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Son of James Paton, a
stocking manufacturer in a small way, was born in the parish of Kirkmahoe
near Dumfries, Scotland, on 24 May 1824. He went to the parish school at
Torthorwald, then helped his father at his trade, and having earned a
little money, went to Dumfries Academy for a short period. He worked for
the Ordnance Survey of Scotland and as a harvester, and then applied for a
position at Glasgow at £50 a year as a district visitor and tract
distributor. There were two candidates and it was decided that they should
share the wages and the work, and study at the Free Normal Seminary. Paton
later taught at a school for a season before being appointed an agent in
the Glasgow City Mission. He worked at Glasgow for 10 years among the
poorest and most degraded people in the city with much success, and
carried on his studies at the same time at the university of Glasgow, and
the Reformed Presbyterian Divinity Hall. In December 1857 he was licensed
as a preacher, in March 1858 was ordained, and in April he set sail to the
New Hebrides as a missionary. On 30 August he arrived at the harbour at
Aneityum. He established himself on the island of Tanna, the natives of
which were savage cannibals who had previously killed or driven away other
missionaries. He had married before leaving Scotland, Mary Ann Robson, and
in February 1859, about three months after landing, she and her infant son
both died. Paton though ill and depressed stayed on, as he feared if he
once left the island he might not be allowed to land again. He was in
constant danger of death, at one meeting of the warriors it was proposed
that Paton and his associates should be killed, and they were only saved
by the advocacy of one of the chiefs. He had recurring attacks of fever
and ague, the natives blamed him for every misfortune which befell them,
and the bad behaviour of white traders, often engaged in the kanaka
traffic, increased his difficulties. He risked his life frequently in
endeavouring to persuade the natives to give up their tribal wars.
Eventually the mission station was attacked, and Paton, after spending a
night in a tree surrounded by savages seeking his life, just succeeded in
making his way to another part of the island, where he was found by a
vessel sent to rescue him.
Paton had made up his mind
that the mission must have a ship of its own. He went to Sydney, toured
Australia and raised £5000 for the mission, and in May 1863 sailed for
London. In Scotland he was appointed moderator of the supreme court of the
Reformed Presbyterian Church, and made a successful tour of the country on
behalf of the missions. In 1864 he married Margaret Whitecross, and in
January 1865 arrived in Australia again. He found that the mission ship
for which he had worked so hard had been able to do useful work, but there
was a considerable debt for the crew's wages. Paton promptly obtained
subscriptions sufficient to pay the debt. Thereafter the Sunday Schools of
Australia provided for the upkeep of the vessel. In 1866 Paton was
transferred from his church in Scotland to the Presbyterian Churches of
Australia, and in August of that year was sent to Aniwa, an island less
savage than Tanna. There he steadily made way, though the first church
built was blown down during a hurricane, and the mission ship was wrecked
in 1873. Paton went to Australia and New Zealand and raised the money for
a new ship. As time went on it was found necessary to have a vessel with
steam power, and Paton travelled to Great Britain where he frequently
addressed nine meetings in a week and carried on an immense
correspondence. In 18 months he collected £9000, of which £6000 was spent
on the new ship, and the other £3000 formed into a fund for the training
of missionaries. In 1889 he published his autobiography, John G. Paton
Missionary to the New Hebrides, written at the request and with the
help of his younger brother, the Rev. James Paton. It had an immediate
success and ran into several editions. Paton was spending much of his time
from 1886 to 1892 between the islands and Australia, and found the trading
in intoxicants and firearms was causing immense harm to native
populations. He felt that Great Britain, France and the United States,
should make a joint effort to stop it. In 1892 he was sent to the
Pan-Presbyterian council which assembled at Toronto. Going on to New York
and Washington he endeavoured to have an agreement made between the three
powers, but the negotiations fell through. He then went to Great Britain
where he was everywhere received with enthusiasm. He returned to Australia
towards the end of 1894 and handed to the moderator of the Presbyterian
Church of Victoria the sum of £13,527, of which £1000 represented part of
the profits from his autobiography. In 1900 he again visited the old world
with equally successful results. His eightieth birthday was celebrated at
Melbourne on 24 May 1904 by a great meeting at the Scots church. He made
his last visit to Aniwa in June 1904, and on 16 May 1905 his devoted wife
died. She was the author of Anecdotes on the Shorter Catechism, Letters
and Sketches from the New Hebrides, and Helen Lyall, a Biographical
Sketch. Always hoping that he might be able to visit the islands
again, Paton died at Canterbury, a suburb of Melbourne, on 28 January
1907. He was survived by five sons and one daughter. One of his sons, the
Rev. Frank H. L. Paton, also a missionary to the New Hebrides, was the
author of Lomai of Lenakel, Patteson of Melanesia, and with
A. K. Langridge, John G. Paton, Later Years and Farewell.
Paton was a great
missionary, fearless, sincere, seeking nothing for himself, completely
wrapped up in his work. He was a marvellous collector for missions, often
working to the limit of his endurance, and only anxious that none of the
money collected should be wasted in unnecessary expenses. John G. Paton
Missionary to the New Hebrides
Volume 1 |
Volume 2 |
Volume 3
The Story of John G. Paton
Told for Young People
By The Rev. James Paton |
