Books: Life of John Coleridge Patteson

C >> Charlotte M. Yonge >> Life of John Coleridge Patteson

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'November 27th.--I leave this as I wrote it, though now I know from
our mails, which have come to us, that you are Bishop of Salisbury,
not of Winchester. I hardly stop to think whether it is Winchester
or Salisbury, so great is my thankfulness and joy at the report being
substantially true. Though it did seem that Winchester was a natural
sphere for you, I can't help feeling that at Salisbury you can do
(D.V.) what perhaps scarcely any one else could do. And now I
rejoice that you have had the opportunity of speaking with no
uncertain sound in your "Bampton Lectures." Anyone can tell what the
Bishop of Salisbury holds on the great questions of Church Doctrine
and Church Government. The diocese knows already its Bishop, not
only by many former but by his latest book. Surely you will have the
confidence of all Churchmen, and be blessed to do a great work for
the glory of God and the edification of the Church.

'And now, my dear Bishop of Salisbury, you will excuse my writing on
so freely, too freely I fear. I do like to think of you in that most
perfect of Cathedrals. I hope and trust that you will have ere long,
right good fellow-workers in Exeter, Winton, and Bath and Wells.

'But in the colonies you have a congeries of men from all countries,
and with every variety of creed, jumbled up together, with nothing
whatever to hold them together--no reverence--no thoughts of the old
parish church, &c. They are restless, worldly people to a great
extent, thinking of getting on, making money. To such men the very
idea of the Church as a Divine Institution, the mystical Body of the
Lord, on which all graces are bestowed, and through whose
ministrations men are trained in holiness and truth, is wholly
unknown. The personal religion of many a man is sincere; his
position and duty as a Churchman he has never thought about. I wish
the clergy would master that part, at all events, of your Lectures
which deals with this great fundamental point, and then, as they have
opportunity, teach it to their people. And by-and-by, through the
collective life of the Church in its synods, &c., many will come to
see it, we may hope.

'I think that I may give you a cheering account of ourselves. I was
nineteen weeks in the islands--met with no adventures worth
mentioning, only one little affair which was rather critical for a
few minutes, but ended very well--and in some of the Solomon Islands
made more way than heretofore with the people. We have 134
Melanesians here and a baby. George Sarawia and his wife and two
children, and two other married couples--all Communicants--are at
Mota, in a nice place, with some twenty-two lads "boarding" with
them, and about thirty more coming to daily school.

'The vessel was much knocked about in a violent gale in June off
Norfolk Island, and we had to handle her very carefully. The whole
voyage was made with a mainmast badly sprung, and fore topmast very
shaky. Mr. Tilly was very watchful over the spars, and though we had
a large share of squally weather, and for some days, at different
times, were becalmed in a heavy swell, the most trying of all
situations to the gear of a vessel, yet, thank God, all went well,
and I have heard of the schooner safe in Auckland harbour. About
forty of our Melanesians here are Solomon Islanders, from seven
different islands; a few came from the New Hebrides, the rest from
the Banks Islands. We are already pretty well settled down to our
work. Indeed, it took only a day or two to get to work; our old
scholars are such great helpers to us. We number six clergymen here
(G. Sarawia being at Mota). Ten or twelve of the sixth form are
teachers. If you care to hear more; I must refer you to a letter
just written to Miss Yonge. But it is not easy to write details
about 134 young people. Their temptations are very great when they
return to their islands; every inducement to profligacy, &c., is held
out to them. One of our young baptized lads fell into sinful ways,
and is not now with us. He was not one of whom we had great
expectations, though we trusted that he would go on steadily. Many
others, thank God, were kept pure and truthful in the midst of it
all, refusing even to sleep one night away from our little hut, and
in some cases refusing even to leave the schooner. "No, I will wait
till I am married," said two lads to me, who were married here to
Christian girls on November 24th, "and then go ashore for a time with
my young wife. I don't think I should yield, but I don't want to put
myself in the way of such temptations." And so, when I had naturally
expected that they would take their six weeks' holiday on shore,
while the "Southern Cross" went from Mota to Norfolk Island and back
(during my stay at Mota), they remained on board, rejoining me, as
they were two of my boating crew, for the New Hebrides trip! This
was very comforting. And when I married three couples on November
24th, and knew that they were pure, youths and girls alike, from the
great sin of heathenism, you can well think that my heart was very
full of thankfulness and hope.

'I must end my long letter. How will you find time to read it?
Send me some day a photograph of your beautiful Cathedral.

