_THE HOME-LANDS AND THE ISLANDS._
Arrival in Great Britain 63
Requisitions 64
Professors and Students 67
_Dayspring_ Scheme 67
Ten Years’ Delay 67
Gideon’s Fleece Experiment 74
Two memorable Checks 75
The “John G. Paton Mission Fund” 77
The _Dayspring_ Disaster 85
Mission Work on all the Islands 91
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
JOHN G. PATON, æt. 70 _Frontispiece._
WILLIAMS RIVER, ERROMANGA _To face p._ 14
MEMBERS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES MISSION SYNOD, 1898 „ 28
HEATHEN NATIVES OF AMBRIM
MEMORIALS OF THE DEAD, AMBRIM „ 58
A HEATHEN CHIEF OF FUTUNA
EPETENETO „ 96
For the use of all the above illustrations, save the first, our
acknowledgments are due to “The Missionary Review of the World.”
Historical Note.
Balboa, governor of Santa Maria, discovered the Southern Ocean in 1513,
named it the South Sea, and took possession in the name of the king of
Spain. Six years later Magellan sailed through a large portion of it,
and called it the Pacific Ocean. In 1569 Mendana discovered and named
the Solomon group, and in 1595 the Queen Charlotte group. The New
Hebrides were discovered in 1606 by Quiros, who thought he had
discovered a great southern continent, and called it the Land of the
Holy Spirit. He anchored in port Philip Santo, and tried to establish a
city (New Jerusalem) on the bank of the large river Yor, which runs into
the bay. But the Spaniards quarrelled with the natives and left it.
Quiros sailed to Mexico, but Torres, the senior officer in command,
sailed west, discovered and passed through Torres Straits, which bear
his name, between Queensland and New Guinea. Boginville discovered that
it was not a continent, but a group of islands, that Quiros had
discovered, and he named them the Great Cyclades. Bent on discovering
new lands, about that period many eminent navigators sailed in the South
Sea, but we hear nothing more of the New Hebrides till, in 1767, the
famous Captain Cook sailed on his first voyage to observe the transit of
Venus at Tahiti. In 1773 Captain Cook returned, and sailed twice through
the group, spending forty-six days in exploring and describing every
island and the natives with an accuracy scarcely yet surpassed.
Believing he had discovered the most westerly group in the South Sea, he
gave it its present name, the New Hebrides; but 200 miles southwest he
afterward discovered another large island, and called it New Caledonia.
He took possession of it in the name of his sovereign, King George the
Third; but in 1854, when Britain was engaged in the Crimean war, France
took possession of it, and turned it into a large convict station at the
door of Australia, to which, by escaped convicts, it is a source of
danger and pollution.—J. G. P.
The Gospel in the New Hebrides.[1]
BY REV. JOHN G. PATON, D. D.
Footnote 1:
_From “The Missionary Review of the World.”_
Geographers have arranged the South Sea islands under three divisions:
Polynesia, the many eastern islands between 180 degrees and South
America; Melanesia, the black islands, from the dark-brown color of
their inhabitants—they include Fiji and all the islands west, with New
Guinea; Micronesia, all the small islands north of the line from Hawaii
on the east to China on the west. The South Sea islands are inhabited by
only two races, the Malay Polynesian and the Papuan. The Malays appear
to be of Asiatic origin, and are the superior race, with well-developed,
powerful persons, yellow in color, and with straight, glossy, black
hair. The Papuans are so called from Papua, or New Guinea. They occupy
the western islands, and are not generally so tall and handsome in
person as the Malays. They are of a dark-brown color, with dark, curly
hair of different shades, and appear to be allied to the negro; but have
plump, pleasant features, unlike the negro and the aborigines of
Australia. The Malays all speak one language, with dialectic
differences, all musical and liquid, like the Italian. Every word ends
in a vowel. The Papuans speak a different language on almost every
island, or dialects differing, so that the natives of one island cannot
understand those of another; and on some islands two or even three
dialects are spoken on the same island, so different that the
inhabitants of the one district cannot understand those of the other.
