The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-12-02
The Martyr Bishop of Melanesia.

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Before any of you, my young friends, for whom
NV words this morning are specially 1ntended'-De-
fore one of YOU was born, a young clergyman, en-
loving a quiet country curacy in England, heard that
the noble project of carrying the words OF ocrlPtufe
which have just read: to the 2OO islands, more OF
IsSs wing between New Zealand and New Guinea,
was originated. His thoughts were constantly turned
TO those Islands of the Pacific, and the accounts
which from time to time reached Eng'anuI OF his
sionarv expeditions undertaken by Bishop Selwyn,
very much impressed his mind. After a litfte while
| John Coleridge Patteson, (for that was the young
| clereyman's name,) left his civilized DeyonshIre hcne
70 snend the remainder of his life in telling the saw
age nations of Melanesia that Christ died for them.
They were q strange looking, and herce minded PEG
pie. these island children of the Southern Hemisphere;
wild, naked, armed with spears and CLUBS, or BOWS anu
POISONED arrows Every mans hand was against his
follow and scenes of violence and bloodshed were OF
FREQUENT occurrence. The love which prompted TINS
CLERGYMAN to leave the comforts OF a wealthy nome
g to scatter seeds of life on barbarous SHORES was
constrained by the melting tale of redeeming. love.
He was in the first rank of intellect, well up In the
classics, and mathematics, and natural sciences o1e
better than all this, he had learned TO SIT as q htle
child at the feet Of Jesus ; and when the niger Oh
God pointed to the barbarous lands of the sea, and
the voice of Jesus said. 81 died to save those cruel
minded children of evil who will 60 ana soften lhei,
frozen hearts with the warm message o., my love-
Patteson exclaimed, "here am !, Lord send me,
And he went. For five years this noble hearted
clergyman worked under the Bishop of New Zealand.
In the year 1861 he was consecrated Bishop OF Me-
lanesia, and God permitted him to @ork IN TINS Ca
pacity for ten years, and then called him away. 1
will tell YOU of his death, and q very sad story it is
too, by and by. I must first tell you something OF
the good Bishops work. Rude and uncouth as the
savages were, among these people the blsnops walked
unhurt. Once he was shot at, and sad to narrate
some of his faithful crew yielded up their hyes on
that occasion. 1t was just such a place as the Bishop
often called at cruising among his Islands that this
attempt on his life was made. An inlet with vegeta-
ton from the waters edge to the very top of the
mountains. A narrow strip of white coral strand
marking out the place where a landing might be eff
fected. On this spot q number OF men might be seen
collecting together, all ready for battle, with the
shield and the club, the spear and the bow carrying
his life in his hands, Bishop Patteson would swim
ashore to these people, armed, but not with carnal
weapons, having . the sword Of the spirit, the shield
of faith, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate OF
righteousness, and his feet shod with the preparation
of the Gospel of peace carrying the message of SAL
walton to the dark minded inhabitants of the abodes
of cruelty. Reaching the shore, the sayages would
crowd around STOPPING down, the fearless man de-
scribed a circle on the ground, and with signs con-
viewed his desire that no fooe should cross the line he
had described. The natives would then sit down up
on their weapons, and watch the Bishops movements.
Impelled by curiosity, the children OF the party would
creep through the ranks to gaze upon the stranger.
