John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 1 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brotherPaton, John Gibson
Religion
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 1 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson
Missionaries -- Vanuatu -- Biography; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
My first impressions drove me to the verge of utter dismay. On beholding
these Natives in their paint and nakedness and misery, my heart was as
full of horror as of pity. Had I given up my much-beloved work and my
dear people in Glasgow, with so many delightful associations, to
consecrate my life to these degraded creatures? Was it possible to teach
them right and wrong, to Christianize, or even to civilize them? But
that was only a passing feeling! I soon got as deeply interested in
them, and in all that tended to advance them, and to lead them to the
knowledge and love of Jesus, as ever I had been in my work at Glasgow.
We were surprised and delighted at the remarkable change produced on the
natives of Aneityum through the instrumentality of Drs. Geddie and
Inglis in so short a time; and we hoped, by prayerful perseverance in
the use of similar means, to see the same work of God repeated on Tanna.
Besides, the wonderful and blessed work done by Mrs. Inglis and Mrs.
Geddie, at their Stations, filled our wives with the buoyant hope of
being instruments in the hand of God to produce an equally beneficent
change amongst the savage women of Tanna. Mrs. Paton had been left with
Mrs. Inglis to learn all she could from her of Mission work on the
Islands, till I returned with Dr. Inglis from the house-building
operations on Tanna; during which period Mr. and Mrs. Mathieson were
also being instructed by Dr. and Mrs. Geddie. To the Tannese, Dr. Inglis
and I were objects of curiosity and fear; they came crowding to gaze on
our wooden and lime-plastered house, they chattered incessantly with
each other, and left the scene day after day with undisguised and
increasing wonderment. Possibly they thought us rather mad than wise!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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