Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-11
The Billy" Sunday Of the
Fiji Islands, Successful
Native Evangelist.

~ barous and deprayed people
In the world. The average in
dividual would be apt to select the
man-eaiing savagcs Of the Fill Isl
unds. The average individual in that
event would be most decidedly
wrong.
y few weeks ago. al the Methodist
convention in Columbus, Ohio,
Bishop Homer c. Stuntz declared
that 90 per cent Of the former canni-
balls OF the Fiji Islands are now
church members in good standing
As Il matter OF TACT. the Bishop
rather understa,ed the exact situa-
lion, the latest figures revealing that
the proportion of Christians among
the native Fiiians is now 81 per cent.
Compared with this showing, even
the remarkable success Of the Rev.
Belly sunday among the savages of
Philadelphia and Paterson loses
something OF its Significance.
Not by any cyc!onic cvangelistic
campaign, however, has the CONVEX
sion OF the Fijian savagcs been
brought about On the contrary, the
achievement is the dearly bought re-
suit Of over seventy.fve years OF
heroic and patient missionary work,
The bulk OF which has been done by
Wesleyan missionaries.
Just what II means TO bring nearly
one hundred thousand Fijian canni-
balls into the fold may be imagined
perhaps by the following graphic de
scription Of a typical Fijian. as given
ny miss ionary newly arrived in the
fen.
Ills forehead is filed with
wrinkles; The large nostrils dlstended
and lairiv smoking; the staring eye
balls. red and cleaning with terrible
nashings; the mouth disIendsd into
murderOus and disdainful grin; the
whole body Iuivering with excite
uicnt; every muscle strained. and the
clenChcd fist eager 10 bathe itself in
tho blood OF him vino has reused this
demon OF fury
When the Wesleyan missiona ries
FIRST sought TO convert these savages
they must have encountered about
the most hopeless prospect that ever
confronted foreign workers
Not only were their practises of
the most depraycd nature, infanti-
eide and Cannibalism being not only
q custom, but Il religious rite among
them, but their language and ideas
were oi such primitive character
ihat 10 express spiritual conceptions
il. native Fuian was almost out Of
tie question.
Nevertheless, by dint of much in
GIstry and patience, John Hunt, Tie
y osicyan missionary who did the
pioneer work in this field. eventually
oycrcamc all the obstacles whic' the
FijIan lingo presented and not only
succeeded in trans!atinG the prayer
book into the native tongue, but was
wonderfully successful in conveying
moral and spiritual ideas to the
fijiau intellect.
In those days, not less than two
birds Of the children we're put TO
death by their own mothers. Female
infants were seldom kept why
should the girl live?" was the Eijian
theory. She cannot raise the spear;
she cannot WELD the club"
The Fijian mothers attended TO
the Strengthening of their offspring as
part of their regular household du-
ties, and with far less apparent re-
pugnance than the modern woman
has in dsposing of litter OF puppies
or kittens. The maternal instinct
was very poorly developed in them,
or. n! least, it was effectively smoth.
cred by stronger savage impulses 1t
was the custom for the mother to
strangle her infant by holding its
nostrils with one hand and its mouth
with the other. Then she would dig
Inc grave and bury the child herself
But the Distinguishing chara cter-
istc OF tho Fijian people was canni
bHliSm. Men, women and children
were all man-eaters (Bokola, or "long