Mr. Chambers and Mr. Gomez, though their actually baptized converts are not numerous, have done great good at their respective stations. It is not generally a just course to reckon results by the number of converts in a tribe, as the majority may be almost prepared to join the church, though kept back from a variety of motives. And this I believe to be practically the case at both these stations, but especially at Lundu.
T. Picken, lith.
Day & Son, Lithrs to the Queen.
Published by Smith, Elder & Co. 65, Cornhill, London.
LUNDU CHURCH.
The Borneo mission has been fortunate in securing these men, as they appear thoroughly to act on what should be the guiding principle of a missionary—that once he has entered on the profession, he should not be turned to other paths, or forsake his work on account of personal fears or petty annoyances. Of the numbers who have joined this mission but four remain.
Mr. Chalmers is the only one who has attempted the task of converting the Land Dayaks, and also the only one who ever made the slightest progress in their language. He was beginning to have a great influence over the Quop Dayaks, even inducing the girls to attend his school, and in a short time, I believe, would have brought to baptism the whole of this section of the Santah Dayaks. I hear they sincerely regret his departure; and well they may, as it will be difficult to find another so suited to the work. He had an aptitude for learning languages, a genuine kindliness of disposition, and with ability to have ultimately influenced the whole Land Dayaks through his converts at the Quop.
His influence partly arose from his determination not only to live among them, but to speak to them in their own language. Most of our intercourse with these people is carried on in the manner in which a Frenchman would speak to a Spaniard through the means of imperfect English. It is impossible properly to explain religion through such a channel. Some of the Dayaks, but comparatively few, speak Malay well.
I am afraid a summary of results will show that little has been yet done towards christianizing the Dayaks of the Sarawak districts, and this failure has, I believe, arisen from many causes: among others, from the position of the head mission, and from a mistaken view of the way in which it should be conducted.