The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-14
IN DANGER OF DEATH.
Rev. j. &. PntOn's Hazardous Life
Among Cannibals.

From the New York Herald.
king of the Cannibals' they called
him in Australia.
Apostle of the New Hebrides' is
the title he won for himself in the
missionary world.
The Rev. John G. Patton had served
for forty-one years aiming cannibals
on the New Hebrides mission. During
most of that time he had carried his
life in his hands, Drawing death and
enduring privations. Then, with hair
and beard white as the snow he has
not seen for four decades, he came back
to civilization to interest others in his
life work and to raise funds to com
plete the evangelization of his kingdom.
He was four years past the allotted age
of man. but he refused to lay down the
task of lifting his people from barbar-
ism.
Il went to New Hebrides in 1858. when
the entire population of the islands
were cannibals. No white men were
there then. The London Missionary
Society had tried to Christianize the
islands as early as 1885, but the famous
John Williams and Mr.. Harris, who
were sent to the island of Errumanga,
were murdered, cooked and eaten, and
the native teachers either died from
fever and argue or were killed and
eaten. Nothing more was attempted
until our society, the Presbyterian Mis-
sionary Society of Victoria. Australia,
took up the work. There were one
hundred and fifty thousand people on
the islands then, and in the lowest
depth of barbarism. Every widow was
strangled to death the moment her
husband died, that she might continue
to be his slave. Infanticide was common
and children destroyed their parents
when the latter became sick or aged.
Neighboring tribes were continually at
war, and the dead afforded feasts to
the victors, as did shipwrecked sailors
and venturesome traders. Within fifr
teen years after the first mission was
planted on the island of Aneityum, the
whole population of the island, then
over three thousand FIVE hundred, had
been led to embrace Christianity
Heather practices were abolished,
churches and schools were built, family
worship was established morning and
evening, and Gods blessing was asked
upon meals.
at was charged in Australia among
the opponents of the mission that for
years after their conversion the natives
did not give up cannibalism. and that
they even asked Gods blessing upon
feasts of human flesh, but I never
knew of any such cases. Sunday be-
came more absolutely a day Of rest
and worship than ] ever knew it to be
in a Christian land the people even
doing all their cooking on Saturday,
that work might be unnecessary on
the Sabbath. They also helped us i'm
mensely in carrying the gospel to the
other islands, sending out about one
hundred of their best and ablest men
and women as teachers.
Talked by signs.
"The natives had no written Ian.
guage when | went to Aneityum, and
knew not word of their spoken Ian
guage. For months all communication
was by signs The savages showed
their friendliness by a nod or a smile
and their hostility by an uplfted club
or a hurled spear. BY listening to their
talk | discovered the key to their Ian
guage. learned to speak 1t and finally
reduced II 10 writing. Now we have
the scriptures and a great number OF
tracts and religious works printed In
the language and IL is regularly taught
II got along very well with the ma
tives. although / lived In constant
dread, knowing the fate Of my pre-
decessors, until an English trader. a
degraded man, who committed many
crimes came 10 the island. He stirred
up the savages against me. one .day
he came followed by a crowd Of saw
ages and broke down the fence around
my boat house He took out my boat
and with Rifts 81 tobacco. hired the
natives 10 take " away. When | would
have restrained them. he struck and
Kicked mo That diminished my control
over ne natives. They said that ~ one
81 my own color could strike me and
Hfcape tho wrath ~ Jehovah. they need
rot be- affai1. Matters went from bad
40 worse. until one day me nayaFfn at
fsofed 40 house They beat against
ihe Wails Win clubs, broke iu fho
frDrH and windows. Took al ny food
and other supplies, and tore w every
are of ~ broke, ifaFinN pe only, n