A personal Foreword: Delegates to the General Conference will all remember our Solomon Island chieftain, Kata Ragoso, who came to the Conference as a delegate-representative of that most interesting and fruitful island mission field. In common with hundreds of others, I met and talked with him. But a rich experience was in store for me that I had little anticipated, and which I greatly treasure.
Sent to the West Pennsylvania camp meeting to assist over the first week end, I was asked by the General Conference to act as escort and aid to Kata Ragoso for three days at the camp, including in his public appearances a thirty-minute radio broadcast. Then we came on to Washington where he spoke several times, including an extensive intercity radio broadcast.
This broadcast was made possible through the special courtesy of WOL in Washington, D.C., on July 18, at 9 P.M. A full half hour was made available, thus providing opportunity for an effective number from our Mello-tone Male Quartet. A comprehensive introduction preceded the personal statement of the chief as to the transformation of his people. Then he gave us a familiar text or two in his native dialect, and finally a stanza of "In the Sweet By and By," in the Marovo language. The full broadcast is given for those who may be interested in both the content and the technique. This hook-up would have cost $860.50 at the station rates, but it was made available without cost, and after the broadcast the station manager wrote that they "considered it well worthwhile." Next we went to the New Jersey camp meeting for two days, and conducted another broadcast at Trenton in the form of an eighteen-minute interview, likewise without cost. Broadcasts have also been made from New York, Buffalo, Detroit, Battle Creek, and Chicago.
These are mentioned as illustrative of the fact that the vast mission work of Seventh-day Adventists, our recent world Conference, with its delegates from the ends of the earth and the islands of the sea, constitute news the public wants, especially when pertaining to unique personalities. As evidence of how fully our mission work and its practical, abiding character can be presented over the air, and as an encouragement to radio endeavor, the announcer's introductory words, this writer's introduction of the chief, and the address of Elder Kata Ragoso, in his own phrasing, are here given in full. Similar broadcasts, some in the form of interviews, but telling essentially the same story, are arranged for other cities in the swing from New York back to Los Angeles, from which port the chief sails for his native Solomons.
But before quoting these, I, as a secretary of the Ministerial Association, bespeak the deep satisfaction I feel in observing the development of an indigenous ministry, growing in ability and responsibility. I also wish to bear tribute to the gentility and Christian character of this my brother minister to whom I served as escort in travel, introducing him in these public meetings some fifteen different times, so as to give an effective and easy setting to his thrilling story of the transformation of his people by the gospel as brought by our Adventist missionary, and seeking to make effective his contacts with both our own people—the visible public in large gatherings —and this vastly greater invisible audience of the air. I surely have respect and love for our native ministry. We may be justly proud and appreciative of such men scattered in every land of earth, for upon them the brunt of the burden of evangelizing their own lands will fall with increasing weight as the work advances.
L. E. F.
Broadcast From Washington, D.C.
Announcer: From WOL in Washington, in an intercity network, we present Chief Kata Ragoso, of the Marovo Lagoon of the Solomon Islands in the Southern Pacific. Chief Kata Ragoso, son of a cannibal chief, is visiting the United States in connection with the international Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Chief Kata Ragoso will be introduced and interviewed by LeRoy Edwin Froom, executive secretary of the Ministerial Association of Seventh-day Adventists. Mr. Froom:
Association Secretary's Introduction: Good evening, Friends of Radioland!
You are now to have the unique opportunity of hearing tonight from the lips of the first Solomon Islander ever to visit the United States. He is an island chieftain, and the descendant of a long line of chiefs. I am happy to give a few facts relative to the chief himself, and the occasion of his visit to the United States, to serve as a setting for the unusual message he will bring to you. And he has asked me also to give a brief sketch of those fascinating islands from which he has come.
In the faraway Western Pacific, lies an intriguing group of nine large islands, and several thousand smaller ones, known as the Solomon Island archipelago. This great cluster is dotted from east to west over some five hundred miles of tropical ocean, and extends north and south a distance of about two hundred miles. This island group has long been known to the world as the home of savage head-hunters—fierce wild men, heartless cannibals, practicing poligamy, slavery, and idolatry. They were filthy, degraded, naked devil worshipers, at the mercy of powerful devil priests. And this picture has not been overdrawn.
