Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-08-31

his face, saying: Here he is. l have
got him. Come on" These missionaries
sent their little children to America and
Europe because they could not be prop
erly brought up amid heathenism, and
what heartrending partings took place
as fathers and mothers surrendered their
children for the voyage across the seas,
in many cases those parents never see
ing their children againl No regular
postal arrangements-letters were ofsen
not received until IS months or two
years old The ship captain, Charles
Sumner, for the first part Of the voyage to
the Pacific with his group Of misstoua-
fies scoffed at Christianity, but he was
converted under the influence OK their
example and became their champion.
He said about one OF those Pacific Is
lands: Il have been here before, and
I see the difference. Formerly as soon
as my anchor was down my ship was
surrounded by dissolute men and wom-
EN- skimming out from shore and try
ing to come aboard How different nowl
Christianity has made the change. "
And when some one traduced the mis-
sionaries he said "Oh, you need not
tell me these stories have lived four
months with these dreadful people and
know them we'll l knew the natives,
too, as they were many years go, and l
am fully convinced that the change /
see is from the influence Of the religion
Of the Bible. "
One boy was the means Of the civili'
zation and evangelization OF the Sand
wich Islands. His father and mother
were killed, and he ran away with his
baby brother on his back. The infant
was slain by a spear. The heroic boy
got on a ship for New England. He
was found weeping on the steps Of Yale
college, Connecticut. He told the story
Of his native island. That story aroused
the Christian world "A little child
shall lead them. " The Tahitiau islands
have felt tho same supernal power.
They had been in the habit Of Staying
aged parents, and where there were too
many children in the family they were
put out Of the way. Cannibalism was
part Of the diet. There was no law OF
morality for unmarried women. One OF
their religious sacrifices was a man and
a pig roasted together. In the FIJI IS
lands parents were buried alive, and
wives were captured as buffalo are las
seed. Incarnation was common, and
snake worship prevailed. Among the
Marquesans polyandry, or the custom Of
having many husbands, was considered
right An iron needle was worn in the
nostrils. The lower lip, by force OF tor
ture. was driven out to utmost dis
tortion. There was canonization oi
filth and obscenity and massacre. The
Friendly islands and the Society islands
were at the lowest depths in morals and
cruelty All these islands have been
illumined, and the most Of the abomina'
tions have speed away not because OF
the threat Of foreign guns or as a result
of national or international politics, but
bv the influence Of that which yonder
mighty crucifx in the night sky typl'
fies. Let no ship captain ever see ii
from a deck on the Pacific or passenger,
whether for pleasure or profit sailing
amid these islands, behold it without
remembering what the southern cross
has done for the besotted savages bound
ed on all sides by these vast wildernesse'
Of water.
Oh. that southern cross! Were ever
four worlds better placed than those
which compose it? Though they were
uninhabited and built only for this sig
nifcance, they were worthily built.
Shine on until all the people OF thi:
hemisphere who see thee shall bethlnH
themselves Of the sacrifice thou dost de-
pictl A cross not made out Of darkness,
but out of light. A cross strong enough
for all nations who see it to hang theii
hopes upon. One night while watched
this celestial cruciix the cloud gather
ed. and the top of the cross was gone
and the foot Of it was gone, and the out
spread arms were gone. No more OF Il
to be seen than if it had never beer
hoisted. Had the cloud conquered thu
stars? No. After awhile the clouds
parted and rolled back and off, and there
it stood with the same old emblazonmenI
the southern cross. So the hostilitie'
of earth and hell may roll up and seen
to destroy the hope Of communities and
Of nations, but in Gods good time thu
antagonism will fall back, and oil OBJ
scurations will be dispelled, and oil thu
earth shall see it, the southern cross fol
the south, the northern cross for th'
north. the eastern cross for the east, thu
western cross for the west, but all foul
of the crosses found at last in the new
astronomy of the gospel to be one anC
tine same cross-that which was set uI
900 years ago and Of which have
found either a prophecy or reminis
cence in that uplifted splendor seer
night by night while pacing the deck O.
\ steamer on tie Pacific