Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/356

 326 FIJI AJS^D THE FIJIANS. were then urged to make progress in religion. A genuine and lively work of the Holy Spirit in their own souls was deemed essential as the foundation of usefulness. They were exhorted to pay particular atten- tion to religious duties, prayerfully reading God's holy word, and labouring to get to understand its meaning. The labour was very heavy, but the extent of the work demanded perseverance, and the good results were everywhere manifest. At immense toil, Mr. Lyth prepared a well-digested Teacher'' s Manual: being Instructions and Directions for the Management of the Work of God. This manual was specially applicable to the Lakemba Circuit, but will be very helpful throughout the Fiji Districts, as the work of God spreads. Plans were adopted for raising up an adequate supply of men for the increased demand. The Circuit was divided into seven branches, with English Missionaries in the Lakemba branch ; and a Native Assistant Missionary, under their superintendence, was placed over each of the others. The Mis- sionaries and their assistants were all employed in training men who gave promise of usefulness. Mr. Lyth's plan for the raising up and training of Native Agents was published in the General Eeport of the Wesleyan Missionary Society for 1854. The time of the Missionaries being now less occupied by school matters, greater attention was also paid to the pastoral oversight of the different Societies, and many voyages were made in the discharge of this duty. Several more islands lotued at the close of 1852. The following extracts from a letter written by Mr. Malvern, Jan- uary 15th, 1853, to the General Secretaries, are of interest : — " On Wednesday last I returned home from a pastoral visit to five of the islands belonging to this Circuit The members generally are in a good spiritual state I examined all the children's schools, and was p leased to find the scholars considerably advanced in reading, cat- echism, and the rudiments of religious knowledge. At a solevu ni wili- vola, ' school-feast,' in Kambara, the children of two small villages sang a native hymn very sweetly as they went to the chapel, and, after kneeling and chanting the Lord's Prayer, took their seats, and began repeating chapters from the New Testament. They repeated or chant- ed three long chapters without the slightest mistake. I then stopped them, as I could not afford time to hear more. On inquiry I found that they knew two more chapters, and were well acquainted with Mr. Hunt's Catechism. Seeing that much trouble had been bestowed on the children, I commended the Teachers for their pains, whereby they seemed amply rewarded At Vulanga, I was amused on looking over the Teacher's book of Circuit returns, to read under the head of