Nearly the whole, if not the whole, population of the South Sea islands
were cannibals, in a state of nudity, when missionary work was begun on
them, yet even there, by God’s blessing, almost every society and church
engaged in the work has been used and honored in the conversion of many
thousands, and now each is working on an independent portion of New
Guinea for the salvation of its natives, and with encouraging success.
The New Hebrides consist of about thirty inhabited islands, with many
small ones adjoining. The group lies south-southeast and
north-northwest, extending over 400 miles of ocean, between 21 degrees
and 15 degrees south latitude, and 171 degrees and 166 degrees east
longitude. The Solomon group, which is the centre of the Church of
England’s mission, is about 200 miles northwest from the New Hebrides.
New Caledonia is about 200 miles southwest, Fiji about 400 miles,
Auckland about 1,000, and Sydney, Australia, 1,400 miles distant from
our group. In her first charter to New Zealand, Britain included the New
Hebrides, but, apparently by some mistake, they were afterward left out.
Yet, except to New Zealand and Australia, the group is of little
commercial value to any other country, on account of the great distances
of all others from it.
As the natives have got nearly all the blessings of Christianity and
civilization which they possess from British missionaries and subjects,
they unanimously plead for British annexation and protection, while,
from their oppressive cruelty to the natives, and suppression of
Protestant schools and mission work on the Loyalty group and on other
groups annexed, they fear and hate the French. There are other cogent
reasons, for the French Senate passed a resolution “to send 100,000 of
France’s lowest criminals to the New Hebrides, as freed men and women,
to live as they could and go where they would, on the one condition that
they do not return to France.” Against this Australasia and Britain
protested so decidedly that the scheme was not carried out; but the
resolution to deport them was renewed, and for the present the
destination is kept secret. The French have recently been sending Roman
Catholic priests to the New Hebrides, apparently as political agents. A
few months ago the heathen natives of one of our islands eagerly desired
a Protestant missionary to settle among them, and give them the teaching
of Jesus and His salvation, and when they were selling our missionaries
a site for the station, two priests gave them much abuse, and told them
of all the fearful calamities which would befall them if they allowed
the Protestant missionaries to land on their island. They also gave the
missionaries much abuse, and at last offered the natives three Sniders
(rifles) and two large, fat hogs for the site, if they would forbid the
Protestant missionaries to settle on the island. Though, above
everything else, the heathen islanders desire Sniders and such fat pigs,
yet they rejected the priests’ offer, and sold the station to our
missionaries. The highest French officials in these colonies have sent a
man-of-war to the spot to investigate this case, and their report proves
that it was correctly stated by us.
In 1839 the famous John Williams and Mr. J. Harris, of the London
Missionary Society, sailed to try and begin mission work on the New
Hebrides, but on landing on Erromanga both were murdered by the savages,
who feasted on their bodies. In 1843 Drs. Turner and Nisbet were by the
London Missionary Society settled on Tanna, but about six months after,
by a passing ship, they had to escape for their lives. After this Samoan
and Raratongan native teachers were again and again placed on the group,
but they were either murdered by the savages, or died in the damp,
unhealthy climate (compared with their own), or in sickness had to be
taken home again. So no effective mission work was done on the group
till in 1848 Dr. John Geddie and in 1852 Dr. John Inglis were landed on
Aneityum, where God spared and used them in bringing 3,500 cannibals on
that island to serve our dear Lord Jesus Christ; and until they had
translated and carried through the press the whole Bible and other books
in their language. For the printing and binding of this Bible the
converted natives paid the noble British and Foreign Bible Society
£1,200 sterling ($6,000), earned by them preparing and selling
arrowroot.
[Illustration:
WILLIAMS RIVER, ERROMANGA.
The point on the shore where natives stand is that on which John
Williams was murdered.
]
In 1857 the Rev. G. N. and Mrs. Gordon were placed on Erromanga, where
Williams lost his life. By them God brought some fourteen young men and
as many young women to renounce heathenism and serve Jesus, but in 1851
the savages one morning tomahawked both to death. Their young converts
wept and wailed over their loss, laid them in the grave, and vowed over
it that they would conquer Erromanga for Jesus, or die, as their
missionaries had died, in the effort. In 1864 the Rev. J. D. Gordon,
going to convert, if possible, the murderers of his brother and his
wife, was placed on Erromanga, and after much successful work, the
heathen there killed him also with the tomahawk in 1872. The Christian
party laid his body in the grave, wept and wailed over it, and renewed
their vow and wrought and prayed till they have, indeed, conquered the
island for Jesus Christ. Now every family there daily sings the praise
of His redeeming love, and tries to serve Him devotedly.
