THE GLEANERS' UNION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 452, 10 March 1909, Page 3

THE GLEANERS' UNION.

ADDRESS BY MRS. WALLIS. . "Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in iUis" sang, or sighed, some old Roman, and ho was right. Tho times do indeed change. Tho long arm of Time lerrves its mark even ob the activities of the Church. 'It was mainly on the altered; aspect of missioii work tliat Mrs. Wallis, speaking at. the; annual meeting of the, Gleaners Union last, evening, based her address. Speaking with . special reference ,to the missionary meetings of the Pan-Anglican Congress, Mis. Wallis first alluded :to the strong feeling of brotherhood that was'engendered % tho many meetings called to discuss matters of . interest to all, and of the final disappearance: of old differences that ; had divided tho Church .into sections. Then she went on to show how the position 'of the missionary had altered in recent years,-and how the valuo of his work as a civilising factor was now realised. : " - Nearly, all Governors of .-.lndia, said Mrs. Wallis, aro now .in favour of missions. ' Sir Harry Johnson, Governor of Uganda, has even written a. life of. a Baptist missionary. Speaking generally, the relation of -missions and Governments is quite different from what it used to" be. ■ The whole feeling of the congress; when, the question of Christian work in relation to native customs was discussed was.'that, as far as possible, the nai tives should be; left: to their'old customs. For instance, in China, the missionaries are trying'to spiritualise arid show the Christian meaning 1 of the reverence ; with which. the Chinese regard their ancestors.' In discussing tho question of; foreign missionaries, .the congress V recognised r that English missionaries in foreign lands wore really the forr eignersjit was desired to train: workers for Church work in their own lands. Certain strategic problems stood out among others. It had, for instance, been proved that the countries that'had been; most influenced by Christian teaching were those where the efforts of ! the Church had been concentrated. In the south of India whole villages and castes aro coming into Christianity,' because they believe that .Christ's is the religion of freedom _ ind love. ' Mrs. Wallis told of the mission' tvork done;in the north of India through the highest educational means, and then_ of the extraordinary spread of Christianity/ by ■ means of 'village missions, in tho south of, India, where whole .villages and castes would together ' Income Christianised.--There had been much-, debate as to the respective values of the educational /missions and'the village missions,; aijd it was felt that each had their own; peculiar, importance,. , One outcome of tho Pan-Anglican.Congress has been that a Women's Committee has been set up to correspond with dioceses all over I the world. Any woman wanting to do Church ■ - work of any kind in of the world, slum work, in London, mission work in for- • eign lands,_ may apply to the correspondent - from her diocese, who will communicate with the committee in London. Mrs. Wallis has been appointed correspondent • for the diocese of Wellington. ■. On the> motion of Mr. Balcombe Brown, a vote of thanks to Mrs. Wallis/was carried. The Bishop of Wellington is president of the Gleaners' Missionary Union, and the following are tKe other officers appointed:—Miss Greenwood; - vice-president; ■ secretary and treasurer, Miss Humphries: committee, Miss Turnor, Sliss Jones, and Mr. Balcombe Brown.