’He was about eighteen or nineteen, as I suppose, the son of the great enchanter in Lifu in old times—­the hereditary high priest of Lifu indeed.  He was a simple-minded, gentle, good fellow, not one probably who would have been able to take a distinct line as a teacher, yet he might have done good service with a good teacher.  We found that afternoon a slate on which he had written down some thoughts when first taken ill, showing that he felt that he was sick unto death.  Very full of comfort were his written as well as his spoken words.’

On August 1, while the Bauro scholars were writing answers to questions on the Lord’s Prayer, a party of men and women arrived, headed by a man with a native scarf over his shoulders.  They had come to be taught, bringing provisions with them, and eating them, men and women together, a memorable infringement of one of the most unvarying customs of the Banks inhabitants; and from the conversation with them and with others, Bishop Patteson found that the work of breaking down had been attained, that of building up had to be begun.  They must learn that leaving off heathen practices was not the same thing as adopting the religion of Christ, and the kind of work which external influences had cut short in Lifu had to be begun with them.

’Soon, I think, the great difficulty must be met in Mota of teaching the Christian’s social and domestic life to people disposed to give up much of their old practices.  This is the point at which I suppose most Missions have broken down.  It is a great blessing indeed to reach it, but the building up of converts is the harder work.  Here, for example, a population of 1,500 people; at present they know all that is necessary for the cultivation of yams, &c., they build houses sufficient for the purpose of their present life, they are giving up fighting, losing-faith in their old charms and contrivances for compassing the death of their enemies; they will very likely soon be at peace throughout the whole island.  Well, then, they will be very idle, talk infinite scandal, indulge in any amount of gluttony; professing to believe our religion, their whole life will contradict that profession, unless their whole social and domestic life be changed, and a new character infused into them.  It would be a great mistake to suppose that the English aspect of the Christian’s social life is necessarily adapted to such races as these.  The Oriental tendencies of their minds, the wholly different circumstances of their lives, climate, absence of all poverty or dependence upon others, &c., will prevent them from ever becoming a little English community; but not, I trust, their becoming a Christian community.  But how shall I try to teach them to become industrious, persevering, honest, tidy, clean, careful with children, and all the rest of it?  What a different thing from just going about and teaching them the first principles of Christianity!  The second stage of a Mission is the really difficult one.’