BISHOP AND MARTYR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19601, 1 April 1927, Page 8

BISHOP AND MARTYR.

BOHW COLF^IDGE PATTESON* CENTENARY OF HIS BIRTH. A LIFE OF GREAT SERVICE. Giving not only service but life itself to e great missionary work in the Melanesian Islands, John Coleridge Patteson, first Bishop of MelanE»sia., naturally holds a prominent place among the world's famous missionaries. One hundred years ago to-day saw the birth of Bishop Patteson, and special services to be conducted in Auckland by the Melanesian Missions Board will serve to - perpetuate his memory. Holy Communion will be celebrated in St. Mary's Cathedral this morning, and an evennong service will be held in yOB Chvch of the Holy Sepulchre, Khyber Pass Road, in the evening. Fob lowing will be a public meeting in the iHoly Sepulchre parish hall, when addresses will be given by the Revs. Dr. C. E. Vox, R. Godfrey and C. L, Mountfort, jnismonaries on furlough,, Born in London on April 1, 1827, Bishop Patteson was the son of Sir John Patteson, justice of the King's Bench and of Frances Duke Coleridge, a near relative of Sanuel Taylor Coleridg®. possessing God-fe siring parents, it is little wonder that " Ooiey," as he came to bo called, was early imbued with a deep aenise of reverence for sacred things. He ysaa only six yes.rs old when he told his mother that of nil things he would like to be a clergyman. At eight years of age he was sent to the Ottery St. Mary School, in Devonshire, and from there passed on to Eton College. In 1845 he entered Ballial College, Oxford,, and studied there for three years. Six years later, the arrival of Bishop Selwyn in England with tales of Melanesian experiences induced Patteson to offer his serJrices for missionary work. Arrival ia Now Zealand. The future bishop first came to Auckland, which he described in one of his letters as a small seaside town, composed chiefly of rough-'bailfc houses. He worked st St. John's College until 1855, when, at the age of 29 years, he sailed with Bishop Selwyn for the Islands. A long voyage through the Islands gave Mr. Patteson his first experiences in missionary work. It was then, too, t.:iat he first came in contact with the slave traffic, whose vieioas influence was l>.ier to b-a the indirect cause of his death. A brief respite at St. John's College rind again the. Southern Cross ventured c'ut to the New Hebrides, carrying- Bishop iSelwyn and Mr. Patteson. More native pupils were gathered for training at St. John's College, and the interest that Mr. Patteson took in this work soon brought him under notice. IWith his exeeptonail powers as a linguist —he spoke 23 different languages with •&!ie~it is not ijiirpiising that his pupils' should have progressed speedily under bis tuition. Consecrated as Bishop. In 1861, in Sit. Paul's Church, Auckland, Mr. Patteson. was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia, and in 1862, he set cut on a cruise among the islands, comprising the New Hebrides and Solomon groups. With ei fearlessness which characterised all hiiii missionary work, he landed at many islands and conversed with all manner of savages. Sometimes meeting hostile natives, he was on more than one occasion threatened with a violent death. Ho succeeded, however, in sowing the goo<J: seed wherever he went and he returneil well satisfied with his work. After a health visit to Australia he was again back in harness. A visiit paid to. Santa Cruz was fraught with great danger to the bishop, who, when attempting to laud, was chased by hostile savages back to his ship. First established on Mota Island, the headquarters of the mission were later transferred to Norfolk Island. The work of founding the mission on the latter island was full of incident and the bishop had much to ertgage his attention. In 18(38, he had the supreme joy of being able to ordain a Melanesian, George Sarajvia, as a Christian minister. Last Hears of Bishop. The year 1871), amid its record of unSagging 'coil, is marked by a serious illness of the bishop, who returned to Auckland to obtain skilled medical attention. His New Zealand stay was but of short duration, for ill news of renewed activities by slave iraders took him back to bis sphere of work. He found that the traders, in their evil work, had madf> free use of his name to decoy native? to their ships. Tie state of things; was so bad that it threatened the extinction of the mission. With renewed vigour Bishop Patteson entered heart and soul into his •work and onco more he won the confidence of the natives. Then came the tragic happening which resulted in the bishop's death. Landing st. Nukapu he confidently went to greet the natives of the island, while his companions waited. That was the last time that he was seen alive, for his bodv was later found in a canoe floating out from the island. It is stated that the deed %vas committed in revenge for the killing of five natives by white men.