'Yours very faithfully,

'J. C. PATTESON.'

Before the letter to which Bishop Moberly is referred, Mr. Codring-
ton's bit about the weddings seems appropriate:--

'These wedding days were great festivals, especially before many had
been seen. The Chapel was dressed with flowers, the wedding party in
as new and cheerful attire as could be procured, the English Marriage
Service translated into Mota. We make rings out of sixpences or
threepenny bits. The place before is full of the sound of the hammer
tapping the silver on the marlingspike. The wedding ceremony is
performed with as much solemnity as possible, all the school present
in their new clothes and with flowers in their hair. There is even a
kind of processional Psalm as the wedding party enters the Chapel.
There is of course a holiday, and after the service they all go off,
taking with them the pig that has been killed for the feast. An
enormous quantity of plum pudding awaits them when, in the evening,
they come back to prayers and supper. Rounds of hearty cheers, led
off by the Bishop, used to complete the day. Weddings of this kind
between old scholars, christened, confirmed, and trustworthy,
represented much anxiety and much teaching and expense, but they
promise so much, and that so near of what has been worked for, that
they have brought with them extraordinary pleasure and satisfaction.'

'Norfolk Island: November 24, 1869.

'My dear Cousin,--To-day we married three young couples: the
bridegrooms. Robert Pantatun, William Pasvorang, and Marsden Sawa,
who have been many years with us, and are all Communicants; the
brides, Emily Milerauwe, Lydia Lastitia, and Rhoda Titrakrauwe, who
were baptized a year ago.

'The Chapel was very prettily dressed up with lilies and many other
flowers. The bridegrooms wore white trousers, shirts, &c., the
brides wore pretty simple dresses and flowers in their hair. We
crowded as many persons as possible into our little Chapel. Mr.
Nobbs and some ten or twelve of our Pitcairn friends were all the
visitors that we could manage to make room for.

'Great festivities followed, a large pig was killed yesterday and
eaten to-day, and Mr. Palmer had manufactured puddings without end, a
new kind of food to many of the present set of scholars, but highly
appreciated by most of them. Then followed in the evening native
dances and songs, and a supper to end with, with cheers for the
brides and bridegrooms.

'There are now six married couples here, three more at Mota, and one
or two more weddings will take place soon. Very fortunately, a
vessel came from Auckland only three or four days ago, the first
since the "Southern Cross," in June, It brought not only five mails
for us English folk, but endless packages and boxes for the Mission,
ordered by us long ago, stores, clothing, &c. We had all ordered
more or less in the way of presents for scholars, and though we keep
most of these treasures for Christmas gifts, yet some are distributed
now.

'These presents are for the most part really good things. It is
quite useless for kind friends to send presents to Melanesians as
they would do to an English lad or girl. To begin with, most of our
scholars are grown up, and are more like English young people of
twenty or eighteen years old than like boys and girls, and not a few
are older still; and secondly, no Melanesian, old or young, cares a
rush about a toy. They, boys and girls, men and women, take a
practical view of a present, and are the very reverse of sentimental
about it, though they really do like a photograph of a friend. But a
mere Brummagem article that won't stand wear is quite valueless in
their eyes.

'Whatever is given them, cheap or dear, is estimated according to its
usefulness; and whatever is given, though it may cost but a shilling,
must be good of its kind. For example, a rough-handled, single-
bladed knife, bought for a shilling, they fully appreciate; but a
knife with half-a-dozen blades, bought for eighteen-pence, they would
almost throw away. And so about everything else. I mention this as
a hint to kind friends. They do like to hear that people think of
them and are kind to them, but they don't understand why useless
things should be sent from the other end of the world when they could
buy much better things with their own money out of the mission store
here.

'They are very fond of anything in the way of notebooks, 8vo and 12mo
sizes (good paper), writing-cases (which must be good if given at
all), patent safety inkstands--these things are useful on board ship,
and can be carried to the islands and brought back again safely.
Work-baskets or boxes for the girls, with good serviceable needles,
pins, thread, scissors, thimbles, tapes, &c. &c., not a plaything.
Here we can buy for them, or keep in the store for them to buy, many
things that are much too bulky to send from a distance, the freight
would be ruinous. The "Southern Cross" brings them usually to us.
Such things I mean as good carpet-bags, from 5s. to 10s., stout tin
boxes with locks and keys, axes, tools, straw hats, saucepans, good
strong stuff (tweed or moleskin) for trousers and shirts, which they
cut out and make up for themselves, quite understanding the inferior
character of "slop" work, good flannel for under-shirts, or for
making up into Crimean shirts, Nottingham drill, good towelling,
huckaback, &c., ought to be worth while to send out, and if bought in
large quantities at the manufacturer's, it would pay us to get it in
England, especially if the said manufacturer reduced the price a
little in consequence of the use to be made of his goods.

'Dull small blue beads are always useful, ditto red. Bright
glittering ones are no use, few Melanesians would take them as a
gift. Some islanders like large beads, as big or bigger than boys'
marbles. These are some hints to any kind people who may wish to
contribute in kind rather than in money.

'Mr. Codrington has given these fellows a great taste for gardening.
Much of their spare hours (which are not many) are spent in digging
up, fencing in and preparing little pieces of land close about the
station, two or three lads generally making up a party, and
frequently the party consists of lads and young men from different
islands. Then they have presents of seeds, cuttings, bulbs, &c.,
from Mr. Codrington chiefly, and Mrs. Palmer and others contribute.
Some of these little gardens are really very nicely laid out in good
taste and well looked after. They have an eye to the practically
useful here too, as every garden has its stock of bananas, and here
and there we see the sugar-cane too.

'From 3.30 P.M. to 6 P.M. is the play time, although they do not all
have this time to themselves. For three lads must milk from 5 to 6,
one or two must drive in the cows, seven or eight are in the kitchen,
three or four must wash the horses, one must drive the sheep into the
fold, all but the milkers have only their one week of these diverse
occupations. There are about twelve head cooks, who choose their
helpers (the whole school, minus the milkers and two or three
overlookers, being included), and so the cooking work comes only once
in twelve weeks. The cooks of the one week drive up the cows and
water the horses the next week, and then there is no extra work, that
is, nothing but the regular daily work from 9.30 A.M. after school to
1 P.M. Wednesday is a half-holiday, Saturday a whole holiday. There
are six milkers, one of whom is responsible for the whole. One
receives 2s. 0d. per week, his chief mate 1s. 6d., and the other four
1s. each. They take it in turns, three each week. This is the
hardest work in one sense; it brings them in from their play and
fishing, or gardening, &c., and so they are paid for it. We do not
approve of the white man being paid for everything, and the
Melanesian being expected to work habitually extra hours for nothing.
There are many other little extra occupations for which we take care
that those engaged in them shall have some reward, and as a matter of
fact a good deal of money finds its way into the hands of the
storekeeper, and a very fair amount of 3d., 4d. and 6d. pieces may be
seen every Sunday in the offertory bason.

'Perhaps I should say that we have seldom seen here any indications
of these Melanesians expecting money or presents; but we want to
destroy the idea in their minds of their being fags by nature, and to
help them to have some proper self-respect and independence of
character. We see very little in them to make us apprehensive of
their being covetous or stingy, and indisposed to give service
freely.

'School hours 8-9.20, 2-3.30, singing 7-8 P.M., chapel 6.45 A.M.,
6.30 P.M.

'Of the 134 Melanesians, besides the baby, ten are teachers, and with
their help we get on very fairly. There are sixteen of us teachers
in all, so that the classes are not too large.

'Mr. Codrington takes at present the elder Banks Islanders, Mr.
Palmer the next class, and Mr. Bice the youngest set of boys from the
same group.

'Mr. Atkin takes the Southern Solomon Islanders, and Mr. Brooke those
from the northern parts of the same group. I have been taking some
Leper's Islanders and Maiwo or Aurora Islanders as new comers, and
other classes occasionally.

'Out of so many we shall weed out a good number no doubt. At present
we don't condemn any as hopelessly dull, but it will not be worth
while to spend much time upon lads who in five months must go home
for good, and some such there must be; we cannot attempt to teach
all, dull and clever alike. We must make selections, and in so doing
often, I dare say, make mistakes. But what can we do?

'Our new hall is a great success. We had all the framework sawn out
here; it is solid, almost massive work, very unlike the flimsy wooden
buildings that are run up in a week or two in most colonial villages.
It is so large that our party of 145, plus 9 English, sit in the
aisles without occupying any part of the middle of the room. This
gives us ample accommodation for the present. Indeed we might
increase our numbers to 200 without any more buildings being
necessary. The married people give the most trouble in this respect,
as they have their separate rooms, and four or five married couples
take up more room than three times the number of single folk.
However we have here room for all, I am thankful to say, though we
must build again if more of our young people take it into their heads
to be married. They pass on quickly, however, when married, into the
next stage, the life in their own islands, and so they leave their
quarters here for some successors.

