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A NATIVE SCHOOL IN NEW ZEALAND.

often when the bell rings, we see the children running to school at their utmost speed, and the mother, with a child at her back, racing after them to try and persuade them not to mind school till to-morrow, but go and hoe up the potatoes. But it so happens that the children at home are generally masters; so, having secured the good-will of the influential party, our attendance, unless they are too far away, is very good. It is amusing to see some of them, if a canoe be not at hand when the bell rings, tie their clothes in a bundle on their heads, and swim across the river. Others have descended a mountain upwards of 3000 feet, every morning, and are often here soon after six o'clock.

"During the present year they have been taught in reading, writing, (English and Maori), arithmetical tables, a few lessons in geography, catechism, and singing. They are now able to conduct the congregational singing to the great delight of the natives, parents and others. Through the kindness of ladies in England, we are able to clothe the children on Sundays: the clothes are returned on Sunday evening.

"The progress of the children has been, on the whole, the whole, satisfactory during the year. They have also

much improved in outward appearance; all being obliged to attend clean. When we came, all the boys, and girls too, used to smoke, but that bad habit is now banished."

It seems to be no uncommon thing for the scholars to swim to school. Two gentlemen, one of whom was a missionary, were standing on a hill overlooking a valley with a river running through it, when the attention of one of them was attracted by some specks in the river. Upon his asking what they were, he was requested to wait and

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"Oh come with the morning's earliest ray,
Joyfully onward to take our way,
Across the wide valley or sunny plain,
Till our teacher's distant house we gain.
See where the walls of the school-house white
Cheerfully gleam in the morning light!

Many a wonderful thing is there

Books which can speak, though no voice we hear;
Slates, which can carry our thoughts away,
Though never a word with our lips we say;
And pictures and beautiful maps, to tell
Of the far-off countries where strangers dwell.'

"But the little ones came to a river's side,
Where gently onward the wavelets glide;
But, ah! neither bridge nor boat is there
To help them over the waters fair.
Do the little travellers turn again,
And retrace their steps over valley and plain?
No! with their treasured books held high,

Lightly they spring from the herbage dry,

MURDER OF A MISSIONARY CREW IN PATAGONIA.

And, manfully breasting the yielding wave,
No help from bridge or from boat they crave;
But quickly land on the opposite shore,
And soon are safe at the school-house door.

"Oh, could some of our English children feel
But a spark of the little islanders' zeal,
How soon would each vacant class be full
In our happy English Sunday-school!"

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MURDER OF A MISSIONARY CREW IN PATAGONIA.

SOME years ago a noble-minded man, named Captain Allen Gardiner, became deeply impressed with the need of missionaries being sent to the savages of Patagonia, a country at the extreme south of South America. It was long before he could carry out his plan; but at last he landed in Patagonia with a small band of devoted Christian men, who, like himself, were ready to give up all for Christ; and it was not long before they were called to give up all, even their lives. The natives were so fierce that they had to flee from them, and take refuge in their boats. One of the saddest stories I ever read, is the tale of these good men's sufferings. One by one they died; some murdered by the savages; some struck down by disease brought on by want of food and exposure to the cold, it being one of the stormiest regions in the world; and the remainder actually starved to death. When a British ship of war was sent there to search for Captain Gardiner and his companions, their bodies were discovered in a cave on the shore, and a journal of those sad

weeks and months was found in the pocket of one of them, Richard Williams, the surgeon. It is almost too painful to read of the terrible sufferings of these good men, all borne so patiently too, that it is wonderful to find them so happy and cheerful in the midst of them. Oh, the weary watching for the English ship which was to come and bring them food, which never came! and yet, not one of them ever regretted that he had come. Richard Williams lying sick in his boat, with only a wretched rotten canvas to keep him from the pelting rain, could write such words as these in his journal:-"I would not exchange my present condition with that of any man in this world !" So full of joy was he from the love of Christ in his soul.

When the sad news reached us in this country, though all Christians who read the tale felt a thrill of admiration at the devotedness of these missionary martyrs, yet there were many who said, "Patagonia must be given up; we cannot afford to have our missionaries murdered by such savages." But others said, "No;

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Accordingly a ship was purchased, named the Allen Gardiner after that good man, and sent to the Falkland Islands, near Patagonia. Fourteen Patagonians were induced to come to the islands for instruction, and for some time all seemed to be going on well. But sad news has reached us.

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we will not give up those poor people; vice, however, they attacked and the more fierce and wicked they are, murdered the whole of the little band the greater need there is that the of Christians! The only one left gospel shall be sent to them.” alive to tell the tale was the cook, who had been left in the ship. He had rowed to land when he heard the uproar, and was just in time to see the terrible massacre. He escaped into the woods, where he lay hidden for four days. At length he fell into the hands of the natives; but strange to say he was not injured by them. He lived among the savages for three months, and was treated by them with great respect. Very glad was he though when a British ship came to the place and took him away from Patagonia.

