Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-10-28
ISLAND HEROES.
Terse Comments Upon the Christian
Endeavor TOPIC for October 81. "He-
roes of Missions in the Islands," lisa.
80: ia, 1920.
BY WILLIAM t. ELLIS.

The isles of the sea- have been
favorable missionary phrase bequeath-
ed by the King James Version, ting
ed with the romance and mystery Of
reraote and strange peoples, and of ad-
venture among them. While the Gospel
has been carried to many islands, the
South Sea Islands are commonly
NEAR when the island mission field is
mentioned. OF course, the always in
teresting story of the first missionaries
to ISlitain and Ireland is appropriate
under this topic: and it's telling will
link the Christianity of North Amer
ica today with the form of evangelical
ton which this meeting is considering.
If the Gospel cannot make the worst
like The best, then its powers are less
than it claims.
IL. story has often been told of the
sea captain visiting the Fiji Islands
who was railing against missionaries
iii the presence of a native chief. The
latter quietly led the noisy critic to a
spot where was a great fireplace. fall
len into lisrepair. Pointing to 1t, he
said: "If you had come here a few
years ago. before the missionary ar
rived you would have been killed by
my PEOPLE, cooked in that fireplace and
then eaten. You have only the mission
ary to thank that you are able to leavo
this island"
The great naturalist, Charles Dar-
win. thus testified out of his own ex-
perience in the South Sea Islands:
"'-he lesson of the missionary is the
encilanter's wand. The march of i'm
movement on the Introduction OF
Christianity throughout the South Sea
probably stands by itself in the
| re, ords Of history
The co-discoverer of the law of evo-
luton, along with Darwin. Alfred Rus
| sell Wallace, shared the opinion OF
| Darwin with respect to missions. He
said "rhe missionaries have much tc
be pround of in this country (the
South Sea Jslands.) They have as.
sisted the government in changing {
SAVAGE into civilized community in {
wonderfully short space of time. Fort,
years age the country was wilder.
ness, the people naked savages, garn
ishing their, rude houses with human
heads. Now it is a garden, worthy o
its sweet name of 'Minahata.' Z"
|
Robert Louis Stevenson lived il
the South Sea Islands; with all tn
carefulness of trained literary work
er, and out of the fullness of actua
] personal experience, ne wrote IHlS ue
| liberate opinion: IT had conceived
4 great prejudice against missions in tn
South Seas and I had no sooner com
there than that prejudice was at frs
reduced, and then at last annihilatee
Those who deblatterate against mis-
/ sions have only one thing to do,
come and see them on the sept. The
will see a great deal of good done, an
I believe, if they be honest persons
| vii cea eli tn r,1a of r1iSain
work and it's effects"
The United States sent a commits
sioner to the Samoan Islands In 1S9
to investigate conditions there. M
Trip reported Gas quoted by DR.. ia
l.. Barton. in "The Missionary and H
Critics") These people (the Samc
are splendid specimens of physics
manhood, and are well informed abo,
matters of general information. The
; are nearly all Christians. and are ve1
. devout in their attachment to the
church and their religion. Thanks
. the missionaries, the great bulk of tt
natives and nearly all the chiefs ca
habits of civilization with great a
acrity."
The story Of missions in the Sout
Sea Islands is a continuous tale of az
venture A heart sickening number
the missionaries, early and late, ha'
,, been killed and eaten. Only fe
! weeks ago, the captain of the ne
Hiram Bingham the gospel ship Sc
) out by the American Board, died
| starvation and exposure when his We
sci was wrecked. There is no more DIR;
matte book for young or old than t
: Life of John G. Patton. THE apostle
!. the New Hebrides."
. When 1 looked into the face of Jol
], G. Patton. Of the New HeLrides,
. thought of the face Of Moses when
4 came down from the Mount. For t
], very texture of the missionarys SIX
a seemed inwrought with a peculi
!, fneness and luminousness. A long l
: of Christly service had SO spiritualiz
the material man that his face shon'
|. The Great Heart OF New Guine;
les Stevenson called James Chaltl1e