[Pg 1]

CHILDREN OF WILD AUSTRALIA

[Pg 2]

BOY SPEARING FISH

[Pg 3]

CHILDREN OF
WILD AUSTRALIA

BY

HERBERT PITTS

AUTHOR OF
"THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH"

WITH EIGHT COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS

EDINBURGH AND LONDON
OLIPHANT, ANDERSON & FERRIER

[Pg 4]

PRINTED BY
TURNBULL AND SPEARS,
EDINBURGH

[Pg 5]

TO

DEAR LITTLE MARY

THIS LITTLE BOOK

ABOUT

THE LITTLE BLACK BOYS AND GIRLS

OF A FAR-OFF LAND

IS DEDICATED BY

HER FATHER

[Pg 7]

My Dear Boys and Girls,

All the time I have been writing this little book I have been wishing Icould gather you all around me and take you with me to some of theplaces in faraway Australia where I myself have seen the little blackchildren at their play. You would understand so much better all I havetried to say.

It is a bright sunny land where those children live, but in many ways afar less pleasant land to live in than our own. The country often growsvery parched and bare, the grass dies, the rivers begin to dry up, andthe poor little children of the wilderness have great difficulty ingetting food. Then perhaps a great storm comes and a great quantity ofrain falls. The rivers fill up and the grass begins to grow again, butmyriads of flies follow and they get into the children's eyes andperhaps blind some of them, and the mosquitoes come and bite them andgive them fevers sometimes.

Yet though much of the land is wilderness—bare, sandy plains—beautifulflowers bloom there after the rains. Lovely hibiscus, the giant scarletpea, and thousands of delicate white and yellow [Pg 8]everlastings are therefor the eyes to feast upon, but the loveliest flowers of all arefrequently the love and tenderness and unselfishness which bloom in thechildren's hearts.

I have left Australia now and settled down again in the old homeland,but the memories of the eight years I spent among the dear littlechildren out there are still very delightful ones, and they, more thananything I have read, have helped me to write this little book for you.

Your Sincere friend, 
HERBERT PITTS

Douglas, I.O.M., 1914

[Pg 9]

CONTENTS