Malaysia Methodist Missions, 33 



bccn a decaying missionary zeal, and a 

 very large ctirtailnient of missionary re- 

 sults. Minnehassan in the north half of 

 the Celebes Islands was at one time known 

 as the 4< garden of the Lord," but it can 

 scarcely any longcr be thus characterizcd. 

 In Iater years some of the German missions 

 have bcgun wnrk with more than nrdinary 

 success. Particularly in the Island of Nias, 

 off the south of Sumatra, and on the ad- 

 jacent coast large outcomes have been se- 

 cured. 



Thc first attempt made by any American 

 mission was that of the American Board, 

 who sent two young missionaries, Lyrnan 

 and Munson, to evangelize the wild Battaks 

 of Sumatra. Both thcse young men were 

 killed by the Battaks, and it is said thcir 

 bodies were eaten m a great cannibal feast. 

 When the sad story was related to the 

 mother of one of them, in her little New 

 England home, she is said to have turned 

 to the next boy of the family and to have 

 said, "O, my son, somebody slioutd go to 

 try ancl teach thcse poor misguided people." 

 There were HQ further attempts made to 

 continue this mission, but the Episcopalians 

 3 