But the white missionary came, and as a result, savagery has been banished, and the awful cannibalism, poligamy, and slavery of the past have disappeared. These Solomon Islanders have been taught to read and write in the mission schools established. They have been cleaned up physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually. And this transformation stands forth as one of the outstanding modern miracles of God's transforming grace, and of the marvelous power of the gospel to save to the uttermost.
Now the one who is to speak to you, Chief Kata Ragoso, comes not only as a Solomon Islander chieftain, with jurisdiction over one of the larger islands, but he comes as a Christian minister, an evangelist, and a missionary, yet his own father was a cannibal and was converted only twenty-two years ago, at which time our speaker tonight was but thirteen years of age. Now in the prime of manhood, Kata Ragoso is one of the translators of the New Testament into his native Marovo language. He speaks eight native dialects, as well as an acceptable English, and has been instrumental in leading many hundreds of his fellow natives to Christ.
While he has never personally practiced cannibalism, as that was reserved for the adult head-hunting warriors, as part of their devil worship, yet in his boyhood he has himself seen the human blood sprinkled upon the sacrificial altar in the horrible cannibalistic feasts and dances of which it was part and parcel. Such are the depths from which this people have been lifted.
Chief Kata Ragoso came to the United States as a delegate to the World Conference --of Seventh-day Adventists, recently held in San Francisco. He was one of hundreds of delegates coming from every part of the globe —the islands of the sea, as well as all continents and leading countries of earth, for Seventh-day Adventists are now conducting their evangelistic work in 579 different languages and dialects, and the chief's native Marovo is one of these.
He is visiting Washington, D.C., because the world headquarters of the Adventists is located here. The chief is at present on a brief preaching tour in America, and is at the same time observing the marvels of our Western civilization. While here, arrangements were made through the courtesy of WOL for him to speak over an intercity network at this hour.
I wish you might see the chief as he stands beside me here in the studio—a tall, well-proportioned man, weighing some 200 pounds. His skin is jet black, and he has a great bushy head of hair, typical of the Islanders. His feet have never been inside of shoes, and he wears a kind of skirt, or tivi-tivi, as they call it. The missionary, it might be added, does not seek to change these inborn customs, as his appointed task is to Christianize, not to Westernize.
The chief has with him here, in the studio, some of the grim reminders of the past savagery of his people. To mention but three—a sinister-looking war club that killed forty people back in head-hunting days, before the missionary came; also one of the black, wooden idol-gods they formerly worshiped; and the conch-horn that was once used to call the people to the cannibal feasts, but is now employed to assemble them for Christian worship.
Kata Ragoso's father, Chief Tatagu, was the first convert of the first Seventh-day Adventist missionary to the Solomons, Captain G. F. Jones, some twenty-two years ago. Today there are over five thousand Seventh-day Adventists in the Solomon Islands. Chief Ragoso has five brothers, all of whom are Christian missionaries, and has two sisters who are married to native Christian missionaries. What a remarkable picture this family presents within the space of a single generation! Truly the gospel works wonders!
The presence and witness of a man like this, whose gentility and Christian refinement impress all who become acquainted with him, should surely answer such challenges as, "Do Christian missions really pay? Are their results permanent? Do they justify the efforts and sacrificial giving of men and money necessary to the missionary enterprise?" Surely the answer is, "Yes, infinitely yes!"
I now have the pleasure of presenting Chief Kata Ragoso. And, Chief, before you speak in English will you not say a few words in your native Marovo? Will you not repeat the L-ord's prayer? And let all of every nation, tongue, and tribe who may be listening in enter into the spirit of that matchless prayer, as it is offered in one of the vast array of languages in which all mankind is invited to say, "Our Father, which art in heaven."
[Chief Ragoso prays.]
Transformations in Cannibal Islands
(The Chief's Mission Story)
I am very happy to be able to speak to you tonight, on my first visit to America, even though it be in faulty English. This is something new to me to speak over the radio to people whom I cannot see, but I hope you will understand my message.
As I have traveled around, I have been amazed to see the great works of the white man, for there are no such things in my country. But I wish to tell you this evening of that which is great in my country, and which has given joy and peace to my people.
I would first say, "Thank you" for helping to send to us the message of God as revealed in His word, and for the missionaries whom you have helped to send to us, who have told us of the story of Jesus and of God's great love.
