Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/534

 496 FIJI AND THE FIJIAKS. do not plat sinnet, although living amidst groves of fine nuts. They once were more active, but have fallen into their present listless state in consequence of their having so long acted upon the principle of having as little to be encumbered by, or robbed of, as possible. " Not knowing how soon their houses might be in flames over their heads, they be- came very careless in their manner of building, and quite slovenly in the internal man- agement of their homes. The swarms of mosquitoes by which they are mostly teased, do not favour domestic comfort. The poor people are mostly destitute of the native cur- tain, which is the ornament of the houses, and defence of the persons, of the natives re- siding on the Windward Islands. — They supply its place by small low houses about six feet by eight, having only one opening at the end, so low that a person must creep to enter it. Into these huts six or eight persons crowd themselves, and, having closed the opening with a door of matted leaves, lie down amidst the smoke of a wood fire ; pur- chasing a respite from the bite of the mosquitoes at the cost of their eyes. Often, all their precautions are ineffectual ; and, finding that they cannot sleep, the more active betake themselves to the river for relief " Yet, after all their deficiencies and disadvantages, it would only need a little obser- vation to see that the professors of Christianity are decidedly in advance of the Heathen around them. Those who knew them three or four years ago, testify to their having made great improvement. Generally speaking, they are living in much better houses than the Heathen, and these houses have been built since they became Christians. I have been here only a short time, but I am happy to say there is a pleasing improvement in the inside of many of the houses. The advice given by myself and Mrs. TVilliams has not been entirely disregarded, and we trust that we are yet only seeing the beginning of days of order and cleanliness. " Another pleasing result of this people being Christian is the extension of their gardens. Two or three years back they had only a few limited beds of inferior dalo : these are now greatly enlarged, and considerable plantations of yams and bananas are cultivated in addition. Their bread-fruit trees, destroyed in war, are being restored : these amply repay the little care they require, and are a great ornament to the village. To promote a spirit of industry among the people of Tiliva, I have offered prizes for the best sample of yams and bananas. I am not at all sanguine about the success of this plan, as the people in Fiji generally do not care to improve upon the doings of their forefathers. " Respecting the benefit they have derived from Christianity there is but one opin- ion among the adults of Tiliva. They all acknowledge a vast improvement in their temporal circumstances; and in the hearts of many a gracious change has taken place. These enjoy a peace of which a short time ago they had no conception, and cherish hopes of the future, for which they gratefully acknowledge their obligation to the Gospel. " Except in case of sickness the people rarely absent themselves from the Sabbath services of the sanctuary ; and it is truly cheering to hear the united voices of seven- score Fijians, reclaimed from the waste of Heathenism, chant ' We praise Thee, God : we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord ;' following these ascriptions by acknowledgments of their belief that Christ will come to judge them, and soliciting His help, as creatures redeemed with His blood. Their attention to the preached word is encouraging, and their anstvers to questions proposed after the service frequently do them great credit. "Several of my Sabbaths on first settling here were rendered unusually interesting by baptisms, and the union of several Heathen to our congregation. On the second Sunday I baptized three children ; on the third, twelve adults : two of these were gray- headed men, grateful that their lives had been prolonged to the day on which they were thus publicly received as members of Christ's visible Church. On the three following Sundays companies of two or three Heathen united with us. My seventh Sunday was