In 1858 the Revs. Joseph Copeland, J. W. and Mrs. Matheson, John G. and
Mrs. Paton, and in 1859 S. F. and Mrs. Johnston were all placed on
Tanna, but soon after Mr. Copeland went to Aneityum. From the first on
Tanna, as on other islands, the native priests gave much opposition to
the missionaries’ teaching. This priesthood is powerful and profess to
have and, by sorcery, to exercise all the powers of God. After the
murder of the Gordons, a Tanna “holy” man, prejudiced by white traders,
clubbed an Aneityum chief, a native teacher, and he died soon after,
rejoicing in Jesus Christ. Also from the effects of a savage attack upon
my life and his, Mr. Johnston never rallied, but died soon after, having
been only about four months on the island. In 1862, after much
suffering, bereavement, and many attempts upon our lives, and the loss
of all earthly property, except our pocket Bibles, Mr. and Mrs.
Matheson, the teachers, and I escaped by a passing ship. After reaching
Aneityum Mrs. Matheson died in March and Mr. Matheson in June of that
year. I left for Australia to get, if possible, more missionaries and a
mission ship for our mission. There the Lord, by His people, gave me
£5,000. The new _Dayspring_ was bought with £3,000 of it, and the
remaining £2,000 sent and supported more missionaries. Since that time
island after island has been occupied, and the Lord has prospered our
work, till we have now the large staff of 26 earnest, educated
missionaries, 5 of them medical men and 5 lay helpers, besides about 300
native teachers, all educated by our own missionaries for their work. In
the mission we have a teachers’ training institution, with 46 students,
under the care of Dr. Annand and his lay teachers, and we have a
hospital under the care of Dr. Lamb and his lay helpers. By our
missionaries the whole Bible has been translated into one language, and
the New Testament into several. The portions of Scripture so translated,
have been printed, and are now read by the natives in over twenty
languages of the group. This is a great work, which makes our mission
laborious and expensive compared with others having only one language to
conquer. Our islanders had no written language when we began the Lord’s
work among them. A number of the translations have been printed by the
British and Foreign Bible Society, but our natives try to pay it for all
it does for them.
As results of the work, our dear Lord Jesus has given our missionaries
about 16,000 converts, and the blessed work is extending among some
40,000 or 50,000 remaining cannibals on the group. In our synod year of
1895–96, 1,120 savages renounced idolatry and embraced the worship and
service of Christ. One missionary baptized 200 out of his communicants’
class of 400, after a long and careful preparatory Scripture training.
We never baptize and teach afterward, but educate and wait till they
give real evidence of consecration to Jesus Christ, and then, at their
desire, baptize, and continue teaching them to observe in their life and
conduct all things Jesus has commanded. Hence, we have only about 2,500
communicants, though 10,000 attend our day and Sabbath schools. All of
our converts attend church regularly. In 1896 they contributed about
£900, and last year over £1,300 by money and arrowroot, and a number of
the islands now support their own native teachers. Yet they have no
money but what they get by selling pigs, fowls, cocoanuts, and copra to
passing ships. God has given four of our present missionaries each from
1,700 to 2,000 converts; and at all our more recently occupied stations
the work is very encouraging, and enjoys the divine blessing. Our chief
concern at present is how we are to get money to keep our large staff
going on, but we trust in Jesus to provide all as it is needed.
Never since Jesus Christ gave the great commission, have so many of His
servants been proclaiming the blessed Gospel, and never before in
heathen lands has it shown more vitality and power in its grand results.
