Lehner, P. 1964 Nov. 19 AFTERWORD - cont. cannot help but notice the finer hut construction, the neater villages, the cleaner people and the more healthy atmosphere as you move from the Marshalls to the Gilberts: the Gilbertese are less lethargic, more anxious to show than to tell and more interested in remembering what you have to say than merely hearing and nodding; we did not get a fair cross section of the Marshallese and must base most of our comparisons of culture on Jaluit alone: however, the contrast was so great that the comparison cannot be completely invalid; everything we saw in the Gilberts gave the idea that the people were striving to get ahead, much in contrast to the Marshallese's contentment with their present condition; nowhere in the Marshalls did we see the school children so inquisitive and anxious to learn as we did in the Gilberts; in one realm, the Marshallese easily matched the Gilbertese - generosity; both peoples were willing to heap gifts upon us without expecting anything in return; of course, we also encountered people who wanted to sell and trade in both cultures, but these individuals had been taught this way of lif by previous white traders - this is what they were expected to do and often then they felt guilty and gave the item away anyway: a reflection on all these peoples is filled with many emotions that cannot be put on paper - they can best be described as warm, sincere, and hospitable people, filled with a vitality for life and brotherhood that is rooted in those people much deeper than the missonaries can account for - they left me with not only the desire to return, but also the feeling that I would be proud to return with a friend.