Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-15
Gbursoap 1slano.
How Missionaries Taught Natives Of This Parkway Island of
the Group Known Prince of Wales Archipelago

By WILLIAM EDGAR GEL. f. R. a. g.
Copyright 1906 by Church News Association
'In the beginning God created Thursday
Island So began the Hon. John Doug
las. C. NJ c.. in his great lecture before the
Royal Geographical Society. The ex-premier
OF Queensland intended TO be understood
as saying that the foundations of this little
island In Torres straits are laid In the bed
rock OF the oldest geological foundations.
and are probably as old as the mightiest
monarchs Of the Himaleyas and Andes. The
island Is composed OF two caron-crowned
hills and three other small mountains with
plenty Of rocks and little soil The popu-
lation numbers sixteen hundred odd This
Is literally true, for there are no two alike.
II Is probably the most cosmopolitan popu-
lation for the number OF its inhabitants
that one could And on this planet. This
feature of the island has been celebrated
by an unknown poet in the following
stanzas:
Up In regions equatorial
Blessed with scenery pictorial,
Pursuits mainly piscatoriai.
Pearing lives aud pedriing thrfvss there,
Coored races live In hives there,
Whits men only risk their lives there.
Thursday Island Is its name.
Every race It opes Its gates to.
Every country II relates to-
Key to He'll and Torres Straits. too,
Though q speck upon the map.
What though whites first trod upon I'll
What though Anglo-Saxons won It'll
elbows and Cingalese It.
Aided by the willy Jap.
The island belongs to the group known
as the Prince OK Wales Archipelago. 1t Is
fsmous for the pearl shells gathered. the
liquor drunk and the crimes committed.
Near to Thursday Island are four Tuesday
islands one Wednesday sland, while
farther off Is Sunday island. and across two
miles of strong current is the beautiful
Friday Island. set apart for the lepers of
Queensland. Torres straits Is probably as
full of interest to the student of native
races and TO the observsnt traveller any
narrow and dangerous ships passage
through which trunk tine steamers pass.
And this Thursday Island. for reasons as
much military as commercial, is quite as
important to the soldier and sailor as to the
pearier and Beche-de-mer fleets.
y
James Chalmers. who was murdered and
eaten by the cannibals of New Guinea.
had his headquarters at the mouth of the
Fly river. Captain Walker had called at
the Fly to get load of sage. He was seat
ed on the deck of the lugger MARY" when
a small cutter from Jervis Island arrived
in the roadstead. Teapot came over to the
Mary and told Capt. Walker the people
of Jervis Island were suffering from star
walton and had to tie fiber around their
stomachs to relieve the pangs OF hunger
Capt. Walker at once set out with boat
load of food and arrived at Jervis Island
Saturday afternoon. For the first time IN
many weeks the natives had a square meal
Noting goodly number of young men on
the island, and being familiar with the
abundance of pearl shell and beche-demer
in the surrounding waters he decided TO
preach the next Sunday on their duties to
provide for their families. that the starva-
ton experience might not be TeDeated-
There was crowded congregation.
The captains text was IF A man pro-
vide not for his own, and especially for
those of his own house. he hath denied the