250 TUE CRUISE OF THE " CACEALOT." 



who swear at large about the evils of missionaries 

 would have been loud in their disgust at the entire 

 absence of drink and debauchery, and the prevalence 

 of what they would doubtless characterize as adjective 

 hypocrisy on the part of the nativus ; but no decent 

 man could help rejoicing at the peace, the security, and 

 friendliness manifested on every hand, nor help award- 

 ing unstinted praise to whoever had been the means of 

 bringing about so desirable a state of things. I felt 

 that their Sabbatarianism was carried to excess ; that 

 they would have been better, not worse, for a little less 

 church, and a little more innocent fun ; but ten thousand 

 times better thus than such scenes of lust let loose and 

 abandoned animalism as we witnessed at Honolulu. 

 What pleased me mightily was the absence of the white 

 man with his air of superiority and sleek overlordship. 

 All the worship, all the management of affairs, was 

 entirely in the hands of the natives themselves, and 

 excellently well did they manage everything. 



I shall never forget once going ashore in a somewhat 

 similar place, but very far distant, one Sunday morning, 

 to visit the mission station. It was a Church mission, 

 and a very handsome building the church was. By 

 the side of it stood the parsonage, a beautiful bungalow, 

 nestling in a perfect paradise of tropical flowers. The 

 somewhat intricate service was conducted, and the 

 sermon preached, entirely by natives — very creditably 

 too. After service I strolled into the parsonage to see 

 the reverend gentleman in charge, whom I found 

 supporting his burden in a long chair, with a tall glass 

 of brandy and soda vrithin easy reach, a fine cigar 

 between his lips, and a late 'volume of Ouida's in his 

 hand. All very pleasant and harmless, no doubt, but 

 hardly reconcilable with the ideal held up in missionary 



