84 A MISSION TO VITI. 
teachers. A large square piece of ground had been set 
aside for a number of houses surrounded by little gardens 
in which the teachers resided. Some of these teachers 
were Fijian, some Tonguese. The natives like their own 
countrymen best, because they always suspect the Ton- 
guese, and with good reason, of playing into the hands 
of the Tonguese chiefs, whose great aim is to make them- 
selves masters of Fiji. These teachers, after having been 
properly trained at this institution, are sent as residents to 
those parts of the country which have applied for them ; 
and they are of very essential service in preparing the 
ground for the white missionaries, whose limited number 
is quite inadequate to the great task set before them, 
that of christianizing Fiji. Many parts of the group 
are now anxiously desiring the Gospel, but, with so few 
labourers in the field and only limited funds, it is im- 
possible to do much more than is now attempted. Apart 
from any religious consideration, I should always sup- 
port the Protestant missionary in preference to the Ro- 
man Catholic, because the latter attempts simply the con- 
version of the heathen, whilst the Protestant not only 
christianizes, but at the same time civilizes them. The 
quiet, well-regulated family life and cleanly habits which 
our Protestant missionaries set before the savage, are of 
inestimable value to the people whom they endeavour to 
raise in the scale of humanity. It is quite wrong to 
suppose that savages do not notice whether a man wears 
clean linen and is well washed or not. They do notice 
it, and never fail to draw comparisons in favour of those 
who, by means of their comfortable homes, are enabled 
to appear before them as good examples of cleanliness. 
