8 



THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



GROUP OF TONGA MEN ON BOARD H.M.S. "CHALLENGER." 



Taken (luting the Scientific Exiierlition of 1872-6. Published by llorsburgh & Son, Edin- 

 burgh. Oomrmnent Copyright. 



For four days the girl enjoys 

 a brief holiday, sitting at 

 home arrayed in her best, 

 and painted with turmeric 

 and oil; she is then taken 

 to the sea by some married 

 women, and all set to work 

 to catch fish. As soon as 

 the cooking of what they 

 have caught is finished, the 

 young man is sent for, and 

 the betrothed couple par- 

 take of a meal together. 

 Some little interval follows, 

 during which the future 

 husband is busily occupied 

 in building the new home. 

 On the completion of the 

 house a great feast takes 

 place. On the bride's de- 

 parture from home her 

 friends and relatives make 

 a great fuss, all showing 

 their affection by kissing 

 her. 



The Fijians are by 

 nature very superstitious. A 

 Frenchman who visited them 



some years ago relates that the natives of a certain island in the group evinced great 

 emotion the first time that they saw a European smoking a cigar. Great was the 

 excitement, and people were hastily summoned by their chiefs to come and see this 

 extraordinary spectacle. To them the white man with his cigar was a god, burning internally! 

 There was no room for doubt, because smoke came out of his mouth! 



The people have of late years abandoned all their old barbaric customs. This great 

 change is entirely due to missionary enterprise. As far back as the year 1835 the Wesleyans 

 established a mission in the archipelago, and probably there are few places in the Pacific 

 Ocean where missionary effort has been more successful, or its fruits more visible. Native 

 teachers and ministers are trained for the work. In 1891 there were as many as 914 

 Wesleyau chapels, with a large number of native teachers, and about 100,000 followers. 

 The Eoman Catholics also have a numerous following, and twenty European Sisters are 

 engaged in teaching the girls. The children nearly all attend school. The Church of 

 England lias two churches, one in Suva and one in Levnka. The islands have been under 

 British rule since 1874, and the state of things at the present day offers a marvellous contrast 

 to the pictures drawn by the earlier travellers. 



POLYNESIANS. 



PROCEEDING eastwards from Fiji, we pass over the boundary-line that separates tne dark 

 frizzly-haired Papuans from the brown Polynesians, who inhabit most of the Pacific islands. 

 The Polynesians are certainly of a distinct race; but for all that the term Polynesian implies 

 a purely arbitrary division, not founded upon geographical or racial distinctions. Polynesia 



