Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30
DerQic missionaries.
Their Struggles the Island Called "Sam"-The TerbI.
Death Chair.
Death Chair.
BY WILLIAM EDGAR CELL F. r. G. s.
Copyright, 1906, by Church News iation.)

After dangerous explorations in British
Papua 1 decided to make my way through
a coral sea to the almost unknown D'Entre-
casteaux archipelago. lying north by east
of New Guinea. So set sail for Dinner
Island, intending to wait there for few
days, hoping to get slugger going to Dobu.
Dinner Island, or Sam" as 1t is familiar
ly known (SamaraD Is but a dot on the
map oblong in shape, four cables long by
two wide and surrounded with frngtng
reef except for 300 yards on the northwest
side. 1t is the seat of government for the
eastern part of New Guinea, and count
ing all and sundry the population may be
divided into II females and 200 males.
The natives working on the wharf receive
one shilling a day in coin. Until recently
the savages accepted few sticks of to-
bacco for the days darg. but that has
changed and money is demanded.
We domiciled at Mrs. Mahoney's Hotel.
because that is where the swells stop. On
that day the population was discouraging-
ly peaceful-but one fight had occurred
l attempted to number the people on a
spree, but lost the count. At supper a
drunken fellow left a plate of soup on
the table and went out. While he was
gone some one else entered and sat at the
formers place. The second man left in
turn, leaving on the table plate well fill
ed with cabbage. The drunken chap re-
turned and soliloquiZed:
This is mighty strange-hic,-when
left this was-hic.-soup, and now 1t is
cabbage. Say!-hic.-this was soup when
1-hic!-went away. and now its-hic: =
cabbage Mighty strange&' Then he de-
cideded toaeat it anyhow.
The savages have these two samples Of
the white man, who, with his ancestors has
enjoyed the healthful influence of Chris
tian civilization. The drunken. swearing,
immoral trader, and the clean, sober. pure
missionary. 1 listened the next morning
to drunken white man, partially se
bered, say distressingly disgusting untruths
about the missionaries The trouble is that
there are ten bad white men to one good
white man. Should missionary success
lag at certain places there is the reason.
The highly civilized white" men have
Breeders Club" a title which probably
properly describes the members. This very
New Year day a white man who foully
murdered native was let off with the
niggardly penalty of s25 paid to the rela-
tives of the slain man.
New Year day on Sam What an ex-
perience! This is what I wrote on the
spot: The place is drunk. yelling like
bedlam drinking and capering worse by
far than the savages who fringe about to
see the horrible displays of white insanity
singing at times Aud Lang Syne'-many
times, in fact, for 1t was oft repeated
who had better sent the cost to needy
ones at home rather than sheckel enrich
the local dealers in bad spirits
During these five years of travel and
study of native races 1 have invariably
found licentous, drinking, swearing white
men speak disparagingly of missionary
work, and as invariably pure, educated.
sober, honest virtuous white men praise
and indorse it.
No vessel put in to Sam" en- route to my
destination, SO 1 hired a naphtha launch
to take me to Dobu, the capital island of
the still savage D'Entrecasteaux group. We
provisioned our little vessel and kept
eye on the weather. When the sky signs
were favorable we put out with few
trusty ex-cannibals, through the dangerous
fringing reef and said a glad adieu to the
home Of The Cory Breeders White Mems
Club A good wind helped us along at
first, but presently We dropped the sails
because the breeze shifted from the quarter
to head-on. 1 took the temperature-air,
81 degrees Fahrenheit, and water, 81 de-
grees Fahrenheit, at pm, January l. We
carried a live sheep on the forward hatch.
with tapaulin over it to keep Off the
sunshine. Once the vessel careened to
port because of sudden starboard wind,
and the live mutton's head got a bump.
Imagine my surprise when one Of my
Papaun boys. the son Of a cannibal, made
pillow to protect the sheep! Yes, the
savages are capable of development into
kind, tender, civilized people.
Dobu was reached in a hail storm, but
the great missionary Bromilow was stand
ing on the shore to greet me. A full hundred
of his civilized natives and many more
savages were with him. They were so
glad we had come that one shouted. I'VE
feel SO good we want to pull down a
house"
Heartily welcomed by the missionary we
fastened to his humble matched hut. Here
his charming wife, Mrs. Bromilow, who
was born in New York. gave us storm-wet