RAIATEA, SOCIETY ISLANDS, SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN.
By B. J. Cady
THE readers of the SIGNS have doubtless seen reports of our work until up to the time that our ship left us here at Raiatea, and went on its way to other islands. We have now been here two months, which is not long enough to make much of a beginning, since we have to first learn the Tahitian language before we can begin active work for the natives, as they understand but the one language. So we are studying and trying to help the people in every way that we can. By means of an interpreter, we are able to do a little teaching now, but not very thorough work can be done in this way. There are but few Europeans here, the most of the inhabitants being natives and half casts. The population of this island and Tahaa, which lies three miles away in the same group, is about four thousand. There is one church here, the Episcopal, and most of the grown people of the island are members. These include but few unmarried people, but as soon as they are married, the leading people call on them, and present before them the advantages of being church members, and persuade them to unite with the church. But though this would now be called a Christian land, the condition of the people is very far from Christlike. Babylon has surely fallen. They have many religious meetings, but a sad lack of reverence is manifested in all their services, and the religion is mostly outward, and not of the heart. They have a Sunday law here, though it seems quite incomplete. Yet I suppose it is as good as they care to keep the day. One can wash clothes, bathe, or do most anything, until ten o'clock in the morning. Then all can go to church, or stay at home and sleep, or gather around in groups and talk; but no work can be done until about four o'clock, when the meetings are finished for the day. The people are now allowed to sail around in their boats or canoes. When our ship was here, the queen went out to the ship one Sunday to meeting, and because she did this, the people talked strongly of fining her. There had been no European missionary of their church upon the island for some time, until last May, when a French minister and his wife came here. We called on him one day to get a large Tahitian Bible, and some hymn books, but he refused to sell them to us, saying that he had been ordered to have nothing to do with us. We obtained the books, however, through another source. By the way, we are not intruding upon the territory of this man, for he cannot have access to this part of the island where we are laboring; and since this part includes most of the people upon the island, and they have no teacher for themselves or for their children, and requested us to stay here, we felt it our duty to do so. They are now building us a house, the size twenty by sixty feet, one end to be used for a school until they can get a schoolhouse built. It will be made mostly of native material, a thatched roof, and woven bamboo for the sides. When we are settled in the house, we shall begin to teach the children. The children cannot read, and are sadly in need of help, for there has been no school upon this part of the island for several years. Though the people here are very faulty and far from what they ought to be, yet when we compare them with the people of civilized countries, who have had such great light and privileges, we believe that these are no worse than others. And since we ourselves are but sinners, and if anything good is done by us, we know that it is Christ working through us who does it, so he is just as willing to clothe these people with his righteousness. We believe that there are many of our people in the United States who are situated so that they might move to these islands and act as educators. Teachers are quite scarce in this part of the world, and a number of islands have no schools at all. Wherever we have been with the ship, there has been a call for teachers. Though the ways of the people are very different from what we have been accustomed to in the United States, we can enjoy working for them, for the better acquainted we become with them, the more interested we feel in their welfare. We can but believe that God will do a great work for them, and that many will follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. J. CADY.