Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/120

 94 FIJI Als^D THE FIJIAXS give forth music most excellent. The Christian mehe already quoted may be referred to as, at least, a promise and earnest of that better poetry which the Fijian will have to number among the abundant blessings brought to him by the religion of Jesus. Tlie transition is easy from this point to the moral aspect of the people of Fiji. In these islands, the theory of those who teach the innate perfectibility of man — an improvement ever developing itself with all the certainty of a fixed law — has had a thorough test, resulting in most signal failure. The morality of the heathen has been a pet subject with a certain class ; but experience teaches that the morality of which he often makes an imposing show, is negatived by the principle of evil within him. Every law of the Second Table is, more or less, acknowl- edged ; and every one is habitually and flagrantly broken. The movement apparent in the moral history of Fiji has been steadily and uniformly from bad to worse. Old men speak of the atrocities of recent times as altogether new, and far surpassing the deeds of cruelty which they witnessed fifty years ago. Pride and covetousness exercise a joint tyranny over the native mind. The Fijian is proud of his person. If he can add a clean masi to a well-oiled body and a bushy head of hair, his eye, his step, his every attitude is proud. Conversing one day with an old Somosomo priest, I mentioned the destitute condition of some of the natives of the New Hebrides, adding that they thought themselves very wise, and had many gods. The priest could not conceal his displeasure at the latter part of my remark. " Not possessed of masi^ and pretend to have gods ! " he muttered repeatedly with great contempt, evidently thinking that the few yards of masi round his own loins gave him an immense superiority over those poor creatures, whose presumption seemed so great in pretending to have any gods ! An amusing case occurred near my house. A heathen woman com- plained of being subject to the solicitations of some god, who was always standing near to entice her to him. Her husband appealed to me, either to drive away the god or his wife's delusion. The Rev. John Hunt was staying with me at the time, and we went together to the dwelling of the woman, he armed with a large dose of Epsom salts, and I with a bottle of spirits of hartshorn. On our arrival, we found the house filled with people, and the woman on her back in the midst, shouting lustily, " Let me alone, that I may return ! " The excitement was very great ; but the shouting was considerably checked by the sudden application of the hartshorn to her nose. When a light was brought, we discovered that our patient was by no means a Venus,