LAST VOYAGE OF THE PITCAIRN
A NEW building 36x40 feet, has been erected for the primary department of Mt. Vernon (Ohio) Academy. On this building is a bell, 606 pounds net, 36 inches in diameter, which is designed for the benefit of the entire school. It will also ring the hours of beginning and closing the Sabbath. THE annual session of the Atlantic Conference, held last month, elected the following officers: President, J. E. Jayne; Secretary, S. B. Horton; Treasurer, T. A. Kilgore; Corresponding Secretary, Charles D. Zirkle; State Agent, U. P. Long; Secretary and Treasurer of Tract and Missionary Department, T. A. Kilgore. ELDER A. E. PLACE reports the baptism of eleven persons at Rochester, N. Y., one a Jew. There are now nineteen in the city who observe the Sabbath of the Lord, and it is expected that a church will shortly be organized. Elder Place also notes the baptism of two at Tonawanda, and the organization of a church of twelve members. ELDER J. H. MORRISON, who has been confined by sickness at the Battle Creek Sanitarium for several weeks, has so far recovered as to be able to walk out. This will be hailed as good news by his friends and colaborers everywhere, as the cause can hardly spare the services of its leading workers, especially members of the General Conference Committee. LAST VOYAGE OF THE PITCAIRN.
AT the missionary meeting of the Oakland Church, on the 2d inst., the principal feature was the account of the last voyage of the Pitcairn as related by Captain Graham. Leaving San Francisco May 19, the vessel went direct to Pitcairn Island; thence to Tahiti, where they found the work progressing very encouragingly. The next call was at Rurutu, in the Austral group, where Brother and Sister Stringer were found getting along quite well. Thence the party went to Rarotonga, where Dr. Caldwell and wife and Elder Rice and wife are kept busy, and are of good cheer. Calls were also made at some small islands which had not before been visited. From Rarotonga they sailed to Samoa, and found Dr. Braught and company busily engaged in erecting a sanitarium. The doctor has been quite successful in the treatment of disease, which has attracted a number of patients from other islands many miles away. The next stopping place was Tongatabu, where Brother Butz and wife and Sisters Sarah and Maria Young were left to begin work. Levuka, Fiji, was next visited, and Elder Cole and Elder Fulton and their wives were found to be getting along quite well with their work. From this point the voyage was over entirely new ground, going westward about five hundred miles to the central islands of the New Hebrides. In this group there are twelve large and as many smaller islands, with a population of about sixty thousand. Missionaries report that this is a hard field, as the natives do not want Christianity. The party went to an island where there were no missionaries, and expected to find no civilization among the natives. Yet, after entering a nice harbor, they found a number of white traders, some large plantations, and steamer connection with Australia. From New Hebrides the party sailed northward as far as the Marshall Islands, stopping at various points and interviewing the missionaries and traders. At one place they found Catholic missionaries, who were operating in the characteristic manner, that is, by getting as many boys as possible under their control. These, while being taught to work, are also instructed in the Catholic religion, and will in time become missionaries. One great difficulty in this newly-traversed field is that nearly every small island, and on the larger islands every village, has its peculiar dialect, different from the others. At one point a number of natives came to the ship in canoes, and were very anxious to trade their trinkets for tobacco. It was with difficulty that they could be made to believe that there was no tobacco on the ship. Captain Graham displayed a number of articles of native dress, which were remarkable both for their crudity and scantiness. He also displayed a large bow and arrows, also some specimens of native money,—all going to show that the people in these "regions beyond" were considerably behind those of the South Sea Islands in the matter of civilization. But Christ died for them all, and they are all included in the great commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." Every voyage of our little ship is a fresh appeal for more means to carry on the work,—more ships, more men and women, more self-denial, more consecration, more faith in the last message.