Show SOCIETY ISLANDS MISSION following to the greater portion of a letter to a relative in ID this city from elder bider frank cutler it was written at Kot Roto oava aval Fa faarae islands lela odB under unde underrate date ot of nov ath 1895 it la Is with much pleasure that I 1 take advantage of the he present opportunity to jot down a few items of travel in the south booth sow to lot let know that I 1 am well and enjoying my mission as much as ag can reasonably be expected where ones time ts to about equally divided between traveling on small dirty boats settling quarrels and dauti nations occasioned by trifles and exer claing citing she be patience of job in teaching the gospel to my dark skinned brethren benj by the aid of a single lamp we he light flickering bickering and sputtering in thousand odd drafts of the stiff sea breeze entering catering a many apertures aper tures of our leaf meeting houses bouses nor Is the intellectual or spiritual light any more pro fuseley manifested than the physical or artificial it often takes great laita to see or imagine that thai in 10 the misty future when generations shall have come and gone these people will ever ue be anything more than what they are at al the present time I 1 am among a people like unto old israel of mushea day save ave that they are all as much alike as one chickens egg ta is like another were these people of the she company who traveled from to canaan I 1 feel sure they would be among the first of those who died in the wilderness old israel had poets prophet flue workman etc I 1 but though different lerent dif kinds of missionaries have been here dearal years I 1 dont don pt know of one book written by a native or of a native with sufficient zeal to lead him to choose it a hobby I 1 dreamed dreame ameI 1 last night I 1 was being by some one high up it the church and bhea I 1 was abbea he abe question would you be willing to give up your life for the work 1 1 I hesitated so long that daylight came without the question being answered answer eu and I 1 aweke with a troubled mind and have bave felt queer ever since this thin will wili probably account for the gloomy thoughts I 1 harej have just been led to write the question was put as written stove above yet JIL ii woe was not the question of dying lor for truth that troubled me for I 1 have felt quite wil willing linit to do that it re resol veo fisele 1 teela into a second question viz it if I 1 should bould answer yea i was willing to give lire life for the work would I 1 be willing willine to be called to lot lator or la in this mission minion for lire hit it was the question put in this ibis light that drove terror to so my heart beart let us hope it was nothing more than a dream since I 1 wrote my last letter of sept I 1 have had bad nine voyages on the oman ocean eight of which have been on small mall boats from 20 to 25 feet long leaving tahiti sept we sailed galled tu to tamaroa an island miles distant and were eight days in transit ait being lost for two adayr here I 1 J was publicly forbidden to preach abe governor delivering his big command to go me before the cengr gation just juat art to holding meeting I 1 preached upon which the governor of the island wrote to the presiding governor of the gove evenly gasy islands known as the roup group informing him of my action and asking for further instructions I 1 then traveled to Arat Aratt lka ka a distance ot of eighty miles on a small email boat these boats boata are covered over with a deck having nothing more than a two or sometimes three loch inch railing to keep one oae from sliding into the sea not being able to stand aland the stench below I 1 kiwayo sit it on OB deck through rain and bibe on is this trig tb thermometer regla registered terou degrees degre ei I 1 then took another voygt so thirty shirly miles further to faalava Fa arava stays the th resilience residence of the presiding governor having traveled miles to see him he said eald I 1 was ft a liar a vagabond a flatterer for food ana that he would be Ju justified stifled io in calling me it a thief he forbade me to preach or oom commanded me to remain on his bis island where I 1 now am until a vessel came and thence go straight to tahiti mind and never conae come back again I 1 had three interviews with him and humble ano aino patient pleading and supplicating proving futile I 1 tad him plainly that I 1 was wae going to preach and ana teach the gospel and would not dot go to tahiti unless I 1 was taken by force I 1 held my school every evening as usual and one evening while I 1 was in the act of explaining acme komu scripture the police came io and by virtue of a special command of the governor ordered all the he people to go home and gave me notice that I 1 would be brought before court next morning I 1 waite all next day for a summons to go to court but none came held my school as usual but though so ae I 1 have since learned the governor was notified we were not die disturbed next day sunday our meetings were stopped oy the police but we held them a audway uy way and noth nothing ini ever came of it it knew the governor was acting contrary to low law and was not a bit afraid of him though be scowled and tried to frighten me witia wild gestures and a bellowing voice abree days afterward I 1 callej on him and asked permission to go to anas anaa island where conference was to be hold held judge of my surprise when he said I 1 was sinless and could go where I 1 pleased I 1 did not him to condemn dt mc in i this his manner thus was the way opened up for me to go 90 to conference I 1 expected trouble at c conference n for I 1 knew the governor of the island had bad a letter from headquarters commanding him to io prevent any mormon mon ml mi sio Stonar narles led from preaching the gospel A second surprise was in store for or me woon I 1 called on the governor or of anas anaa he be told me to go ahead that the providing presiding governor had written him a letter the day I 1 leit commanding bibi beai to lot let us go ahead and thus counter manding handing his first order our conference was a success it WRO was the sho first one I 1 ever tried to preside over find and the abend second only I 1 ever attended held in native language I 1 have been nearly three years on a mission and only attended three conferences during that bat time then I 1 sailed failed to fasita forty miles away the son was heavy mind and the wind was strong aud and I 1 was drenched regularly about every five minutes by waves wavea breaking over the boat not withstanding withstand lug the still skill of the helmsman they would break upon us continually prom from camite I 1 came here anu and nad had another interview with the presiding governor at which he exhibited further evidence of his bia cluess but did not endeavor to scare ecar rue me since he be round I 1 would not mot scare beare I 1 held bold my may meetings meo tinge right along and have not been disturbed dia I 1 again gave laim him notice that I 1 would continue to do so BO not long after this he be was waa taken with a peculiar complaint hie bin right hand bond man telling me bimson that he be went foolish or crazy and he be jell jef t ou OM the first vewel vessel for tahiti in every instance on this hii trip tri piave save with this thia gov arnor I 1 have been treated with the utmost meet kindness kind ness and consideration by tho th officers of the government and havo have been the recipient of special favors favora from some bome of them since then I 1 have bave taken two voyages and lived a months in a small email but leet feet which let bo ao much wind in its iia numerous apertures aper turea tures that I 1 could not buru bura a lamp on a windy night A coal oil case was nw my deek and table while my only chair uce nee contained canned beef beef tb the flior was waa my bed and my loed food con aisted of cocoanut coco anut neb and soggy broad bread I 1 am healthy and evou even getting fat on it during the he two m albe trip I 1 have bad baa five pigs given me and at other times pigs piga were killed on account ot of my presence I 1 can eat pig meat meal like a savage now BOW will leave for this week unless the vessel was waa wrecked in the late storm |