This was the opportunity for displaying the peculiar
tact and iron nerve for which Bishop Patteson was
especially famed. Some of those children, the
Bishop wished to take with him but what more
likely than a sudden onset upon him with the deadly
weapons, at the first intimation of such a desire. The
attempt must be made. With rapid discernment, Sc
lecting the most intelligent looking child, the Bishop
beckons him to his side. Seldom did he fail in at
tracing, with the powerful magnetism of his lovea-
BILE face, the wild island child. and then he would re-
turn to the edge of the shore, reckoning the child to
follow, using no force, but the powerful art OF per-
suasiOn. Collecting one here, and one there, the
children were eventually taken to Norfolk Island,
where there was a training school for the dusky sons
of the Pacific, which taught them the arts OF civllI-
zation, and the principles of Christianity. Did time
on,,o;t T could toll many things Indicative of the
blessing God has poured down upon that school for
engaged in its good work, | have a very dear friend,
whose letters, which 1 am privileged to read, speak
of happy incidents. l must find time for one or two
extracts from my last letter speaking of the baptism
of ten MelaDesian boys. and one girl. He writes . the
event to me was full of interest for nearly all the
religious instruction they have had. has come from
me. They are young boys, the eldest is not more
than fifteen. They have never had the blessing Of
being taught Christianity on their mothers knee, but
they show much proficiency in what IS required OF
those who come to be baptized. The ceremony was
performed in the evening. The Font was beautifully
md tastefully decorated. The candidates in white,
looking very neat and devout, assembled In an order
ly semicirle around the font the sponsors taking up
their places in a large semicirele IN the rear OF the
candidates. The Bishop stood on the opposite side
of the font, facing the congregation, l occupied a po-
sition behind the Bishop, it being my duty to name
the child as each of the candidates was called out to
receive the holy rite. For the girl we close the name
of Bertha she is the first fruits of what We pray
may be a plentiful and rich harvest, at no very dis
tant time, to be gathered in to the praise and glory
of God from the island Of Malaga in the Solomon
Group.Hn With the boys names were a difficulty, all
the common ones. being already used. The Bishop
called one by the name of this College, Merton : /
called one after the name of my old school 'Probus:
and eventually we secured names for them all. Each
candidate severally made answers TO the proposed
questions, and the frmness and decision with which
they were given were worthy of people OF much bet
ter instruction. The deyout and solemn way in
which these island children went through the whole
ceremony was most touching, and very pleasing to
witness. And now I must introduce to you a new
scene, the marriage of three couples. The brides
and bridegrooms look very festive, arrayed in cos
tunes suitable to the occasion print dresses taste
fully made, and a wreath of flowers around the head
complete the adornments of Melanesian brides. Some
times a meat and well arranged boquet makes a
pleasing addition to the features Of the arrangements.
The ceremony is more than usually impressive, for
to see Melanesians clothed and in their right mind
swearing before the altar of God to be faithful to-
gether till death US do part, is a sight to make all
Christians glad" Jl.R
1 have spoken of the way in which the Bishop OBJ
tanned his scholars but it would be the work of days
to tell you Of his many adventures how at one place
he picked out two boys out of a party OF thirty-slx In
a grand war canoe going on q fighting expedition
how at another place the Bishop stood up to the neck
in clear cool mountain water filling the ships water
casks with the assistance of friendly natives,-how
at another island, after having on previous visits
been shot at, the Bishop walked for four or hve
hours far inland wherever he pleased, meeting great
crowds of men, all armed, and suspicious of each
other-indeed actually fighting with each other-but
all friendly with him,-how at Spirito Santo, after
having frightened his belt, and thrown of his coat to
swim ashore, q canoe came from the land with q nice
lad in il. who wished to 20 to the Bishops schools-
how at Florida Island, never before visited, one, out
of some eighty men, young and Old, standing all
around him on the reef, returned with him to the
ship,-how at Penteeost Island, q boy came, bring
ing the Bishop bis bow and poisoned a~rrowsc-These
matters, my young friends. were triumphs Of the
Gospel, and kept pe-petually in the Bishops mind
those words of isaiah, I" Thine heart shall fear and
be enlarged q sz@saY gojnCsH nj les 9 gniaiT1sI
On the Doth of September last, the Missionary
alive. The end had come at last, that which he
feared, and yet did not fear ; for he had condolences
in his God, and knew that He was able to keep that
which was committed Him, until that daE That day
came-the story is as follows: The mission schooner
lowered its boat, into which entered Bishop Patteson,
the Rev. J. Atkin, and the native teachers The