Yet what large portions of the world are yet in heathen darkness! Oh,
for a new Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Spirit to all branches of the
Church, to lead her to try to “preach the Gospel to every creature,” and
by the Gospel conquer the world for Jesus Christ. A small book, showing
the extension and glorious fruits of Christian Protestant missions
during the last half century would do much to silence the infidel and
the enemies of Protestant missions to the heathen, enlighten the
indifferent, and draw forth the united praise and prayers, and increased
money support, and personal, zealous coöperation of Christians in all
lands, so to conquer the world for Jesus Christ by His own appointed
means. It would show that the Gospel is not only the power of God unto
salvation to every one who believes, high and low, of every color and of
every country, but that, wherever found, it is the only real and lasting
civilizer of man. Had Britain felt her responsibility, and improved her
privileges by spending a twentieth part of what her present wars will
cost her to subdue her rebellious subjects, in giving them the Gospel
teaching of Jesus while under her care, it might have prevented those
wars, and saved her the loss of life and treasure and carnage in
subduing her heathen revolted subjects, and the feelings of revenge that
remain and foster in the hearts of the surviving relatives and tribes of
the subdued. Armies may conquer and sweep the oppressed into eternity,
but Christ’s teaching enlightens the mind, influences the heart by
creating it anew, and leads all so brought under its power to feel their
responsibility to our God, the Supreme Judge of all. Thus it lifts them
above heathen superstitions, prejudices, cruelties, and discontent,
filling the heart with gratitude to God for His love and mercy in Jesus
Christ, and so leading them to love their benefactors, and to do to
others as they would have others do to them. Though our New Hebridean
savage cannibals, as they all were when our work began among them, have
lost many thousands of lives, and suffered much oppressive cruelty by
the sandalwood traders and by the shocking Kanaka labor traffic which
followed, yet because of British missionaries so many of them have been
brought to serve Jesus, that now the remaining population all plead for
British annexation and protection. And lately, on a recently occupied
island, where all under the missionaries’ charge were painted savages,
after several acts of kindness by the missionary, the war chief was led
to hear the teaching of Jesus, and to believe in, and serve Him. He was
the first man among some 3,000 or 4,000 to appear at the church and to
wear clothing in public. For some reason his savage warriors wanted him
to go to war, but he refused. His enemies sent a man to conceal himself
by the path and shoot dead one of the chief’s men, being one of their
usual challenges to war, and many now urged him to fight in revenge, but
he said, “I will not fight and shed blood, but leave all revenge to my
Jesus now,” and he preached the Gospel of peace and love to them, and
prayed for them all. His life was threatened, but he also left that to
Jesus. He now teaches a school among his savages, and, following his
example, many have begun to wear clothing and attend school and church.
The chief and twelve others are now candidates in a class for baptism
and churchmembership, and a real work of grace seems to have begun all
around among the savages. Surely the Divine blessing on the same
teaching would produce like blessed results among the heathen subjects
of all nations, and make them happy, industrious, loyal, loving
subjects—a thing which cannot be done by conquering armies.
I.
_ROUND THE WORLD FOR JESUS._
A. D. 1886–1893. ÆT. 62–69.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
The Story of my Life, so unexpectedly owned and blessed of God to
multitudes in every Land, closed, when first published in 1889, with
what I then regarded and described as my “Last” Visit to Britain,
1884–1885. It did not for one moment enter my mind, at that time, that
world-wide travels were still before me, in the interests of our beloved
Mission; or that I should ever again be called upon to lift my pen, in
the further telling of my own Biography. So much so, that I then wrote
something in the “farewell” to the reader, hinting not dimly that the
_last_ Chapter of all, yet to be added, would fall to be described by
another hand than mine!
More than ten years have, however, since elapsed, and “by the good hand
of my God upon me for good,” I am still hale and vigorous, rejoicing to
serve my Redeemer by serving those whom He died to save and lives to
bring to Glory. Wherefore, at the earnest and repeated entreaty of my
dear brother, James, but for whom this book never could or would have
been given to the world at all, I resume my pen to add a brief sketch of
the Autumn of my life, that he may set it in order, and bring this
_Autobiography_ up to date. In many respects, I can unfeignedly say that
I would rather bury all in oblivion, or keep it under the eye of my
Saviour alone. But I dare not shrink from the door of Great Opportunity
thus opened before me; and this, also, I humbly lay on the Altar to the
glory of Jesus my Lord.