s of the people, which was little short
of miraculous. Within that brief period they had given up and burnt all
their idols, had ceased to practise their bloody and horrible rites, and
had embraced Christianity--giving full proof of their sincerity by
submitting to a code of laws founded on Scripture, by agreeing to
abandon polygamy, by building a large place of worship, and by leading
comparatively virtuous and peaceful lives. And all this was begun and
carried on for a considerable time, not by the European missionaries but
by two of the devoted native teachers, who had previously embraced
Christianity.

The extent of the change thus wrought in the Raratongans in so short a
time by the Gospel, may be estimated by a glance at the difficulties
with which the missionaries had to contend. In writing of the ancient
usages of the people, Mr Williams, [See Williams' most interesting
work, entitled "A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South-Sea
Islands"], tells us that one of their customs was an unnatural practice
called _Kukumi anga_. As soon as a son reached manhood, he would fight
and wrestle with his father for the mastery, and if he obtained it,
would take forcible possession of the farm belonging to his parent, whom
he drove in a state of destitution from his home. Another custom was
equally unnatural and inhuman. When a woman lost her husband, the
relatives of the latter, instead of paying visits of kindness to the
fatherless and widow in their affliction, would seize every article of
value belonging to the deceased, turn the disconsolate mother and her
children away, and possess themselves of the house, food, and land. But
they had another custom which caused still greater difficulties to the
missionaries. It was called "land-eating"--in other words, the getting
possession of each other's lands unjustly, and these, once obtained,
were held with the greatest possible tenacity, for land was exceedingly
valuable at Raratonga, and on no subject were the contentions of the
people more frequent or fierce.

From this it will be seen that the Raratongans were apparently a most
unpromising soil in which to plant the "good seed," for there is
scarcely another race of people on earth so depraved and unnatural as
they seem to have been. Nevertheless, God's blessed Word overcame these
deep-rooted prejudices, and put an end to these and many other horrible
practices in little more than a year.

After this glor