NATIVE TERRORS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 32, 7 August 1934, Page 5

NATIVE TERRORS

HAUNTED BY DEMONS

WORK OF MISSIONARIES

■ A story of pioneer work in a part of New Britain, where'no whito inau had penetrated before, was told at the annual meeting of the Melanesian Mission in London in Juno by the Eev. V. H. Sherwin. His story, he said, was a definite answer' to those uninformed people who -asked,"Why don't you leave these simple people to live their own simple life?" In .their native stato the natives, said Mr. Sherwin, continually went in fean They were haunted day and night by ghost-craft. A curse applied to a bunch of gummed hair often meant that a man died in a month or tw.o when physically there was nothing the matter with him. The first child born to a woman was considered to be haunted by demons, and was promptly pounded to death. The people were rotting with disease. ' * It was medical work that gave missionaries the confidence of the natives. But no one at first would dare to bo treated by the white man, for fear pi reprisals by the ghosts who had sent, the affliction. Then, after many months, they acquired a patient by chance and cured him. Nothing terrible happened and the word went round that the whito man's God was stronger than the power of tho ghosts. Then they wcro able to treat sonio of the younger men, who had a glimmering of something better than they were used to. Gradually, said Mr. Sherwin, they v,-ero able to gain the confidence of tho people, and the hospitals were always full. If pooplo wanted the answer to tho question "Why not leave the simple people to load the simple life often depicted by ignorant storywriters?" one had only to look into the, faces of tho ghost-ridden people in their native state, reeking with filth and disease, and then into tho faces of tho happy, carefree people who had come under the influence of the missionaries, and tho answer was plain to sec. The Eev., E. G. Rudgard spoke_of the central schools as the power stations of tho mission. Here a wonderful work was carried on year after year, and often unnoticed. It was from the schools, however, that the inspiration must come to raise the standard of native life. Many of tho boys trained wcro not fitted to bo native teachers, but even if they were not so fitted they went.; back to their people with a desire to improve the conditions. Mr. Budgard gave an interesting description of the training, both literary and practical, which the nativo boys obtained. Mr. Eedgravc spoke of the splendid medical work of the mission, He quoted the words of a native tcaelrer, who said j that there wcro two things entrusted to tho missionaries—that they should preach the Gospel and heal the sick; but they had not healed.the sick.'This had reference to Malata, whore they had to give up work among tho lepers for lack of funds..;;ln.;this place there wore 500 .lepera,' ... '■■'...'■■■•• •■•■'■ -: ■ :\.