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY

I picked up a copy of 'Cry, The Beloved Country' at a thrift store. I knew nothing about it other than I recognized the name and it was considered a Classic by some. I have really been enjoying it. I like the authors style and though the plot is heavy, he manages to make it light hearted and heart warming at the same time. It was written 75 years ago and takes place in South Africa during turbulent times. Sad to say it is very much relevant to the history and current state of affairs in the US.

I'm going to jot a few quotes here so I can refer back k to them.

"It was permissible to allow the destruction of a tribal system that impeded the growth of the country. It was permissible to believe that its destruction was inevitable. But it was not permissible to watch its destruction, and replace it by nothing, or by so little that the whole people deteriorates, physically and morally.
The old tribal system was, for all it's violence and savagery, for all its superstition and witchcraft, a moral system. Our natives today produce criminals and prostitutes and drunkards, not because it is their nature to do so, but because their simple system of order and tradition and convention has been destroyed. It was destroyed by the impact of our own civilization. Our civilization has therefore an inescapable duty to set up another system of order and tradition and convention."

"The judge does not make the Law. It is the people that make the Law. Therefore if the Law is unjust, and if the Judge judges according to the Law, that is justice, even if it is not just.
It is the duty of the Judge to do justice, but it is only the People that can be just. Therefore if justice be not just, that is not to be laid at the door of the people, which means at the door of the White People, for it is the White People that make the Law."

The main characters are priests so there is a lot of praying and religious references. It definitely makes one see how how people living in hopless circumstances turn to religion for a bit of hope and comfort.

"-- I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering, umfundisi. For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For he knew that there is no life without suffering. "

Makes a Hell of a lot more sense than 'he died for our sins'

(Umfundsisi = parson or father)Leia mais