Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-25
Christian Endeavor Hour
For Sunday. April &c, 1908.

in the Islands. Acts. 2s:1-1o.
John 6. Patton was born May "a, 1924,
In small cottage in the parish of Kirk
mahoe. county of Dumfries. Scotland.
His father was a stocking manufacturer,
John went to school and studied hard.
but at twelve he had to leave school and
go to work. He learned his fathers
trade, and testifies that it was help to
him in later years. and the time spent at
the stocking frame was not thrown away,
though his great desire from his very ear
ly childhood was to be a minister of the
gospel or missionary Of the cross. To
this end he spent his noon times and
spares times in the study of Latin and
Greek. He saved a little from his trade
six weeks Think of how our boys waste
the luxurious weeks Of their school days.
He then went at the hard work of flar-
to go to school. His experience during
that summer in the harvest field and
helping to erect farmhouses was much
help to him when he went to his great
work in the New Hebrides.
After the harvesting was over he Sc
cured opportunity to do some mission
work and attend school, but the work was
so hard In the school and the money al
lowed for the work so small that he had
not enough to eat, and broke down in
health after a little. Recovering later, he
secured rather difficult school to teach.
and proved himself a skillful manager Of
humanity. His success was SO marked
that he was put in charge of mission
in connection with Glasgow church.
where his training for his real mission
work began. This mission was In the
poorest part of the city, among the low
and degraded. and he entered into the
work with his whole SOUL holding meet
ings in different houses. Bible classes to-,
an old church was purchased and given
to the work holding church services
among the poor and downtrodden. His
work grew into greater proportions than
had been expected. Hundreds accepted
Jesus through his ministry, among whom
were inf1dels and drunkards and all sorts
and conditions Of men and women and
children. During this time he was going
to college and studying with all his might
His work had grown so that he had be-
meant to be his life work. but call came
for worker to go to the New Hebrides
and his heart went out to answer it. No
one responded to the call and the presby-
select some man to go. but this method
failed. At last. after thinking it over
and consulting with his father and moth
er. who told him they had given him to
God at his birth to be a minister or mis-
sionary. he offered himself and was ac-
cepted. He took a course in medicine
and devoted some time to several simple
trades which it was thought might be
useful. While he was preparing for his
great work many tried to dissuade him.
At last a dear old Christian friend said:
''The cannibals! You will be eaten by the
cannibals"' and the eager young man
replied: Mr.. Dickson. you are advanced
IN years now. and your own prospect is
soon to be eaten by worms confess to
you that If can but live and die serving
and honoring the Lord Jesus it will make
no difference to me whether l am eaten
by cannibals or by worms; and in that
great day my resurrection body will arise
as fair as yours in the likeness of our
Risen Redeemer." Such was the spirit of
the man.
December /. 1857. being twenty-three
years old. he was licensed. and April 16 of
that same year he sailed. Even on ship
board he kept up his mission work. hold
Ing services and Bible classes among the
crew. He took his wife with him, and
after journey OF four months and four
teen days and with crowning escape of
much danger and trouble in finally land
ing. they reached their destination
1t was decided that Mr.. Patton and his
wife were to locate on the Island Of Tan
ma. and he went with one of the mission
aries to prepare his home before bringing
his wife. He arrived in the midst of a
Impressions of heathendom: MY first i'm
pressions drove me. l must confess, to the
verge Of utter dismay. On behoiding these
natives in their paint and nakedness my
heart was full of horror and of pity. Had
given up my much-loved work and my
dear people in Glasgow. with many de-
lightful associations, to consecrate my life
to these degraded creatures? Was it pos
sible to teach them right and wrong-to
Christianize or even to civilize them?
But that was only a passing feeling. Elk
element and terror were on every coun-
tenance. Armed men rushed about in
every direction, with feathers in their
twisted hair. with faces painted red. black
and white: some, one cheek black, the 9TH
err red: others. the brow white, the chin
blue-in fact. any color on any part. and
the more grotesque and savage looking
the higher the art" :.
The little boy brought from Aneityum as
cook who went to get water to make tea
returned, reporting: "Missi, this is a dark
land. The people of this land do dark
works. At the boiling spring they have
have washed the blood into the water;
they have bathed there. polluting every
thing. I cannot get pure water to make
your tea. What shall I do?"
they heard terrible wailing, and discov-
cred that one OF the wounded men had
been carried home from the battle and
had just died. and his widow had been
Strangied TO death that ner spirit might
| accompany him to the other world to be
his servant there. as she had been here.
Through many such scenes and expe-
| riences this good man went, with terror
and danger and. personal menace all
about him He built his own house, even
to burning the lime for the plaster out
Of the coral reef; he sewed his own fields
and built his own boats sometimes. He
escaped as by miracle time and again
from the murderous attacks of the hostile
natives, who hated the Jehovah God He
was in peril of the sea and in peril of
the pestilence times without number yet
did God protect him down to a good old
age, until he lived to be able to write
that the people on mis- island were build
ing their own churches and paying for
their own native teachers and preachers,
and many of them were upright and hon.
orable followers of Jesus. His life was
wonderful example of what God does
with those who are wholly given over
to Him. If more parents would conse-
crate their babies to God when they are
given to them perhaps they might many
Of them be saved from tears and sorrows
over the Maynard ones!
| Parallel Passages-Ezekiel, xxxvi % q;
| Psalms. xxii:21: Isaiah. xlv:22: Isaiah,
Ezekiel YYYvii.C2. Isaiah