The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1877-10-02 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY—The annual public meeting of thin society was held at Gloucester street chapel, on Wednesday evening. The Rev. W. Lewis presided, in the absence from home, of the Rev. E. Bolton, and opened the meeting Rev. T. Heave (Dorchester) sought, in his speech to excite the churches at home to more viguor and earnestness in behalf of missionary and all Christian work, Rev. Mr. CREAGH, missionary from the South Sea Islands, advised all who had not read John Williams's book on the south Sea Islands, to get it and read it through. But John Willuuns's labours were confined to Eastern Polynesia, while there are many interesting things in Western Polynesia, which of course are not detailed in the book, among them he mentioned the enormously long puddings of the natives, which are baked. In some islands the savage natives wear about their neck a little bag, containing perhaps the big toenail of a dead man, the wearing of which is supposed to make them invulnerable. But the idols are altogether gone, so much no that the natives of some of the islands had to go to the missionary museum in London to see what sort of gods their f sayers worshipped. To show how ignorant some of them used to be, he told how a ship was dr,ven ashore, and the natives carried off all the articles they could including souse gunpowder, and as they were playing with it, it exploded, and killed the chief, on which they, supposing that their chief was killed by the power of the white man's God, resolved to he revenged, and murdered the next Crew of Europeans who came ashore. Among their customs used to be that these brown islanders would daub themselves from head to foot with white wash in order to prepare themselves for the dance. But all these customs, including that of polygamy, are done away with, and now they have missionary meetings. The May meetings include throe days—the first when the guests arrive, the day of the meeting, and the day of the dispersal. The prepar. :diens for the tiolet occupy • considerable time, for although "be people are just as eager to appear well. dressed as in England. the scarcity of some necessaries is , great. A woman will send to another to borrow • looking wanaostlyrrt =fib, w eed hile itlikMannowneraillopezenrhiarnnseetnsdant3 shirts kept in store, to lend to the women and men who might route from • distance. At the meeting would he delivered about twenty speeches. all *bout 5 ru in utes long, and none longer than le minutes, and from such a people would I be given perhaps SO pounds weight of silver. Those who I could not give money would volunteer to give their services, and they sent even men to Murray Island, where some of the teachers were murdered, and there were I plenty of volunteers to fill up the ranks. The people gave , .1:231) in 01.11,50,11. to the London Missionary Society, and , =other ff=to to their own pastors. Last year they gave and expended on books .C7OO, where six years before, they gave nothing at all. This was a little island, with only 5,000 people. From these proofs of improvement he argued that Christians at home should go on and increase their contributions and prayers for mission work. A collection WU made from seat to seat. Rev. J. BAILIT (Baptist) proposed a vote of thanks to the deputation, expressing the admiration which the other denominations feel for the work of the London Missionary Society.— Seconded by Rev. S. BUTCHER, ;Amity. The meeting closed by singing the hymn commenting " From all that dwell below the skies.