p. 12 | The Work in Fiji by J. E. Fulton

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 2, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 40.

The Work in Fiji.

By J. E. Fulton

[An address by J. E. Fulton before the Union Conference held at Cooranbong, N. S. W., July 11–28, 1901, and printed in the Union Conference Record.]

ALL will readily agree that present truth must be presented to the people of Fiji. Said our Lord, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.” So we must obey Him, and go to the islands of the sea. The field is the world, and the islands are part of it. Isaiah says, “The isles shall wait for His law.”

The Islands.

The area of Fiji is 8,000 square miles. There are two hundred islands in the group, only eighty of which are inhabited. Of the rest some are small, fertile islands, while others are bare rocks. The population of Fiji is 120,000. In this respect it exceeds Tonga, Samoa, or any of the eastern groups; on the west, however, New Guinea and others are much more populous. Viti Levu is the largest island, on which stands Suva, the capital. Formerly the capital was Levuka. The next in size is Vanua Levu. The native name of the islands is Viti, not Fiji. Through Favium the 180th meridian passes.

In the eastern part of the groups are found many Tongans, who have drifted over in their canoes and have intermarried with the Fijians. The descendants of these are much lighter in complexion than the Fijians. The Fijians say their ancestors came from the west. The western inhabitants are dark. Among the inhabitants are found Tongans, Samoans, Solomon Islanders, and from twelve to fifteen thousand Hindus from India. The last-named have been imported to work on the plantations, as, tho the Fijians are not lazy, they can not be depended on to work all through the year.

The Work.

Present truth was first introduced into Fiji by the Pitcairn about ten years ago. Many of our publications were at that time sold to the white people, about three thousand of whom were then living on the islands. After the visit of the Pitcairn, Brother Tay was left there to the time of his death. He lies buried in Suva. Brother Cole, who labored for two years on Norfolk Island, afterward labored for one year at Fiji. Then I joined him. Soon he left on account of sickness. He is now in America, but he still loves Fiji and its work. He has been instrumental in procuring us a printing press, a typewriter, and a magic lantern. He has also induced the North Pacific Conference to send a laborer to Fiji.

Later, C. H. Parker and wife came to Fiji, but after two years they were compelled to leave on account of failing health. Fiji has thus had its ups and downs with its workers. Only one European minister and one licensed preacher are now in Fiji.

About one year ago we commenced meetings in Suva. Our Sabbath-school in Suva numbers forty-five, twenty-one of these being baptized adults. On the other islands are a few isolated Sabbath-keepers. Our missionary house is across the bay from Suva in the native village of Suva Vou, or New Suva. There are three Sabbath-keepers on Vanua Levu. One of these is the father of the boy now attending Avondale School. At Levuka there is but one white Sabbath-keeper.

Among the brethren who first accepted the truth was Brother Pauliassi Bunoa. He was engaged for thirty years in missionary work among the Wesleyans. He labored for ten years in New Guinea, where he lost his wife and children. Previous to my visit to America he was very much interested in the truth. I was translating a small tract, and in this work he helped me much. This helped him to see the Sabbath. In fact this was one means of leading him not only to see the Sabbath, but baptism and other truths, as he would constantly question me about these things. He was much perplexed. He took them to the other missionaries. They said to him, “You don’t want to be unsettling yourself over these things. You have been a worker among us for thirty years, and see what has been done. These people don’t understand the language. Don’t allow them to unsettle you.” “Yes,” he replied, “these people may not understand the language; but they understand the Bible, and prove these things from the Bible. I want to know the truth. I want you to show me from the Bible whether these things are right or not.” His mind remained unsettled till my return from America, when we held meetings in Suva. Then with his wife and family he stepped out. There was a young man who was associated with Pauliassi. We talked about the truth to him. He said he was going to keep the Sabbath, and he remained faithful in spite of persecution. He has been studying the truth for some weeks now. He is the captain of a small sailing vessel, and has been spreading the message among the islands.

