Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-05-31

Come thou glorious day Of promise.
Cone ana she'd thy cheerful ray.


ELDER EDWARD J. wooD
was first called upon to address the
congregation. He spoke for about
throe-luarters Of an hour, and devoted
the ontirc tlme 10 a relation Of his tx.
pericncts us a missionary In the Sa-
inoan.islands. He said he left home
WIN several other Elders for that mis-
non held In ths summer Of 1883, hav-
ing been authorized 10 go among the
people and preach unto them the prin-
clpics OF the everiasting Gospel. In
we year 1880 ministers belonging To
INC London Missionary Society deput-
eu lew natives ofthe Samoan Islands
70 open up Its work; three or four
years later white preachers followed;
IN 1880 the Wc-lcynus eont forth
lnissionariesj In 1870 tho Catholics did
we same. and 40 Mt the present time
there were four denominations, each
protesting 10 be the only true sect, rep.
ltsentod there. Hence In the samoan
Islands the Lattcr.dsy Ssints had some
Opp0siuon In the declaration Of their
principles. Many, no DOUBT, especially
strangers, would wonder why the
lsttcr'day Saints went 10 the samoan
Islands OF all, knowing that those
other sects were already there. Hut
many reasons could be givon for the
sending Of our Elders into places
where the people had previously had
the privilege Of knowing whai was In
the bible; for all the denominations
which he had named preached some.
thing Of what tho bible contained, aud
thty had educated teachers scattered
from one end 10 the other.
TINS speaker gavea succinot dcecrip-
tiou OF the Navigator lslands, which,
no enid, contained population Of
nearly $1,000, aud also VI the people
anu their cuhtome. without any dis.
rcepect TO outside churches, he muat
say there were some things advocated
nnd practiced by them In tho Samoan
Islands which were conducive 10 idle-
moss, non-intelligencc, aud even inf.
deity. He did not wish 10 tear down
the work they had done, however, Tor
experience had taught him that II was
preferable to show the outsider some.
thing that was better than that which
he possessed, IN order 10 convert him,
rather than actually pull to pieces that
which he already had. one OF the up.
pcrm0et laws OF this Church was
ireo agency-lhe right OF all men 10
practice Just NJ their conscicpces die
lated. St.ll,thcfe were matters which
other denominations taught 10 the
samOans that certainly did NOT
coincide With his own views. One OF
these bad the elect Of keeping the
natives poor. The Sam0ans did not
mind what they did Ia order to got
ahead oieach Othcrlin the way OF giving
money when the white ministers coll
lected contributions from them,
they would even mortgage
their houses and lands In order
TO enable them 10 pay more
money into the contribution
box than'th neighb0r. As anation
they were very heavily In debt, and
were not 80 honest, upright, and ener-
getic Ia the performance Of their daily
labor as they usod 10 be. This native
samoan was naturally Intelligent, even
more 10, as far "a he could learn, than
his brethren ON the Sandwich lsln nds,
the Society Islands. the Marquis IL.
lande, In New Zealand, and the
Inhabitants OF n few other
group. OF Islands, OF the same ruc,.
There were many traditions which
informed them that the people of those
Islands which hohad named originally
came from south America, and to
these Elder Wood briefly advert-d.
He also referred 10 the abotigines OF
the Samoan islands. He remarked
that thu 5amoans were q great people
to Inquire into the characteristics,
customs, etc, Of Others, and
would often ask the missionaries
their opinion OF them, ami where
they thought their race originally
came from. They also wished 10
know from those who visited them
rellgiously what they thought the
contamination would be-whether
there would be gathering OF them.
selves aud their brethren on the other
Islands o. the sen, for tradition told
them that they had brethren upon
these other groups OF islands. Tho
language, customs, ways Of living,
anu many VI tho characteristics OF
these peoples were the anne, proving
beyond doubt that they must
originally have been ono race. This
WAS but the fulfllment OF bible
prophecy. The question was often
asked what the Latler.dAy Saints want
to do with the Samoan natives-for
what purpose did they 20 TO Samoa,
why did they preach the Gospel there,
what was the object, seeing that they
did not collect money from the people
rs ministers OF outside churches had
done? That was q question which pos.
sibly needed no answering 90 far ma
concerned the members OF this Church.
Not only did the Elders not collect
money from the Samoans, but pointed
out " them whenever the opportunity
offered tho hdvlsAbility Of their getting
together M much as they could derive
from their lands and pay off their own
Indebtedness before impovrrlshinp
themselves by turning their means
Into other channels. Tho lei.
d.rs sought 10 impress this upon
them before preaching anything
else TO them. False reports concerning
the Lalter.day Saints were circu.
lated on the samoan Islands the same
Us here Mt home; In fact outside minls-
tors and teachers seemed TO delight I'm
telling all manner OF stories, without
the slightest foundation, and, of course.
these lost nothing by repetition among
tho natives. Hence, TO certain
extent, there was the same opposition
for tho missionaries 10 encounter there
nm here; but this was not always a
detrlment, for those Of the natives who
did become converts 10 the true Gospel,
having formerly belonged TO other
churches, Invariably remained stead.
fast 10 the covenant which they made
with the Lord when they entered the
waters Of baptism.
Summing up his missionary ex.
periences ON the Samoan Islands,
-