PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson · 109,175 words · 157 reading sections
“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“She had, out of pure bravado, professed to elude their vigilance and implicated a Tanna man, as well as Rangi (the wildest man on Aniwa), who both proved their innocence. Perhaps Rangi agreed with me that he had enough sins of his own to account for without being blamed for what he really did not do; and being an out …
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“John had got the whole crowd dispersed to go and cut wood for the lime pits (you know he is of a rather practical turn of mind and likes to utilize the most unlikely occasions), which they did with great energy, having the steam up; so she was left alone, as the women had all to run and cook food. I had a grand donati…
824 wordsSECTION 123“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“Nalihi was flourishing his musket in Taia’s face, as an accompaniment to an eloquent harangue he was delivering in Erromangan, not being able to speak Aniwan; and Taia, who understood and could speak it perfectly, seemed to be paying him back with interest. They subsided for a few moments, when it was whispered the Mi…
657 wordsSECTION 124“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“We had three more Earthquakes that day, but slight, making _ten_ in all; and I took care at night to provide for emergencies by putting a supply of blankets on the verandah, as there is not a moment to snatch clothes when they come, and we had felt chilly the night before. I got laughed at for what was termed my needl…
729 wordsSECTION 125“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“The Home Mail closes in the morning; and I must close, with fervent love, from your loving sister, (1878.) “_Sons and daughter_, I should almost have added, as the biggest half of our little flock are separated from Aniwa, and will as eagerly look for the ‘family billet’ now as the rest of you.... “Now that I have …
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“John has had great comfort with his big boys, however, especially the one we were most averse to take in,—a great ugly-looking fellow of about eighteen, couldn’t speak without a growl, and scowled at everybody from under his black wool, which hung down over his eyebrows. To crown all, he had been with the slavers—and …
729 wordsSECTION 127“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“Next morning he had the audacity to appear at one of the dining-room windows, as the girls were clearing away the breakfast things; and he demanded the keys from John, as he wanted to sharpen his axe at the grindstone. John said, ‘No, Mungaw, you’ll learn to put your axe to a better use first; and I want you to return…
805 wordsSECTION 128“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“Next morning (Sunday) he met her pleasantly, called her to speak to him (our fence was between them), and threw a large stone at her head, informing her that was the price of her yesterday’s speech. We bound up the deep wound and advised her to lie quiet, but she preferred going to Church with us as the safest plan, f…
915 wordsSECTION 129“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“Mungaw made rather a sad New Year’s Day for us, though. While we were at breakfast, more people assembled in the Imrai and high words ensued. John went out to them, determined to sift the matter to the bottom; and at last it came out that Mungaw had gone the day before to the village of Towleka, and said that the peop…
772 wordsSECTION 130“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“It was a blessing the Natives were so kind, and oh, how we experienced that ‘God stayeth His rough wind in the day of His east wind’; for except the trouble with Mungaw, we had no other serious ones to contend with, and He gave us to realize as I at least never did in the same way how entirely the work was His. It loo…
716 wordsSECTION 131“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“Poor Yawaci was our chief care after that. It seemed strange that Litsi, who so longed for death, should survive so much ill usage, for I could not pen a fiftieth part of the cruelty—the refinement of cruelty—with which he treated her. One instance will suffice. We missed him from Church one Sabbath, and found that he…
986 wordsSECTION 132“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“Poor Litzi sat leaning against the Church fence, too weak to notice anything, but thought she was safer there when John had to be in School. He told the Natives that she must not be left to her husband’s tender mercies any longer, but that they must take her to one of their distant villages, and if need be protect her…
838 wordsSECTION 133“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“We just felt that poor Litsi had all the more right to our sympathy, when no one else would go. They insisted that she was dead and the baby too, there was such silence round all the place. John would not let me go alone, and I would not let him go alone, so we compromised the matter by going together, and took a plen…
683 wordsSECTION 134“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“The whole provocation (I forgot to say) he had for laying her head open at this time, was her saying, ‘Oh, don’t do that!’ when he got up to burn the fine new house he had nearly completed. She learned never again to contradict him, even when he made the wildest proposals. The next house he burnt, a neighbour’s, he to…
792 wordsSECTION 135“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“His last days were spent pulling up the people’s bananas and sugar-cane, destroying what he could not devour. He took our boys’ blankets and boxes, and walked off with the lookingglass from the girls’ house. Just the Sunday morning before he was shot he turned out all the girls’ boxes while we were at breakfast, and p…
796 wordsSECTION 136“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“He had just left our Premises and gone home for supper, and then had worship (!) with Litsi, after which she told him not to go outside, as two or three men had been watching for three nights to get a good aim at him. He courted death and _would_ go out, saying to Litsi, ‘You come with me.’ She went out first and thou…
797 wordsSECTION 137“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“The Captain’s plan was to land us on Sunday morning, lie off and on till Monday to land our luggage and some wood John had bought on Aneityum, and then return for the McDonalds at Port Resolution on his way northward. Mrs. Milne and I lay pillowed on deck, enjoying the moonlight till quite late, and having such a musi…
452 wordsSECTION 138“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—....
“Our next bit of excitement was on New Year’s Day, when the usual shooting match came off, and prizes were awarded to the winners. The most amusing part to us was the racing amongst younger boys and girls. The Chief, whom John had placed in charge of the prizes, would put a belt, necktie, or bit of red calico on a post…
756 wordsSECTION 139“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—....
“Litsi has since consoled herself with another husband,—related to poor Mungaw, and a real love-match, as they both freely confessed. Litsi was as playful and coy over it as a young lassie; though, when she stood up for the ceremony, she whisperingly informed the bystanders with a giggle that she didn’t want to get mar…
808 wordsSECTION 140“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—....
