144 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
usually read a sermon in the English language in our 
own families. 
The attendance of the people is regular, and the 
attention seldom diverted. At first we perceived a great 
inclination to drowsiness, especially during the after¬ 
noon : at this we were not surprised, when we recollected 
that this was the manner in which they were accustomed 
to spend several hours every day, and that they were 
also unaccustomed to fixedness of attention, or exercise 
of thought on a particular subject, for any length of 
time. This habit, however, has, we have reason to 
believe, very greatly diminished in all the islands, and 
more particularly where congregations are accustomed 
regularly to assemble. 
The scrupulous attention to the outward observance 
of the Sabbath, may perhaps in some degree be the 
result of the impression left on the minds of the 
people by the distinguishing features of their former 
system, in which all the efficacy of their services con¬ 
sisted in the rigid exactness with which sacred days 
were kept, and religious ceremonies performed, without 
^the least regard to the motives and dispositions of the 
devotees. To have kindled a fire, or to have failed in 
the observance of any rite enjoined, or restriction im¬ 
posed, during their tahu, or sacred seasons, would have 
been sufficient, not only to have neutralized all the 
advantages expected from the most costly offerings or 
tedious services, but would have exposed the offenders 
to the anger of the god, and perhaps to death as its 
consequence. 
With many, the influence of a system so inflexible 
has probably operated very powerfully in producing 
this uniform attention, at least to the outward duties 