After Pauliassi had started to keep the Sabbath, other teachers came to Suva Vou and began speaking against the truth. After the sermon was over, Pauliassi had a talk with the white man who conducted the meeting. I was not there, and I regard it as providential that I was not. The talk was in Fijian, while had I been there it would have been in English. It was thus better for the natives I was away. The missionary asked Pauliassi why he had given up his former belief, and joined these Adventists. Said Pauliassi, “If you can give me one text from the Bible under your arm, then I’ll give up keeping Sabbath and come back to Sunday and die as I have lived.” The missionary began talking about the blessedness and triumphs of the church. “Tell me from the Book,” Pauliassi said, “not from your mouth. Then I’ll keep it.” The missionary replied, “Just think how the Lord has blessed us.” “What constitutes a blessing?” said Pauliassi. “Is it numbers? Daniel was the only one in the lions’ den, yet he had the blessing of God.”

As the conversation closed, Pauliassi took the missionary’s hand, and said: “There is a judgment approaching. You are not the judge, and I am not the judge. If then I am in the wrong, I will charge Moses, who gave the law to the people in the wilderness; I will blame the prophets, who exhorted the people to be true to the Sabbath of the Lord; I will blame Jesus Christ, who kept the Sabbath and spoke no word of any change; I will charge the great apostle to the Gentiles for his teaching and example in meeting with the people on the Sabbath day. If you are wrong, whom will you accuse?” This was a better argument than any I could have used.

Pauliassi has helped us in translating and working among the natives. When given any position, the natives are usually proud, but this man is humble. The Lord has used him, and, we believe, will use him. Recently when Elder Gates and I visited different islands, he talked quietly among the people.

Let me mention one instance of his usefulness to us. Once in making a journey among the islands in our cutter, we took a pilot. Our vessel was tossed upon the waves all night. It was most squally at midnight, and our vessel was being driven toward a coral reef. As Pauliassi was a good navigator, he was at the rudder. We thought we could see the point we were making for; so we imagined we were on the right course. We made slow progress, and thought we were making toward the land. But we were deceived, and sailed on in the darkness. All except Pauliassi thought we were inside the coral reef which surrounds the island. We commenced to run toward the land, and soon heard the murmur of the sea on the reef right ahead of us. The pilot was confused. Pauliassi said, “Let me have the boat.” This pilot was no good but for eating yams and other things. Pauliassi took charge of the boat. Ambrose, a high chief, told Pauliassi to leave the boat alone, as he would go on the reef. It is a great offense to disobey a high chief, but Pauliassi quietly answered that it would be all right. Just as the vessel was about to run on the reef, he ran it alongside; and when he came to the narrow opening, he shot the boat through into the open lagoon behind. We reached our destination safely at two o’clock on Sabbath morning.

He has gone with the cutter since, preaching round the islands. White people have come to listen to him, and have been much surprised. He has scattered much literature round about the islands. His native home is on Vanua Balavu. He has been instrumental in creating a great interest among the islands. His last trip was made to Kadavu, where he left much literature. He has done great service, and the Lord is not done with him yet. His age is about fifty years. If you were to ask a Fijian how old he was, he would say, “I don’t know. I think I am about thirty.” No one keeps any record of his age. Pauliassi commenced to work when quite young, and he is very willing to work.

Ambrose, whom I have mentioned, is a chief of high birth. He would be king if the old government were still in existence. His old subjects still bow to him and respect him. His wife is a lady of high birth also. Both have now accepted the truth, and are living a very consistent life. He gave up drink and tobacco at once, and has never touched them since. He is very anxious, perhaps rather too eager, to present the truth to his people.

People say he was the biggest rogue in Fiji, and that we must have paid him a big sum of money to induce him to keep the Sabbath. I remember when he came to church one Sabbath morning, he prayed and broke down and cried. He invited us to the town and gave us land. I was quite carried beyond myself. It seemed too good to be true, and we all cried with him for joy that morning. He has been many times tempted by white men, who like him to drink with them, but he has remained true to his convictions.

