in consequence of his fall from original innocence.  It teaches that as God has “made of one blood all nations to dwell together on the face of the whole earth,” and has given in virtue of this common origin one common nature destined to be pure and holy and divine, so, by virtue of Redemption and Regeneration, the image of God may be restored in all, and whatever is the result of his depravity therefore may be overcome.  And this seems to be the answer to all statements relating to the want of capacity in certain nations of the earth for the reception of Divine Truth, that every man, because he is a man, because he is a partaker of that very nature which has been taken into the Person of the Son of God, may by the grace of God be awakened to the sense of his true life, of his real dignity as a redeemed brother of Christ.

’The spark of heavenly fire may indeed have been all but quenched by the unbridled indulgence of his passions; the natural wickedness of the heart of man may have exhibited itself with greater fearfulness where no laws and customs have introduced restraints against at least the outward expression of vice; but the capacity for the Christian life is there; though overlaid, it may be, with monstrous forms of superstition or cruelty or ignorance, the conscience can still respond to the voice of the Gospel of Truth.’

And one who so entirely believed and acted upon these words found them true.  The man who verily treated the lads he had gathered round him with a perfectly genuine sympathy, a love and a self-denial—­nay more, an identification of self with them—­awoke all that was best in their characters, and met with full response.  Enthusiastic partiality of course there was in his estimate of them; but is it not one of the absolute requisites of a good educator to feel that enthusiasm, like the parent for the child?  And is it always the blind admiration at which outsiders smile; is it not rather indifference which is blind, and love which sees the truth?

’I would not exchange my position with these lads and young men for anything (he wrote, on December 8, to his uncle, the Eton master).  I wish you could see them and know them; I don’t think you ever had pupils that could win their way into your heart more effectually than these fellows have attached themselves to me.  It is no effort to love them heartily.  Gariri, a dear boy from San Cristoval, is standing by me now, at my desk, in amazement at the pace that my pen is going, not knowing that I could write to you, my dear old tutor, for hours together if I had nothing else to do.  He is, I suppose, about sixteen, a most loveable boy, gentle, affectionate, with all the tropical softness and kindliness.

’We have seven Solomon Islanders—­five from Mata, a village at the north-west of San Cristoval, and two from the south-east point of Guadalcanar, or Gera, a magnificent island about twenty-five or twenty miles to the north-west of San Cristoval.  From frequent intercourse they are almost bilingual, a great “lounge” for me, as one language does for both; the structure of the two island tongues is the same, but scarcely any words much alike.  However, that is not much odds.