272 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
reader, will, in many perhaps important parts, 
appear enigmatical to those who have never 
seen any other society than such as that now 
under consideration. It has always appeared 
to me, in reference to an uncivilized, illiterate 
people, who are to be raised from ignorance, bar¬ 
barism, and idolatry, to a state of intelligence, 
enjoyment, and piety—where their character, 
habits, taste, and opinions, have to be formed 
principally, if not entirely, by the Missionary-— 
that for some generations, at least, every Mission¬ 
ary’s child, trained for the Missionary work even 
by a father’s hand, and blessed with the grace of 
God, ought to finish his education in the land of 
his parents, prior to entering upon the work to 
which his life is devoted. 
Many a Missionary spends the greater part of 
his life without being able to produce any powerful 
or favourable impression upon the people among 
whom he has laboured; others expire in a field, 
on which they have bestowed fervent prayer, tears, 
and toil, but from which no fruit has been ga¬ 
thered ; the second generation have to commence 
their labours under circumstances corresponding 
with those under which their predecessors began. 
When success attends their efforts, and a change 
takes place decisive and extensive as that which 
has occurred in the South Sea Islands; yet so 
mighty is the work, so deep the prejudices, so 
difficult to be overcome are evil habits, and so 
slow the process of improvement upon a broad 
scale, even under the most favourable circum¬ 
stances, that the ordinary period of a Missionary’s 
life in actual service, is too short to raise them from 
their wretchedness, to a standard in morals, habits, 
intelligence, and stability in religion, at which 
