The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-10
A MISSIONARY
FROM MICRONESIA
Rev. and Mrs. Channon of
Kusaie Are Going to
Ocean Island.

Rev. and Mrs. Irving II. Channon'
for seventeen years missionaries 10 the
Gilbert Islanders, are in Honolulu
awaiting the Aorangi to take them to
Sydney, whence they will go to Ocean
ISLAND, one of the southernmost of the
Gilbert group, where they viii re-
establish the school for boys which was
destroyed in Kusaie by the typhoon
Of two years ago.
Rev. and Mrs. Channon are guests at
the home of the Rev. DIR. Hiram Bing-
ham and his sister, Mrs. Coan, Puma
hou.
AT Kusaie up to two years ago,
said Rev. Mr.. Channon, there were
three mission schools, one for girls, one
for Marshall Island boys, and one for
Gilbert Island boys. These were train
ing schools for the training of youth
to go back among their people as
preachers and teachers. The mission
airy vessel Morning Star made its regu-
lar trips through the Gilbert and Mar
shall groups and from among the pu-
pills of the missionary schools there we
selected the brightest and most prom
Using pupils for the schools at Kusaie.
We were in charge of the school for
Gilbertese which was started by DR..
Bingham We went there in 1890 and
for nearly ten years were under the
AZ orfxr l1f4ll
government, but since the Caroline and
| Marshall Islands have become Ger
man, Germany preserves order and
gives protection and good government.
In addition a line of German steamers
has been established, plying between
Hongkong and Sydney and calling
each way at Ponope, Ruk. Kusaie, the
Marshall and the Gilbert groups.
TYPHoON AT KUSAIE.
| At Kusafe there are about five hum
dred natives, one white trader, and the
girls school conducted by two women
missionaries. 1t, as well as the two
schools for boys, was entirely destroyed
by the typhoon two years ago. The
| girls school has been rebuilt and re-
established through the indefatigable
| efforts of the two faithful women who
conduct it, But the withdrawal of the
Morning Star made impracticable the
continuance of the schools for boys so
far distant from their home, and the
establishment of the German line of
steamers passing through the Gilbert
and Marshall groups, made the re-
establishment of the shoots in the
groups themselves advisable. We go
therefore to Ocean Island to re-estab-
lfsh the school for the boys of the Gil
bert Islands there. It is to be known
hereafter as the Bingham school in
honor of DIR. Bingham, the first mis-
sionary to the Gilbertese, who with his
devoted wife reduced their language
to writing, translated the Scriptures
into it, and prepared many books for
this people in their own language.
PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS.
ocean Island was chosen, notwith-
standing it is separated by consider
able distance from the other 1slands
of the group, because phosphate de-
posits have been discovered there and
are being worked by a British COM
many. They employ about thirteen
hundred GiIbertese continually, re-
| crultlng them from eAiioiS eiAS
= tered islands of the group Tor terms
of service of about eighteen months
Their trading and recruiting vessels
| thus go among the Islands or the
group about once in every six months
which will give US opportunity to 81
| among the islands of the group. A
the same time it gives us opportunit!
to minister to a larger number in one
place than would be possible any
| where else in the group.
In addition to these thirteen hun
| dred Gilbertese, there are about
hundred whites on Ocean Island, and
we expect to hold regular services IL
English.
DIFFERENT PHYSICAL CONDI-
TIONS.
I'VE SHAH find very different phys