The world is a scene of constant
leave-taking, and the hands that grasp in cordial greeting to-day are
doomed ere long to unite for the last time, when the quivering lips
pronounce the word--"Farewell." It is a sad thought, but should we on
that account exclude it from our minds? May not a lesson worth learning
be gathered in the contemplation of it? May it not, perchance, teach us
to devote our thoughts more frequently and attentively to that land
where we meet, but part no more?
How many do we part from in this world with a light good-bye whom we
never see again! Often do I think, in my meditations on this subject,
that if we realised more fully the shortness of the fleeting
intercourse that we have in this world with many of our fellow-men, we
would try more earnestly to do them good, to give them a friendly
smile, as it were, in passing (for the longest intercourse on earth is
little more than a passing word and glance), and show that we have
sympathy with them in the short, quick struggle of life, by our kindly
words and looks and actions.
The time soon drew near when we were to quit the islands of the South
Seas; and strange though it may appear, we felt deep regret at parting
with the natives of the island of Mango: for after they embraced the
Christian faith, they sought, by showing us the utmost kindness, to
compensate for the harsh treatment we had experienced at their hands:
and we felt a growing affection for the native teachers and the
missionary, and especially for Avatea and her husband.
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