“Our visit there was all too short, as the Synod lasted only a week. We commemorated the Lord’s Supper together, on the Sabbath evening before we broke up. One evening too there was an interesting Bible Society meeting, at which John was Chairman; and, in response to an urgent appeal from London, Mr. Copeland proposed …
686 wordsSECTION 141_Last Visit To Britain._
“Ever, with warmest love, “Your loving Sister, “MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.” “Wanted a Steam Auxiliary.”—Commissioned Home to Britain.—English Presbyterian Synod.—United Presbyterian Synod.—The “Veto” from the Sydney Board.—Dr. J. Hood Wilson.—The Free Church Assembly.—Neutrality of Foreign Mission Committee.—The Ch…
678 wordsSECTION 142_Last Visit To Britain._
Next, by kind invitation I visited and addressed the United Presbyterian Synod of Scotland, assembled in Edinburgh. My reception there was not only cordial,—it was enthusiastic. Though as a Church they had no denominational interest in our Mission, the Moderator, amidst the cheers of all the Ministers and Elders, recom…
685 wordsSECTION 143_Last Visit To Britain._
“Mr. Paton, that veto has spoiled your mission home. The Free Church cannot take you by the hand in face of the _veto_ from Sydney!” Having letters from Andrew Scott, Esquire, Carrugal, my very dear friend and helper in Australia, to Dr. J. Hood Wilson, Barclay Free Church, Edinburgh, I resolved to deliver them that e…
672 wordsSECTION 144_Last Visit To Britain._
At the meeting in the Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, which, along with others, I was cordially invited to address, the good and noble Lord Polwarth occupied the chair. That was the beginning of a friendship in Christ which will last and deepen as long as we live. From that night he took the warmest personal i…
794 wordsSECTION 145_Last Visit To Britain._
I addressed the Assembly at ’Derry and also the Council at Belfast. The memory of seeing all those great and learned and famous men—for many of the leaders were literally such—so deeply interested in the work of God, and particularly in the Evangelizing of the Heathen World and bringing thereto the knowledge of Jesus, …
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No man, however dissevered from the party politics of the day, can see and live amongst the Irish of the North, without having forced on his soul the conviction that the Protestant faith and life, with its grit and backbone and self-dependence, has made them what they are. Romanism, on the other hand, with its blind fa…
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I also addressed every Religious Convention to which I was invited, or to which I could secure access. The Perth Conference was made memorable to me by my receiving the first large subscription for our Ship, and by my making the acquaintance of a beautiful type of Christian merchant. At the close of the meeting, at whi…
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I replied,—“Thank you, my dear child; I will not take your bangles, but Jesus will accept your offering, and bless and reward you all the same.” As she still held them up to me, saying, “Padre, do receive them from me, and may God ever bless you!” a lady, who had been seated beside her, came up to me, and said,— “Ple…
663 wordsSECTION 149_Last Visit To Britain._
Having an introduction to a London lady, then living in Edinburgh, I called and was most kindly received because of our dear mutual friend Mrs. Cameron, of St. Kilda. After delightful Christian conversation, she retired for a minute, and returned, saying,—“I have kept this for twelve months, asking the Lord to direct m…
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But see how the Lord leads us by a way we know not! Next morning after my address, a gentleman who had heard me handed me a cheque for £300, by far the largest single donation towards our Mission Ship; and immediately thereafter I received, from one of the Mildmay lady-Missionaries £50, from a venerable friend of the f…
741 wordsSECTION 151_Last Visit To Britain._
Upper Norwood, London, is ever fresh in my memory, in connection with my first and subsequent visits, chiefly because of the faithful guidance and help amidst all the perplexities of that Great Babylon, so ungrudgingly bestowed upon me by my old Australian friends, then resident there, William Storrie, Esq., and his mo…
782 wordsSECTION 152_Last Visit To Britain._
On this turn of affairs, I managed to have my passage delayed for six weeks, and resolved to cast myself on the Lord that He might enable me in that time to raise at least £500, in order to furnish the necessary outfit and equipment for three new Mission Stations, and to pay the passage money of the Missionaries and th…
817 wordsSECTION 153_Last Visit To Britain._
Bidding farewell to dear old Glasgow, so closely intertwined with all my earlier and later experiences I started for London, accompanied by my brother James. We were sitting at breakfast at Mrs. Mathieson’s table, Mildmay, when a telegram was put into my hands announcing the “thank-offering” from Lord and Lady Polwarth…
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As to the new Mission Ship, delay has arisen—owing to a difference of opinion about the best way of carrying out the proposal. Negotiations are progressing betwixt New South Wales and Victoria and the other Colonies as to the additional annual expenditure for the maintenance of a Steam-Auxiliary, and how the same is to…
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In these, as well as in my own direct labours as a Missionary, I probably have had my full share of “abuse” from the enemies of the Cross, and a not inconsiderable burden of trials and afflictions in the service of my Lord; yet here, as I lay down my pen, let me record my immovable conviction that this is the noblest s…
359 wordsSECTION 156Transcriber’S Note
[1] See the whole context in “Sermons on National Subjects,” (_Macmillan & Co._, 1880) pp. 414 to 417, where it is numbered as Sermon XLI.; particularly this regulative declaration regarding “what Original Sin may bring man to”:—“What is to my mind the most awful part of the matter remains to be told—that man may actua…
448 wordsSECTION 157*** End Of The Project Gutenberg Ebook John G. Paton, Missionary To The New Hebrides, Volume 2 (Of 3) ***
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