One Sabbath morning, the captain and sailors of the Allen Gardiner, with the catechist, went on shore to hold public worship, the natives looking on and appearing quite friendly. In the middle of the ser

WOMAN IN INDIA.

name into her lips. She may call him 'lord,' 'master,' or 'the father of her son,' but his name she must never mention.

MRS MULLENS, the wife of the Rev. | worthy even to take her husband's J. Mullens of Calcutta, has seen more than most Christian ladies of the state of female society in India. In the Female Missionary Intelligencer for June, Mrs Mullens has given some facts upon this subject, which we are sure will instruct and interest our readers.

"The degradation of the female sex in India," Mrs Mullens says, "is most painful to witness, and it is singular in how many trifling circumstances this shows itself. For instance, a wife is not thought

"It is difficult even to show our Christian women the absurdity of this. I do not believe any native Christian has been known to call her husband by his name; and some even carry their objection further, by avoiding the name under all circumstances and in all places. Thus, I have two sisters in my Bible class, whose husbands bear the names of

WOMAN IN INDIA.

Paul and Joseph. Whenever these names occur in our Bible reading, they try to get the woman next to them to read their verse, or if this fails, they read their verse, but leave out the objectionable word.

"As many men bear names like these, Sun, Moon, Star, Happiness, Wisdom, it is particularly distressing for their wives to read aloud at all, for whenever those words occur, they come to a standstill. This is from the mere force of habit and national custom, not because they think it wrong; and even objections like these are fast vanishing before the light of the gospel; they are feeling now that there is neither male nor female, for they are all one in Christ Jesus.'

"One day one of my mother's servants, an Ayah, was taken ill. She was a very pretty young woman, and as much loved by her husband as Bengalee wives usually are; yet he refused to get a doctor for her, saying to the poor dying girl, 'The money I should now waste on you will pay for my marriage-feast, when I marry your successor.' Three

months after that, his new wife was brought home.

"Another day, our cook asked for a holiday; a friend had invited us to dinner, so I let him go. As soon as he had gone, one of the

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"I found the poor creature had cholera. She said her husband had sat up with her part of the night, but, towards the morning, he had got tired of the case, as was very natural,' she added, 'for was she not only a woman?' Two Christian women nursed her carefully, and she recovered. I got the man to apologise, publicly, to his wife, (a thing unheard of among natives), before I would take him back into service. He was a good servant, and did so; and I never heard that his wife reproached him with the circumstance afterwards.

"On one occasion, whilst my husband was preaching in the village of Monshee Gunge, I walked about on the river side with the children; and there I met a woman who begged me to go home with her, saying it was but a little way. I went, and found the people were Mahometans; it was a little isolated place, containing about forty houses. The women all gathered round me, and began examining my dress, bonnet, and shawl, with the utmost interest and curiosity. The shoes

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WOMAN IN INDIA.

and stockings seemed to surprise them greatly; and one remarked, 'Oh, what strange people you are, to wear clothes on your feet!' 'What makes you white?' asked another; 'have you painted yourself?'

"Yes, of course.'

"Well, well, you are wonderful people altogether; if you stayed with us three hours, we should never be tired of looking at you?' They were most outspoken. I went on. 'Do you think my children prettier

"No, they want black hair and black eyes, that brown colour is not sufficiently decided.'

"Try and find out,' I said, tak- than yours?' ing off my glove. The woman rubbed my hand, brought a little water, and washed it, and then reported to the rest, 'No, it won't come off, it is pucka rung,' or fastcoloured.

"Then you have never seen a white lady before?'

666 No, never; how should we?' "Would you like to go to Calcutta, and see not one, but many ladies and gentlemen, and their carriages and horses?'

"Carriages! what are they? No, we should not like to go, it is not fit for women to travel.'

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"Have you a religion?'

"Oh, yes; we don't worship idols like the ignorant Hindoos; we are Mahometans.'

"Who was Mahomet ?'

"We don't know; our husbands could tell you.'

"Who is God?'

“God is God: what a question!' "Where will you go when you die?'

"Where God pleases; we shall be happy when we die, we think.' "What makes you think so?' "Because there are no wicked women in this village; we are all good.'

"I talked to them of heart sins, lying, evil speaking, quarrelling, and showed them that they needed to be saved from these ere they could enter the holy heaven of a holy God; but the idea was so entirely new to them, that the language failed to convey any meaning to their minds.

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