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Meeting with Two Evangelists Otto and Geisler
by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858
The next morning we entered, and came to anchor off the small island of
Mansinam, on which dwelt two German missionaries, Messrs. Otto and
Geisler. The former immediately came on board to give us welcome, and
invited us to go on shore and breakfast with him. We were then
introduced to his companion who was suffering dreadfully from an abscess
on the heel, which had confined him to the house for six months--and to
his wife, a young German woman, who had been out only three months.
Unfortunately she could speak no Malay or English, and had to guess at
our compliments on her excellent breakfast by the justice we did to it.
These missionaries were working men, and had been sent out, as
being more useful among savages than persons of a higher class. They had
been here about two years, and Mr. Otto had already learnt to speak the
Papuan language with fluency, and had begun translating some portions of
the Bible. The language, however, is so poor that a considerable number
of Malay words have to be used; and it is very questionable whether it
is possible to convey any idea of such a book, to a people in so low a
state of civilization. The only nominal converts yet made are a few of
the women; and some few of the children attend school, and are being
taught to read, but they make little progress. There is one feature of
this mission which I believe will materially interfere with its moral
effect. The missionaries are allowed to trade to eke out the very small
salaries granted them from Europe, and of course are obliged to carry
out the trade principle of buying cheap and selling dear, in order to
make a profit. Like all savages the natives are quite careless of the
future, and when their small rice crops are gathered they bring a large
portion of it to the missionaries, and sell it for knives, beads, axes,
tobacco, or any other articles they may require. A few months later, in
the wet season, when food is scarce, they come to buy it back again, and
give in exchange tortoiseshell, tripang, wild nutmegs, or other produce.
Of course the rice is sold at a much higher rate than it was bought, as
is perfectly fair and just -- and the operation is on the whole
thoroughly beneficial to the natives, who would otherwise consume and
waste their food when it was abundant, and then starve -- yet I cannot
imagine that the natives see it in this light. They must look upon the
trading missionaries with some suspicion, and cannot feel so sure of
their teachings being disinterested, as would be the case if they acted
like the Jesuits in Singapore. The first thing to be done by the
missionary in attempting to improve savages, is to convince them by his
actions that he comes among them for their benefit only, and not for any
private ends of his own. To do this he must act in a different way from
other men, not trading and taking advantage of the necessities of those
who want to sell, but rather giving to those who are in distress. It
would he well if he conformed himself in some degree to native customs,
and then endeavoured to show how these customs might be gradually
modified, so as to be more healthful and more agreeable. A few energetic
and devoted men acting in this way might probably effect a decided moral
improvement on the lowest savage tribes, whereas trading missionaries,
teaching what Jesus said, but not doing as He did, can scarcely be
expected to do more than give them a very little of the superficial
varnish of religion.
