John G Paton, Missionary to the Cannibals of the South Seas, by Paul Schlehlein, published by the Banner of Truth Trust, paperback, 206 pages, £6.00. John G Paton was the well-known missionary from Dumfries-shire who, in 1858, left Scotland for the Pacific islands then known as the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu. He had been brought up in a godly home, one of a family of eleven, and he recalled: “Never one of the eleven, boy or girl, man or woman, has been heard, or ever will be heard, saying that Sabbath was dull and wearisome for us”.
Barely six months after landing on the island of Tanna, his wife Mary Ann died, to be followed a mere three weeks later by their baby son. After four very difficult years, the islanders attempted to burn down the church building and his house, with Paton and other missionaries inside, but the house was spared following a change in the wind direction which blew the flames away from the building. This was followed by torrential rain which made any further attempt to burn down the house futile. The local people acknowledged, “This is Jehovah’s rain. Truly their God is fighting for them.”
Soon afterwards Paton left Tanna, and the author comments, “It would be years before the seeds planted on that lonely island would sprout”. He then sailed to Australia, which he criss-crossed, going from meeting to meeting, seeking to arouse interest in mission work in the New Hebrides – in particular, raising money to build a steamship which would make communication with the outside world much easier. He also visited Britain and addressed a series of meetings there also.
Paton’s return to the New Hebrides brought him to another island, Aniwa, where he was to spend 15 years, described as “the most fruitful years of his life”. While in Scotland he had married Margaret Whitecross, but life in Aniwa, though less dangerous, was by no means free from difficulty for them. Much of Paton’s later life was occupied in raising awareness of the mission cause, in Australia and elsewhere.
The first part of this book gives a summary of Paton’s life. Two of the main sources used are John G Paton’s Autobiography and Margaret Paton’s Letters and Sketches: The New Hebrides (reprinted as Letters from the South Seas). The second part gives lessons from Paton’s life, under such headings as: “Paton’s Godly Home”, “Paton’s Undaunted Courage” and “Paton’s Relentless Evangelism”. Probably the main use of this book is to introduce readers to its subject, but in it one misses the wonderful descriptive accounts of faith and courage which appear again and again in the Autobiography and make it so appealing. Anyone who really wishes to get a fascinating picture of missionary life in the New Hebrides, and the success of the gospel there, should read Paton’s own book and that of his wife.
The Woman Who Helped a Reformer, Katharina Luther,
The Man Who Preached Outside, George Whitefield,
The Woman Who Loved to Give Books, Susannah Spurgeon,
The Doctor Who Became a Preacher, Martyn Lloyd-Jones,
all by Rebecca VanDoodewaard, published by the Banner of Truth Trust, board books, 14 pages, £6.00 each (£21.50 for the set). This is a new series of sturdy books that are intended to be read to very young children; they will stand up to a fair amount of rough usage from little ones. In an attractive way they convey a small amount of information to children about these four historical figures. Every double-page spread depicts what is being said at that stage in the story being told. The paintings are somewhat exaggerated but no doubt intended to catch the child’s attention. There are plenty board books of a secular nature available for very young children, but not many suitable religious ones. These books should occupy the attention of young ones for some time, while conveying a small but appropriate amount of teaching.
1The books reviewed here, and the two Paton books referred to also, are available from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom.