Prayers Written At Vailima was transcribed from the1916 Chatto & Windus edition , proofing byStephen Booth.

A Lowden Sabbath Morn was transcribed from the 1898Chatto & Windus edition , email

PRAYERS
WRITTEN AT VAILIMA
and
A LOWDEN
SABBATH MORN

by Robert Louis Stevenson

PRAYERS
WRITTEN AT VAILIMA

BY
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
WITH
AN INTRODUCTION
BY
MRS. STEVENSON

LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
MDCCCCXVI

p.vINTRODUCTION

In every Samoan household theday is closed with prayer and the singing of hymns. The omission of this sacred duty would indicate, notonly a lack of religious training in the house chief, buta shameless disregard of all that is reputable in Samoan sociallife.  No doubt, to many, the eveningservice is no more than a duty fulfilled.  The childwho says his prayer at his mother’s knee can have no realconception of the meaning of the words he lisps so readily,yet he goes to his little bed with a sense of heavenlyprotection that he would miss were the prayerforgotten.  The average Samoan is but a larger childin most things, and p. viwould lay an uneasy head on hiswooden pillow if he had not joined, evenperfunctorily, in the evening service.  Withmy husband, prayer, the direct appeal, was anecessity.  When he was happy he felt impelled tooffer thanks for that undeserved joy; when in sorrow,or pain, to call for strength to bear what must beborne.

Vailima lay up some three miles of continual rise fromApia, and more than half that distance from the nearestvillage.  It was a long way for a tired man to walkdown every evening with the sole purpose of joining in familyworship; and the road through the bush was dark,and, to the Samoan imagination, beset withsupernatural terrors.  Wherefore, p. viias soonas our household had fallen into a regular routine, andthe bonds of Samoan family life began to draw us more closelytogether, Tusitala felt the necessity of including ourretainers in our evening devotions.  I suppose ourswas the only white man’s family in all Samoa, exceptthose of the missionaries, where the day naturally endedwith this homely, patriarchal custom.  Notonly were the religious scruples of the natives satisfied,but, what we di