IN DARK NEW GUINEA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 151, 20 March 1908, Page 9

IN DARK NEW GUINEA.

A MISSIONARY'S STORY. The Rev. M. K; Gilmour arrived in Wellington yesterday ;froin. Now. Guinea, whero only man. iis . vile,,. and . heis only ; vilo"in parts, "Mr. Giliiiour is a native of Auckland. Ho had ; formerlyn*. ministerial'-"chargo at Dantievirlto, and-ho . has been working in New- Guinea for, seven years. .The precis'o field of' his laboiirs is tho. Kiriwina group, the " Garden. of-New Guitiba;" last, of tho main island. Mr. Gilmour is accompanied. cn his Nov. - Zealand tour: .by Mrs. ■ Gilmour and a ..native " boy." . They, hurriod from, the . express, to, attend a meeting ,in the Taranaki Street' .Church last evening.' Only about ".30 people had braved a blustering, biting-wind : -and showers.of rain to- hear Mr.' Gilmour and-his " boy."' Tho meeting!-was> accordingly; held an -the -church vestry. - Tho Rev. .'P.-iW.'.Fairclough.ipresidcd. ■

> . - A QUAINT.: ADDRESS. , . The "boy." first made-a quaint,speech ir volublo island dialect: Ho thanked "out .great,,rule;:,"—his translator .• indicated Mr, Fairclougli—who had called tho meeting. Hii body,;waS. ; di(ferent"from tho bodies of -his audißiice,''but;thej: had tho samo,-souls, and ' worshipped tho same God. He .had ,come tc ask the'people,'of-New Zealand not to forget t-heir:.brothcrs.'in'New Guinea, for. they were related through Gbd.- .; : They should, help by their/.prayers -; tho people . of tho .-.'islands,' who .were lying in sickness and-death.;. -Tho' whitn men.were ;thoir, walking-sticks; they, - were the hands;,held out to;help thenvalong.-Com-paring tho religious, constancy of i tlio new island converts and tho white people, ho said that, his iown: folk, .were.'like -the small -twigs . under the,, cooking pot, which .flared. ,up quickly and .burnt out;:-but, the '.New,' Zealanders were like the great strong branches and, thick .'roots,: which kindled slowly, but afterwards ,kept ; '.the.'pot .boiling with their heat-. > r "Ho; : prayed -t-he New , Zealanders -to help.them. ■ ; ...- -- WORK IN KIRIWINA. . Mr. - Gilmom*' painted .'an, alluring, picture of the. scenic cliarnis. of .Now Guinea,'; with its ,bush --that forms a-, solid ,matwork .of green,;"tlio ;dark./undergrowth of which' is .lighted ,-, by. the -,bright,, pibiscyts, .. the '..multicoloured xroton," and orchids.', ', Kiriwina,; in particular,.is a ,-land of coconnnt and. banana arid..other.,'fruits in" never-failing "plenty! Tho natives; are kindly; and-/intelligent. .They divide -the. heaveris. into'twelve .star, blusters, arid ' regulate their • planting, season .by tlio altitude-, of . .the Ploiades. : . .. The Kiriwina people;.abhor cannibalism, though it;.is:rife in the other'islands. ■' They, .wage ..war.cr iielly, but", before.an^'-assault, is, made a .'member;.'of the 'attaclHng ' tribe ' announces ceremoniously: ":To-mbn'o.w afternoon wo are going- to fight you.. .Get a,place ready,"/ ■ Aftor tho, battle has', lastecl.. a,;,certain Jtiino, the, .failing Hght will a disadvantago to onb' side, when' the/ other/ side,", will/'propose a" truce' until,'the mbrning. Thoy;"aro' artful traders', ad-.was indicated "in -tho '{etisei.. of "a native,. who claimed, to hayo; bought- a, hen, from 'another .nativ6,J;' on, tho'; understaridihg. that lie,, wbiild pay for.-it, on-tho., exchange, principle,when the. hen had chicks, ,In this case ;the. bargain was ,'so'mowhat forcibly/drive,n. /, ~ Unhappily, tho. dark peoplb are oppressed by. horriblo suporstitions. . .-/They .burn ' ; tho -arms and -mutilate, thp'/ears', of Vtheir- child-! Ron, as;tho;only means of gaining for. them . entrance',to 'the underworld of spirits'.'., Derjih is' a' hopeless and 'terrible, occasion, .to, them; they out out the bones,. dry and polish ./tho skulls, and mako into' necklaces the, hair./and knuckles; of; their'/dead in .order'.to .be reminded'; of'them./.'1f,,, a sou]' fails' to reach 'tho "spirit/ world ;it may bo shut, up iii- a fish's body;; its best goal js a..cramped'. Hole' Under/the; spa,' With, a' sufficiency ,of yams to eat and beptle-nuts .to/ chew., A. man;.,who finds ;his 1 dinner late, for ; him ,may. carve ..his wife with, aii; axe»'.6r'.'hftrl Himself, tree-top, .to .bring, home 'her. appreciation of her crime. V; ; -;../' 'yTHE 1 OPEN DOOR. > .;Tho .^^^W^is^ajies/raj-New Guinea, according to Mr.-Gilmour, has had wonderful, results..-;. Seventeen, years,, ago -it started, in, one -of ',the most - loathspmo,, cannibal,.districts.;-'. K"ov/; fivb -dialccts liavo bcen reduced to. writing,...the"entire .-Nov/'.Testament' has -been; printed -,in ono! of. these, and many'.portion's of, tho,.Bible, with hymns .and other literature, have ;been published, in- tho' others.'/ -.' At- the- last,V Synod -about'- 20,000 people,-listened. t;o tho /preaching of the Gospel. ' About '4000:-meet.-.in .tho:weekly classes, arid .soriio 500 student-s are, attending training, institutions: In, the Kiriwina circuit, ten years ago.there was not 0110 nativo Christian. Now 6000 people; listen to the, Gospel, 600; attend .the weekly'classes, 2000 boys and girls ' are. -taught/ in the -: missionary,. sfthools, and. there; are,loo, students in/tlio' training , institutiqn: Twelve, native teachers from the training college and sixty'/local/preachers are' .' already. > working' { among -. their.. islandej-s; and;,at a recent.,.quarterly meeting -it- wa's decided to', sond/.away four native 'Christians/as missionaries' to another part.The work "is. badly crippled, however, through, want of money and equipment. The natives "are";ready- to' recoive".Christianity,' and 1/they make ■ self-sacrificing Christians; thero ; is no lack/of missionary volunteers;.; but money for. the ;extension .pf the;work, is sorely neoded.• A, collection,.was .taken;,up-,last night- in >id bf /.tlio ,causo. ..The Reputation leave today ; for, Christchurch, - and.Mr. Gilmour. may be called on soqn to return.to -Kiriwina to relieve tho Rev., A. Ballanf.yne, who has been', suffering ,froni, fever, and: may. come to this Dominion to recuper'ato. -. .