John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brotherPaton, John Gibson
Religion
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson
Missionaries -- Vanuatu -- Biography; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
“It so happened that next day had been appointed for a ‘Members’
Meeting.’ These meetings are held monthly, for John to appoint them
their work, and change it from one to another, so that it might not
always devolve upon a few. You know there is no paid door-keeper,
or paid service of any kind connected with the Church, so the women
take it in turns, two by two, every Saturday morning, to clean the
Church and enclosure. One man is appointed bell-ringer, another to
take off and on the pulpit coverings and carry in the Bible, etc., two
to stand at the doors and see there are no loiterers outside, and so
forth. Cases of sickness or wickedness are also reported, and Church
matters generally talked over. At this meeting one woman was scored
off for absconding from her legal husband and living with another;
and Mungaw, who came in with the greatest blandness, as if nothing
had happened, got a thorough ‘talking to,’ and was suspended till it
should be proved whether he was more rogue or fool—for at that time
we could scarcely tell. That he had become decidedly cracked and his
mind to a certain extent unhinged, no one who saw and heard him could
doubt—especially knowing what a dear good fellow he was before; still
he seemed sane enough at times; and when he did break out, it was more
like being possessed with evil spirits. All his madness took the form
of wickedness, and when he saw people afraid of him he was the more
emboldened. It was very difficult to know how to treat him. He was
rather cowed at the meeting, though, and kept pretty quiet till the
full moon, while meantime we had peace to get all our machinery into
working order again....
“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 that is no
recommendation!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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