Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/188

 118 A CONTRAST. From my own dwelling rolled the low tones of the harmonium, where my eldest daughter was practising the tunes for the coming Sabbath. From beyond, where the chapel lifted its silent form amidst the darkness, I could hear the sound of a hymn, sung in the native deacon’s cottage. There a party of natives had gathered for a Saturday evening prayer-meeting. As I stood there a gentle rain began to fall, and I could not help thinking of"My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew." Yes, Lord, Thy Word shall be as the rain which cometh down from heaven, and watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud. It doth not return unto Thee void, but accomplishes that which Thou pleasest, and prospers in the thing whereunto Thou hast sent it. And to Thy holy name be all the glory for ever and ever. To sum up the results of the Mission at this place, I may state that at the time when these words are being written there were twelve families living in cottages on the place, Christian homes, conducted with more or less comfort and decency. And I know that in those homes the voice of family devotion is heard morning and evening, led by the head of each family. This has come about by Christian influence, not by any positive command on my part. On the Lord’s Day, instead of a wild and oddly-dressed throng of savages, our chapel presents the appearance of a decentlydressed congregation of worshippers. And in the little village around us is carried on that conflict with sin and Satan which shall eventuate in the complete triumph of the Gospel. I should also state that I find that those natives who adopt a thoroughly civilised mode of life are the healthiest of their tribe. The most unhealthy are those who are neither civilised nor savage, but adopt a sort of half-and-half life. The writer feels that the results of this Mission abundantly prove that the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation of communities as well as individuals. Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ. To Him be the glory, and the dominion, and the majesty, and the victory for ever and ever. Amen.