Some little time ago a hospital was opened. All the missionaries were there and the great chiefs. Wine was passed round to the missionaries and the chiefs. No Adventists were there except him; yet when the wine was passed to Ambrose he said, “No, I can not drink it.” He came to me to pay tithe one day. I said, “How did you get money to pay tithe?” “O,” said he, “I won a lot, playing billiards.” I told him that he had been among bad companions, and the Lord did not approve of these things. A Fijian proverb says, “If you go with

clean clothes to a place full of mud, you will get it on your clothes.” “Well,” said he, “I’ll never go again. But here’s the money.” He had done it quite innocently. He has the reputation of being the best billiard player and draughts player in Fiji. He has a bright, quick mind, which now he is devoting to the study of present truth. He is next to Pauliassi in intelligence. An old man named David is also helping us. He was a deacon in the Wesleyan church, and is a faithful, humble old man.

The Needs of the Field.

Now I must tell you the needs of the field. We need literature. We have only two tracts. One is a small tract on the Sabbath question, which was first printed in California, and afterward at Avondale [N. S. W.]. The other tract is on the Lord’s coming, and has been translated by Elder Gates. We have a little press, and print a small paper in Fijian. We have got out fourteen numbers. These have been circulated in different parts of the group. Calls are coming from all parts of the field for papers and tracts. Just as I boarded the steamer to come here, I received this letter from a man in the interior: “I have received the letters and tracts. I have read them. Since doing so, daily as I go about I have felt condemned as I see the seventh day is the Sabbath, also about baptism. I want to see you or Pauliassi. I was glad to read the paper.” Calls for literature come from all parts of the group. Captains of steamers and others offer to take papers and distribute them freely. Some want 100 copies or more. On one occasion my wife and I went out distributing papers. Some men were at work on the bank of a river. One of them recognized us and asked for papers, and soon fifty others did likewise. They all swam out round the boat and eagerly grasped their papers. Then they swam ashore, holding up the paper with one hand and swimming with the other.

The Fijians have the Bible in their own language, and the Wesleyans print a paper even smaller than ours. Once they had Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” but it is out of print now. A Fijian Bible can not now be had. We sent to London for a shipment some time ago and received only one copy. We need literature very much in Fiji. You, brethren, would not like to be situated as we are in Fiji with so little literature to help you in your work. As soon as possible we hope to have “Christ Our Saviour” printed in Fijian. (Voice: “How are you going to sell your books?”) Well, the natives have no money. In some islands you would not find a sixpence. How, then, do they live? They collect their yams and copra, and take them to market and buy clothing, food, and anything they need, before they go back. Should there be a little money left, they buy bread with it and eat it going home; they have no use for money among themselves. Now I believe in spite of this we can sell the books to the natives. Let us establish agencies here in these colonies, and get them to send their coconuts to you. Then, brethren, turn out your cows and use coconut milk. Thus we can sell the books.

The next question is, How are we to get them to these islands? Our small cutter is poor accommodation, and is at the mercy of reefs, currents, seas, and hurricanes. We need a little launch, and we believe one can be got at a reasonable price. We could sell our cutter, and buy the hull of a launch with the proceeds. Then we would need £150 [$750] to buy machinery to put in it. With a launch we could cross the reefs at half-tide, which is impossible with a cutter owing to the deeper draught.

We have done a little medical missionary work, but not as we would like to have done. We need a medical missionary and a nurse.

Fiji is to me one of the most interesting countries on the earth. The Fijians are a good-hearted people. Sixty years ago they were cannibals, and it is marvelous what a wonderful change has come over them as the result of the work of the Wesleyans. Now, however, the latter are resting on their oars. We want your prayers. We want young men and women to get ready to go to Fiji. We want you, brethren, to help us with your means. Now is the time. Soon prejudice will arise, and it will then be almost impossible. Will you help us? If you say so, we’ll go forward. The way to say so is by helping us.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.” Col. 3:1.