JUBILEE OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY IN SAMOA.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 161, 28 August 1880, Page 2

JUBILEE OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY IN SAMOA.

At tho present timp meetings arc being held iu various places in tho Group to eommem:ratc the introduction of Christianity to Samoa in August 1840 by the Rev, Charles Haiti' and the Rev. John Williams of the Loudon Missionary Society. Eight native teachers from i the Tahitian Islands were then loca'.ed, 1 ami visited annually bv tlio missionaries from the Tahitian and Jlorvcy Islands. In 1835 the Directors of the London Missionary Sooiety sent out six missionaries specially for the Group. Tho translating and printing of the New Testament by the missionaries of this society was finished in 1847, and by the close of 1855 the Old Testament was completed. The two were revised afresh and then sent to Loudon to bo printed by the British and Foreign Biblo Society. The result was a goodly octavo volume of IHKI pages, with marginal references. Ten thousand copies were sold in six years, and a now and stereotyped edition called for, which was prepared ten years ago and is now in use. A grammar and vocabulary of the dialeot was printed at tho Mission Press in 18fi3. The London Missionary Society keep'up a staff of seven European missionaries, who are aided bv about '.WO village pastors. These native ministers arc instructed, during a course of four yenrs.at the Malim Institution on Upnln, which lias now been in operation for :l(l years, and has had on its roll since the commencement 1019, of whom 550 have been young women, the wives of the students. Exclusive of a number of small tractates, seventeen volumes, embracing an aggregate of 4114 pages of Christian and educational literature have •been printed, and other works are now in progress. Native teachers from the Sanioan Islauds havo been employed iu introducing Christianity to Savage Island, Tokclau, the Ellicoam) tho Gilbert Groups, Samonii teacher* also iu past veal's have laboured ! iu the Now Hebrides Group, Loyalty! IshuidH, tho Isle of Pinu*, and New! Caledonia.