Superior Persons

In Tahiti

And Their Sad, Ignominious End

CENTRAL Polynesia is a most unpromis ing field for persons with a superior ity complex.

Occasionally, a man or woman afflicted with this malady comes to the Islands.

Old residents who have passed years of delightful good fellowship with Polynes ians never argue the matter with these august arrivals. Experience has taught us that the malady is incurable.

Well-born Polynesians—whose ancest ral line of high chiefs, valiant warriors and heroic explorers was ancient at the time the visitor’s first ancestor (rescued from the oblivion of a parish register by the visitor’s family genealogist! was born —never trouble to pay this type of in dividual the compliment of serious notice.

A general impression merely percolates through the communty that the new comer is a taata-huru-e (a strange, extra ordinary person) and to Polynesian eyes the space he or she occupies becomes a vacuum.

This bears fruit if the visitor (as he or she usually does) rents a villa in the country.

The adventure generally starts pro pitiously—the owner of the villa having put everything in proper order as to sup plies, domestic service and so forth. The initial domestic service is available be cause there prevails a natural curiosity to ascertain the full measure of the visitor’s Huru-e-ness.» But the time soon comes when this curiosity has been fully appeased and

suddenly, mysteriously, the investigators evaporate, and more appear to take their places.

If there is anything more infuriating, more devastating, to a person of superior complex than to be in the position where neither gold nor silver nor the import ance of his person will attract service of any kind, it is reserved for the re searches of some future sadist to dis cover.

Once, long ago, we timidly suggested that conformity with the gracious equal ity of Polynesian life might provide a re lief from trouble; but were rewarded only by a contemptuous intimation that we had gone native. Consequently, we have since contented ourselves with listening to loud harangues, full of bitterness and venom, and watching nature take her appointed course.

The end is invariably the same. The indignant sojourner shakes the dust of the Islands from his feet and betakes himself and his superiority complex to a more congenial land.

Perhaps it is better so, for his (or her) health and happiness. —“Mahaena”.

Mr. lan Maclean, whose dental surgery was destroyed in the recent Carpenter fire at Rabaul. returned to New Guinea in November after a quick visit to Aus tralia to purchase new equipment and supplies. He intends to resume his prac tice in Purter's Building at Rabaul.

Rev. W. G. Thomas, vicar of St.

Nicholas’s, Mordialloc, Victoria, returned to Melbourne in November after a two months’ visit to Nauru and Ocean Is land in the interests of the Australian Board of Missions.