Native Chief Gives “Fine Mat”!

Dr. D. I. Vanderpool, general superintendent of the Nazarene Church, was in Samoa on a mission for his denomination when he was made the recipient of what is known as a “Fine mat” and was told that it would get him anything he needed in that land.

Manuma, a native chief and a grandson of the Samoan ruler who years ago turned over the land of Samoa to the United States, made the presentation. “This will get you anything you need here in our country,” Manuma, a retired Navy officer, said. “If you had a house and it was mortgaged for a thousand dollars, this mat would be accepted as a release from the debt. If you were in jail, it would set you free. If you were sentenced to die, this mat, which is 174 years old and is a companion to the one on which Princess Elizabeth stood when she visited us and spoke to our people, would set you free from the death sentence. It will meet any need you might have in this land.”