In the days gone by, I did not know, nor did my fathers before me know, of these things. Then our works were evil. The works of heathenism that our forefathers did, we were taught to do. Then there was no love in my country. Our customs did not make for peace, and we lived in filth. There was always anger, fighting, and the killing of men, and the worshiping of senseless idols.
I want to read to you what the Bible says about idols in Psalms 135:15-17: "The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths."
This is true what these verses say. Our idols had eyes, but they could not see. They had mouths, but could not speak, and ears that could not hear. Nevertheless, we had to make these idols, and were compelled to worship them. The spirits of our forefathers were supposed to take possession of these idols. And through the control of the devil-priests, we would be compelled to do their devilish biddings. They might ask us to make some great canoe. Before this canoe could be used for any purpose, it had first to be dedicated by human blood. The devil-priest would then direct and lead the men to some distant shore, where they would fight with their enemies, killing as many as possible. They would then take back with them the heads of the slain, together with some slaves, and several of the children for a cannibal feast. These children would be offered as human sacrifices in the dedicating of these great canoes.
Whenever there was a successful war made upon a neighboring tribe or a distant island, the victory was always celebrated by a cannibal feast, as a ceremonial rite. My father took part in these feasts before his conversion, and I saw these things with my own eyes, when I was a boy.
Our men and women were always afraid. The young folks and children always lived in fear of being taken by enemy tribes as slaves or as victims for their cannibal feasts.
But I am glad that that experience was not always to be, for I read in Isaiah 11:11, this statement: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea."
I am glad that while Jehovah would reveal mercy to these great countries as mentioned in this verse, He did not forget to speak of my people who live in the "islands of the sea." God does not show respect just to a few people, for we read in Romans 2:11, "There is no respect of persons with God."
I have heard some folks say, "Leave the black man alone to carry on with his old works and ways. Why do missionaries and other white men go and interfere with the black people? Leave them alone with their own customs." I am glad that God did not say such things.
When the word of God came to us we were made happy, and our customs were changed. Our villages were made clean. We learned to build good houses. Our bodies were washed and made clean. We then ate clean foods. Our girls and boys are no longer afraid, but are happy all the time. Our boys and girls go to school, and they have learned to read and to write. So now they are clean, and happy, and there are none who have any desire to return to the old customs.
We no longer serve idols, nor go to distant islands to fight. We no longer kill one another. We no longer take the heads of men to put in the old "skull houses," in which the heads of our enemies were kept from generations past as part of devil worship. We, the children of our fathers who did these things, no longer do them, for all these old customs have been changed by the gospel.
About twenty-two years ago Captain Jones, the Adventist missionary, left Australia for the Solomon Islands. He came to the Marovo Lagoon, and the first man who received him was my father, Chief Tatagu by name. And when he came, he asked my father if he might start missionary work on my father's island. My father said he might, but to wait for a day or two, that he would call the twenty-five chiefs together. Several days later he called Missionary Jones, and told him that he could work anywhere he might wish among his people. He gave him a piece of land, and ten boys, including myself, to build a mission station headquarters, to start the gospel work in the Solomon Islands.
That work still is growing strongly. Today we have over a hundred church schools. We have kindergartens, primary schools, an intermediate school, and one training school. In this training school, we prepare our boys and girls to become missionaries and teachers. And from this training school we send them out as teachers, to tell others about Jesus. We now have over five thousand Adventists in our islands.
This conch-shell that I have with me is what the devil-priest would blow as the people were called to heathen worship. This is how it was blown: [conch-shell is blown]. But now you will hear it blown calling the people to the worship of the true and living God. That is surely a wonderful change. The terrible war club and shield have been put away, and the Bible has taken their place in the lives and hearts of my people.
There are many things that have brought about these changes, but the greatest of all is the Bible. It is the accepting of this Book and the Christ of this Book that has changed the hearts of my most beloved people.
And now I will stop speaking. I desire to thank those who have made it possible for me to come to America, and all who have cared for me in all of my travels. I desire to thank all those who have given to missions and have made possible the sending of the missionary and the Christian Bible to my people. May God greatly bless you at all times, until the Saviour comes again. And in the kingdom of God, I am sure you will have the pleasure of meeting many of my people from my country.
[John 3:16 was then repeated in two native dialects, and two stanzas of "Sweet By and By" were sung in the Marovo. During the humming of "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour," by the quartet, the concluding station announcement was made.]
