The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-03-28
Catholic missionaries in the south Paciso Islanas

Inc f0aiowlng Is an extracb Irum q reuter-
4 written by a Protestant traveller, who lately
visited Easter Island, in the South Pacific.
Tho whole letter bears ample testimony to
the courage, perseverance, and success OF
Catholic Missionaries, under circumstances
that would discourage any men except
those who had the Divine command DO
teach all nations, and that he would be with
of the world:
We found the islanders, however, gentle
and honest, and to all appearance much
pleased to see us. But there are three Ca
tholic priests settled here-two Frenchmen
and Prussian-and they must have done
a world of good, and have, certainly, got
the people quite under control. They have
| also taken their spears and clubs from
them, but find them lazy and unwilling to
work well at caltivating the ground. The
savages are in great fear and awe of the
priests, which is, perhaps, very necessary
to the safety of these gentlemen, as they
are born cannibals, and there is no saying
when their brutal instinct may not break
out. The first priest came alone, about
three years ago.. As soon as he dcd he.
was robbed, and was to have been killed
and eaten, but the chief interfered, and
chose to have him for his slave. For some.
time he worked in that capacity, and more
managed to escape on each occasion. The
next who came was the senior priest-a
Frenchman-a most notwithstanding man,
with o very powerful and determined east
of physiognomy. The moment he landed
they crowded down, and attempted to stone
him but he got near them, and struck the
first fellow he came across such a blow with
his walking staff as to stun him on the
spot; then walked nnmolested through the
crowd of swarming sayages, now thorough
1y cowed; and since that he has never but
once been molested, but has them we'll in
hand on the whole. OF course the first
thing he did was TO procure the liberation
of the other priest, and the two have i'm |
pressed on the minds of the people the idea
that if they kill and eat either the one Or
the other, a ship win come and destroy
them. These poor missionaries must lead |
a hard and trying life, and certainly ex-
hibit great bravery and devotion to their
religion. There is no society which acts in |
France as the English do towards their /
and no one sends them conf
forts, or food, or clothing. We did all we
could for them, for which they appeared |
most grateful and were only too thankful |
to have the opportunity of writing to their |
friends and sending their letters by our
ship. All the trees in the island are de-
stroyed; one war party would burn the |
trees belonging to the other, the other re-
tainted in kind, and they slew and de-
voursd all prisoners The priests say they |
were much more numerous at one time, but I
are dying ont fast, and cannot last long at I
the present rate. They are forbidden by T
the missionaries to practice spear-throwing,
in order to prevents fighting aud hatchery,
but when we were away from the village
with some of them we cut them some sticks,
badly balanced and not very straight, and
they threw them with wonderful skill and
strength. never before knew how dam.
seroHss z weapon q sEgar can be. but these
&hey cast them almost under
handed, with the hand below the level Of
The shoulder, and even with these sticks
could strike an object with great accuracy
md force up to seventy yards at the least;
with good spear of consse they could do
much more, in fact they quite astonishesl
IL. 1t appears they used to tip their spears
With sharp pointed pieces of volcanic darts
" bolts. Their houses are built to this
lay exactly rs Capt. Cook describes them;
heir shape is like q boat turned over, keel
lppermOst, with a small square hole at the
ide for the door, through which a man can
ust crawl, and the entire fabric is COM
,osed of coarse reeds. At the top of the
'rater, almost on the edge of the cliff, there
ire a lot OF curious stone huts, about five
eet high inside, and some of fifteen feet
ong. The entrance is through the wall,
which is about seven feet thick, 30. it Is q
oBg narrow hole to crawl through in order }
o get within. The islanders themselves
ay that their ancestors came over here in :
anoes.. They have q tradition that the
lrst king, Toxic, came from the island of
Kappa, where tho New Zealand steamers
top, and the first land they came to was ]
his island. Finding it larger than the one
hey had left, they called it Kappa mie
Thich means big Kappa. King Toxic, as
DON as he had landed, began to carve the 7
nagess; and when he had finished his work
Ie statues ah@walked down and placed
themselves in the position thew now Occunv