savages, toiling at the anvil or the saw; erecting
for themselves substantial dwellings; thus
leading them by degrees to know and to appreciate
the comforts resulting from peaceful,
laborious, and useful occupations ? Then, while
they felt sincere gratitude for services rendered
them, at their leisure hours, and on
certain days, these missionaries should attempt
to expound to them, in as simple a manner as
possible, the nature of revealed religion!
In New Zealand, the “ mechanic” missionary
only carries on his trade till he has every
comfort around him,—his house finished, his
garden fenced, and a strong stockade enclosing
all, to keep off the “ pagan” savages.
This done, then commences the easy task of
preaching. They collect a few ragged urchins
of natives, whom they teach to read and write
their own language—the English tongue being
forbidden; and when these children return to
their families, they are despised by them, as
being effeminate and useless.
I once saw a sturdy blacksmith in the prime
of life, sitting in the midst of a group of
savages, attempting to expound to them the
mysteries of our holy redemption — perplexing
his own brains, as well as those of his
auditors, with the most incomprehensible and
absurd opinions. How much better would he
have been employed in teaching them how to
weld a piece of iron, or to make a nail!
What causes much disapprobation here, is
the contemptuous manner in which they treat
their own countrymen, as they receive most
of them on the outside of their stockade
fence.
On our return from Marsden Vale, our
savage friends laughed heartily at us. They
had warned us of the reception we should
meet with; and their delight at seeing us
again formed a strange contrast to that of
their Christian teachers, whose inhospitable
dwellings we determined never to re-enter.
A few days after my visit to the missionaries,
while we were busily employed in constructing
our huts, assisted by about fifty natives,
on a sudden a great commotion took place
amongst them. Each left his work and ran
to his hut, and immediately returned armed
with both musket and cartouch box; ap