The Samoan Mission Seminary 1844 - 1884

Abstract

In the first half of the nineteenth century members of the London Missionary Society went to Samoa to evangelize the people. They were received warmly by the Samoans and within a few years had established a network of small village schools and engaged the services of a considerable number of Samoans willing to assist them as teachers. Dissatisfied with the progress that was being made the members of the Samoan Mission decided in 1844 to proceed immediately to establish a high school to offer an advanced education to selected Samoan youths. The following year a 'Teachers' Class' was added to the institution which was commonly called the Samoan Mission Seminary. This thesis examines the development of the Samoan Mission Seminary at Malua during the first forty years of its existence. Chapter 1 provides a point of focus by outlining the establishment of Christianity in Samoa from the time of John Williams' first visit in 1830 up until 1843 including the steps taken by the missionaries to improve their educational work. Chapter 2 covers the formation of the high school at Malua beginning with the Samoan Mission committee meeting in February 1844. The appointment of two tutors for this work, the problems they faced and the initial work of the infant seminary follow. Chapter 3 is devoted to the curriculum and the development of a four year course. Secular and religious subjects are dealt with individually and comparisons are drawn where possible with similar institutions operating elsewhere. Methods of instruction, extra-curricular activities, the role of manual work and education of the wives of students are also included. Chapter 4 considers the staff members who served at the Seminary. The work is divided into ten year periods and includes information on the tutor's backgrounds and experiences. The way in which the whole operation was financed and supplied is covered in Chapter 5 including the building programme and the missionaries' own financial situation. In Chapter 6 place is given to the students who attended the Seminary - their numbers, aims, intelligence, wives, health and selection procedures as well as the work they did on graduating. General problems such as the climate, the Mission's manpower policy, Samoan character, customs, politics and war, the Samoan church, Roman Catholicism and Wesleyanism are touched on in Chapter 7. These and other problems are part of the backdrop against which the work at the Seminary proceeded. Chapter 8, the conclusion, draws together the major aspects of the contribution made by the Seminary to the work of evangelization and education in Samoa and to a lesser extent elsewhere in the South Pacific.