OUR TAHITIAN MISSION by A. J. Read

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 21, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 41.

OUR TAHITIAN MISSION.

By A. J. Read

PAPEETE, Tahiti, July 5, 1893.

ELDER M. C. WILCOX—Dear Brother: After long and anxious waiting, the expected arrival of the Pitcairn to our Tahitian field occurred the 6th of last April. For several weeks whenever we would pass within sight of the ocean, our eyes would scan the horizon with a sort of indescribable longing to feast our eyes once more upon our noble little craft, laden with sympathizing hearts and tokens of affection from home, and when we did see her it is little wonder that we stood for a time spellbound upon the beach, gazing with admiration upon her as she appeared in her new rig, lying outside the reef for the pilot. The feelings that passed through our hearts may better be imagined than expressed. Soon she was in the harbor, cordial greetings were over, and we were settled down to the stern business of making the best use of the visit which she should pay us. First of all, our freight must be landed, and among the things that brought us especial encouragement was the buggy, which would enable us to get around the island and visit the various native villages—quite a necessity here, as one must travel a great many miles in the burning sun, much to the detriment of his health, and then not be able to accomplish the amount of work which could be accomplished with some sort of a vehicle. We were also pleased at receiving a typewriter, which will be of great assistance to us in our translating and preparing literature for the native people.

The Pitcairn brought us a good letter from Elder Gates, who reported his health as very little improved, but said that he was of good courage in the work, and was looking forward to the establishment of a school as a source of great blessing to the Pitcairn islanders. He also said, in regard to their recent visit to the island of Mangareva: "I hope as soon as possible you will get out something in the Tahitian language that we can use in the Paumotus. We could have used books in that language at Mangareva if we had had them. We must have books and tracts for these islands. It seems to me that that is the most important work for us now. The people there are all ripe for labor." The group of the Paumotus, of which he speaks, is composed of numerous small islands and furnishes an extensive field for self-sacrificing missionary laborers. They have neither pastors nor teachers, save in Mangareva, where there is a Catholic Church established.

Letters from the Austral group, a cluster of islands a few hundred miles to the south of here, speaking the same language, showed that the interest there was beginning to grow, and in two of the principal islands of this group the people who had been reading some of our literature quite confidently expected to receive a visit from the Pitcairn; in fact, from one of these islands a few representatives have visited Tahiti and have embraced the truth. We thought some of taking our native pastor for a three weeks' trip, to visit and preach to the natives of these islands, but when our native brethren heard of it, they were somewhat consternated, and one evening after our prayer meeting, one of them got up and addressed me, saying: "We hear that you plan to take our pastor away for a few weeks to another island, but we don't want you to do it yet, till we get better established in the truth. We have not finished building our sheepfold yet (meaning the church building), and we are afraid if you take our shepherd away the sheep will all be scattered." At this juncture one of our brethren, who is blind, spoke up and said, "Yes, and the wolves will come in also." This amusing and pathetic plea, it is needless to say, was quite effectual, and we concluded to postpone our visit to that group, and attend to one of the urgent calls that are coming in to us from the surrounding islands.

We have a few Sabbath-keeping brethren in what is known as the Leeward group of the Society Islands. One of these islands, which is called Huahine, has, as I have been told, been experiencing a peculiar revival of religion, not like the revivals which we so often hear of and see at home, but a general revival in the study of the Bible, almost every adult in every family keeping a notebook and recording the sermons which he hears, and making notes on passages of Scripture. At the present time many of the children on this island are growing up without knowing how to read. They have no European schoolteacher, and the parents of the few European children who are there feel quite a desire to have some help in that line, though they are not particular as to what religious denomination the individual may belong to. We heard some talk of a Roman Catholic priest being sent, but I think the feeling of the natives is so strong that one would not be allowed to land. The island is also perfectly destitute of any skilled medical attendance. In the visit which the Pitcairn made to this island, Dr. Kellogg was kept constantly busy tending to the sick. Many of the cases were such as might have been avoided if the people had had proper medical attendance. One such case was that of a man who had tried to pull out an ingrowing toe-nail and had made such miserable work of it that the whole toe had become a putrefying sore, and the prospect was that he might have to lose his foot, or, if our good doctor had not arrived just as he did, it is probable that the man would have lost his life, for lockjaw almost invariably sets in with such cases here in the tropics.

The Pitcairn also visited the island of Raiatea, which lies within sight of the island just mentioned. This island also was sadly in need of medical help and school privileges. They are also greatly in need of moral teaching. Throughout our stay the calls upon the doctor for assistance were unceasing. We personally visited with him many native huts where the curse of disease was preying upon its miserable inhabitants, and found in this way many doors open to receive not only help for their bodies, but also spiritual help. In fact, owing to the increasing interest here, our little supply of tracts in the Tahitian language which we had brought with us for distribution, bade fair to be exhausted before we had reached half the number for whom we intended them. One day the doctor and myself noticed a man following quite closely to us all the way through the village, but just as we were about to go down to our boat, we turned to see what the man wanted, and found that he was following us to get some tracts. As our supply was exhausted, we invited him aboard the vessel and gave him a few tracts, and then he asked for more for his relatives in another part of the island. Thus the strain upon our limited stock continued till we had to refuse some who asked for them. Whenever one would pass through a native village where they had received some of our literature, he would see groups of people gathered in huts or in the shade of some friendly tree, together reading and discussing the things they found written therein. Thus the interest continued to grow, till at last a general consultation of the inhabitants was called, and after three days' discussion of the Sabbath question and some of the leading points of the truth among themselves, this island, which for a number of years had allowed no missionary to remain among them, made an earnest plea to us to leave them a missionary to teach them the truths of the Bible, acknowledging that they were quite ignorant of them and wanted to know more. Accordingly, the committee on board the Pitcairn decided to leave Elder and Mrs. Cady to carry on the work in that group.

The last mail from there has brought news that they are living in the queen's family till suitable accommodations are prepared for them. The chiefs and leading men of the island seem to be quite favorable to the truth, and we hope and trust that God will gather out in this place a people for his name. The more we labor among the islands, the more apparent it becomes that a large amount of literature on various religious subjects must be constantly kept in circulation among the inhabitants in order that their minds may be filled with that which is true and ennobling. Not only should tracts and some sort of a small periodical be issued here among them, but we believe that books are needed, such as could be printed at home, illustrated, and cheaply bound, so as to come within the means of the native people. It can hardly be expected that there ever will be any great mental or moral growth among these people until they have enough literature translated into their language to furnish food for their minds and hearts. In conversation, a short time since, with the American consul of this place, he expressed his pleasure with our methods of labor for the native people, and said that he believed that reading matter would prove a great help in raising the natives to a higher level.

It is a cause of gratitude to us that as we and our work become better known, the blind prejudice which we have had to meet here dissipates, though slowly, before the clear rays of the Sun of Righteousness, whose day is dawning upon these benighted lands; and we feel a growing confidence that amid this encircling gloom the kindly light of the Spirit of Christ still leads us on.

Yours in the love of the work, A. J. READ.