'I hope you can understand this attempt at a description, but I never
could write properly about such things, and never shall do so, I
suppose. I like the life, I know, a great deal better than I can
write about it. Indeed, it is a quiet restful life here,
comparatively. Some anxieties always, of course, but, as compared
with the distractions of New Zealand life, it is pleasant indeed. We
have very few interruptions here to the regular employment of our
time, and need not waste any of it in visits or small talk, which
seems to be a necessary, though most wearisome part of civilised
life.

'Your namesake goes on well; not a clever girl, but very steady and
good; her sister and brother are here; the sisters are much alike in
character and ability, the brother is sharper. You will, I know,
specially think of George Sarawia and his wife Sarah at Mota, with
Charles and Ellen, Benjamin and Marion. They are all Communicants,
but the temptations which surround them are very great, and early
familiarity with heathen practices and modes of thought may yet
deaden the conscience to the quick apprehension of the first
approaches of sin. They do indeed need the earnest prayers of all.

'Your affectionate Cousin,

'J. C. PATTESON.'

How many sons who have lost a mother at fifteen or sixteen dwell on
the thought like this affectionate spirit, twenty-seven years later?

'Advent Sunday, November 20, 1869.

'It is a solemn thing to begin a new year on the anniversary of our
dear Mother's death. I often think whether she would approve of this
or that opinion, action, &c. Wright's painting is pleasant to look
upon. I stand in a corner of my room, at father's old mahogany desk.
Her picture and his, the large framed photographs from Richmond's
drawing, and a good photograph of the Bishop are just above. I wish
you could see my room. I write now on December 3, a bright summer
day, but my room with its deep verandah is cool and shady. It is
true that I refuse carpet and curtains. They only hold dust and make
the room fusty. But the whole room is filled with books, and those
pictures, and the Lionardo da Vinci over the fireplace, and Mr.
Boxall's photograph over it, and his drawing vis-a-vis to it at the
other end of the room, and by my window a splendid gloxinia with fine
full flowers out in a very pretty porcelain pot, both Mr.
Codrington's gift. On another glass stand (also his present) a Mota
flower imported here, a brilliant scarlet hibiscus, and blossoms of
my creepers and bignonia, most beautiful. So fresh and pretty. The
steps of the verandah are a mass of honeysuckle. The stephanotis,
with the beautiful scented white flowers and glossy leaves, covers
one of the posts. How pleasant it is. Everyone is kind, all are
well, all are going on well just now. Such are missionary comforts.
Where the hardships are I have not yet discovered. Your chain, dear
Joan, is round my neck, and the locket (Mamma's) in which you, Fan,
put the hair of you five, hangs on it.

'I am dipping my pen into the old silver inkstand which used to be in
the front drawing-room. Every morning at about 5 A.M. I have a cup
of tea or coffee, and use Grandmamma Coleridge's old-fashioned silver
cream-jug, and the cup and saucer which Augusta sent out years ago,
my old christening spoon, and the old silver tea-pot and salver.
Very grand, but I like the old things.

'This day fortnight (D.V.) I ordain J. Atkin and C. H. Brooke
Priests.

'I have no time to answer your April and September letters. I
rejoice with all my heart to hear of Dr. Moberly's appointment. What
a joyful event for Charlotte Yonge. That child Pena sent me Shairp's
(dear old Shairp) book, which I wanted. I must write to Sophy as
soon as I can. You will forgive if I have seemed to be, or really
have been, unmindful of your sorrows and anxieties. Sometimes I
think I am in too great a whirl to think long enough to realise and
enter into all your doings.

'Your loving Brother,

'J. C. P.'

The intended letter to Mrs. Martyn was soon written. The death there
referred to was that of Mrs. William Coleridge, widow of the Bishop
of Barbadoes:-

'Norfolk Island: December 14, 1869.

'My dear Sophy,--I should be specially thinking of you as Christmas
draws nigh with its blessed thoughts, and hopes, and the St.
Stephen's memories in any case I should be thinking of you. But now
I have lately received your long loving letter of last Eastertide,
partly written in bed.

Then your dear child's illness makes me think greatly (and how
lovingly!) of you three of the three generations. Lastly, I hear of
dear Aunt William's death. You know that I had a very great
affection for her, and I feel that this is a great blow probably to
you all, though dear Aunty (as I have noticed in all old persons,
especially when good as well as old) takes this quietly, I dare say.
The feeling must be, "Well, I shall soon meet her again; a few short
days only remain."

