Tongans And The

Europeans.

An Implication Resented.

Letter to the Editor, A NUMBER of residents of Tonga have had the opportunity of reading the concert programme of the Tongan Choir —described therein as “The Tongan Methodist College Boys’

Choir” —which recently visited Aus tralia and New Zealand.

It is a fair presumption that this programme was read by at least hundreds of people in these countries, whose knowledge of Tonga is of the sketchiest, and who, in consequence, would accept as the literal truth the statements contained in it.

Under the heading “Character of the People,” it is stated that “The task of Christian Education is still the re sponsibility of the Methodist Church.

Just what this statement is intended to convey is known only to its author, but the implication to the ordinary reader is that the Methodist Church is the only body here providing Christian educa tion, which is untrue.

Educational facilities are provided by the Government of Tonga, the Anglican Mission, the Roman Catholic Mission, the Seventh Day Adventist Mission, the Latter Day Saints Mission, the Old Free Church of Tonga, and by one or two small private schools.

However, the statement which has caused deep offence to European resi dents of Tonga is contained in the same paragraph, and reads: “Tongans have not only to learn more of the deep truths by which a nation lives, but also to be guarded from the unwholesome influence of unscrupulous whites.”

It is a pity that a body professing the high ideals of the Methodist Missionary Society cannot carry on its work with out descending to statements of this nature, which are a slight on the whole European population of the Kingdom.

There is probably no race in the

Pacific better protected by its laws from any form of exploitation or un wholesome influence on the part of foreign or European residents —were such residents so inclined. Actually, the European population of Tonga is a remarkably decent-living one, and it is not competent for any person to pub lish vague and undeserved slanders of this nature.

To anyone knowing the Church his tory of Tonga for the past ten years, the Tongan might be forgiven for say ing “Save me from my friends.”

I am, etc.,

One Of The Whites.

Nukualofa, 13/7/33.