Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume VIII, Number 4, 23 Ianuali 1869 — The Tahitian Islands Mission. [ARTICLE]

The Tahitian Islands Mission.

BY TIIE T\EV. J. h. OKEKN, 0F TAIIAA. • lt is now about tifty years ngo that the hearts of our brethren in Tahiti werecheered Iby the first signs of success to thi r fabours, j when aftcr fourteen years of untiring zeal i nntl energy, they \vere permitted to listen to | the firstbreath of prayer to God, issuing from I the lips of one of the natives of that lovely j isle. And this %vns henrd at a time when S civil war was distracting the land. Thus ( cheered, the brethren and tbeir successors | have laboured on with varying succcss, until } Inow the light hath sent forth itsraysthrough ! many a benigbted land, and the people are rejoicing in the hberty of the Gospel, by whieh they have been free fr«m the chains J iof error and darkness. Thenrmv hns waxed j strong and valiant for the Lord, gathered | from the people of the Society, Hervey, Na- I vigators, Loyalty, and other groups; and ; ;these, too, nre ndding daily to tlie nuniberof j 1 the redeemed of the Lord. 1 ) The free and untramme})ed nction of the [ ILondon Missionnry Society was checked j and almost entirely suspended in Tahiti on j the assumption of authority there by the ■ French. The missionories, some from the pressure of outwardcircumstancesand others for conscience' sake, retired from the field. The nntives, suftering the loss of their spiritu- | al friends nnd advisers, were ill-prepared to • combat with the difficulties by whieh they I ; were so unexpectedly overtaken. (Jnder j suchcircumstanccs, ratherthanabandon their | faith nnd form of worship,they readily y\eld« ' ed themselves up to the guidance of some of J their own number, who were elected us pns- | tors over the churches,'nnd who werc sanc» ' . tioned by the French government. Some of j : these pnstors, it is true, hnd enjoyed superior i | advnntages, but still were of necessity but j t \nfants in knowiegeand experimental Christi- j |an life. After the excitementof the subjuga« j |tion of the natives to the French authorities • hnd- subsided, Mr. Howe and one or two | j others were allowed to return to Tahiti. Cir- | !cumstnnces, however, soon transpired whieh j led to the withdrawal of these (with the exi ception of Mr. Howe,) after whieh time the : oversight and spiritua{ guardinnshrp of the people \vas carefully ond \visely ndminister- | ed by him. He obtained great lnvour \vith ! the successive French commandants, under j whom he enjoyed many special privileges. j l Altbough the benefits conferred were often j i more indirect tban direct, yet they \vere of j I incalculnble value to the natives, inasmuch j as many of their errors \vere corrected and } their drooping henrts cheered with words of j kindness and sympatby from theircounsellor, ] whieh were as drops ofwatertoa thiretv soul. | and as a balm to the troubled spirit. For it i ! must beremembered that\vith the Frotectorate j | flagcamethe thoroughly estabhshed nnd fully | | recognised Koman Catho!ic Mission. whie'n i now even, in its recently restricted position. ! absorbs a lnrge portion of the annual nntive | government revenue. Seventy-five thousand j trancs hnve been given by the government j towan.istheerection oftheCatholicCathedra|, ! ; whose walls have at very long intervals dur- ī ing the last ten or t\velve years risen to the | height of about ten feet, and now the whole i affair has been condemned as unsound in the ! foundation, and doubtless, ere long % another | large grant will be made towards a building ! to be erected on sowie otber site. j !S'otwitbstanding the government grants j h»ve been considerably reduced during the j last t\vo or three years» the Catholic Mission } is said to bave absorbed, last year, &bout | 65,000 francs ofthe publicfunds, wbilst6»ooo { : francsonly \veregranted towards the support of the Protestant Mission. From inforaia(tion whieh I rteceived in Tahi(i during my | recent visit therc, l learnt tbat notwithst«nd* j ing the Catholic Mission has been so long ' estabiished, and annuni(y absorbs so a ' | portion of the hard earnings of so many Pro- - 1; testant people voted to them by the govem- *; mcnt, yet they number on!y about 500 raetn« i bers out of a population af 6.000 on Tah»ti, f ; or S,OOO including Moorea; a clear j*roofthat the Catholic religson is not popu|ar amongst 1 } the and eannol be said to b« 'Mhe *! religioa of the people/* • j {To be cu{ittuuc'd.J