'I suppose that you, with your quarter of a century's widowhood,
still feel as if the waiting time was all sanctified by the thought
of the reunion. Oh! what a thought it is: too much almost to think
that by His wonderful mercy, one may hope to be with them all, and
for ever; to behold the faces of Apostles, and Apostolic men, and
Prophets, and Saints, holy men and women; and, as if this were not
enough, to see Him as He is, in His essential perfections, and to
know Him. One can't sustain the effort of such a thought, which
shows how great a change must pass on one before the great
Consummation. Well, the more one can think of dear Father and
Mother, and dear dear Uncle James and Uncle Frank, and Cousin George,
and Uncle and Aunt William, others too, uncles and aunts, and your
dear Fanny, and your husband, though it would be untrue to say I knew
him, taken so early--the more one thinks of them all the better. And
I have, Sophy, so many very different ones to think of Edwin and
Fisher, and so many Melanesians taken away in the very first
earnestness and simplicity of a new convert's faith. How many have
died in my arms--God be thanked--in good hope!

'If by His great mercy there be a place for me there, I feel
persuaded that I shall there find many of those dear lads, whom
indeed I think of with a full heart, full of affection and
thankfulness.

'I have been reading the "Memoir of Mr. Keble," of course with
extreme interest. It is all about events and chiefly about persons
that one has heard about or even known. I think we get a little
autobiography of our dear Uncle John in it too, for which I don't
like it the less.

There are passages, as against going to Borne, which I am glad to see
in print; they are wanted now again, I fear. I am glad you like
Moberly's "Bampton Lectures." His book on "The Great Forty Days,"
his best book (?) after all, has the germ of it all. I am so
thankful for his appointment to Salisbury. I dare say you know that
he is kind enough to write to me occasionally; and he sends me his
books, one of the greatest of the indirect blessings of being known
to Mr. Keble. I do very little in the way of reading, save that I
get a quiet hour for Hebrew, 5-6 A.M., and I do read some theology.
In one sense it is easier reading to me than other books, history,
poetry, because, though I don't know much about it, I know nothing
about them.

'My pleasure would be, if with you, in talking over such little
insight as I may have received into the wondrous harmony and symmetry
of the whole Bible, by tolerably close examination of the text of the
Greek, and to some extent of the Hebrew. The way in which a peculiar
word brings a whole passage or argument en rapport with a train of
historical associations or previous statements is wonderful; e.g.,
the verb of which Moses is formed occurs only in Exodus ii. 10,
2 Samuel xxii. 17, Psalm xviii. 16. See how the magnificent
description of the Passage of the Red Sea in Psalm xviii. is
connected with Moses by this one word. These undesigned
coincidences, and (surely) proofs of inspiration are innumerable.

'I do delight in it: only I want more help, far more. We have great
advantages in this generation. Dear Uncle James had no Commentary,
one might almost say, on Old Testament or New Testament. Ellicott,
Wordsworth, and Alford on the New Testament were not in existence;
and the Germans, used with discrimination, are great helps. An
orthodox Lutheran, one Delitzsch (of whom Liddon wrote that Dr. Pusey
thinks highly of his Hebrew scholarship), helps me much in Isaiah.
He has sucked all the best part out of Vitringa's enormous book, and
added much minute, and I am told correct criticism. And how grand it
is! This morning--it is now 6.15 A.M.--I have been reading part of
that wonderful chapter xxvi.

'It strikes me that the way to teach a class or a congregation is to
bring out the doctrine from the very words of Scripture carefully,
critically examined and explained. Only think, Sophy, of the vague
desultory way in which we all, more or less, read; and we have
accepted a phraseology without enquiring to a great extent, and use
words to which we attach no definite meaning. Few in the
congregation could draw out in clear words what they mean when they
talk of faith, justification, regeneration, conversion, &c. &c. All
language denoting ideas and thoughts is transferred to the region of
the mind from denoting at first only external objects and sensations.
This is in accordance with the mystery of all, the union of mind and
matter--which no pagan philosopher could comprehend--the extreme
difficulty of solving which caused Dualism and Asceticism on the one
hand, and neglect of all bodily discipline on the other. Mind and
matter must be antagonistic, the work of different beings: man must
get rid of his material part to arrive at his true end and
perfection.