DR. BARNARDO'S HOMES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 503, 10 May 1909, Page 3

DR. BARNARDO'S HOMES.

REV. W. J. MAYERS'S MISSION. A PROMISING BEGINNING. In his mission of raising funds for a girls' hospital in connection with the Barnardo. Homes at Stepnoy, London, the Eev. W. J. Mayers has tho advantages of a familiar knowledgo of tho lato Dr. Barnardo and his work, a fine voico, and considerable oratorical gilts. The 1 ten Barnardo boys who travel with him are likely, also, to become very popular, for their musical performances with the peal of bolls and cornet, of which the Town Hall audience had a tasto last evening, aro distinctly pleasing. Mr. Mayers: was a busy advocate yesterday, speaking on the work of the homes at Wesley. Church, Taranaki Street, in the morning, at St. John's Church in the evening, and,, later, to; a crowded audience in the Town Hall. Eatiring collections in aid. of his mission were taken at. < both churches, and amounted, in the caso of Wesley Church, bo £11. and, in the case of St.-John's, to £31. , largest provious rotiring church collection taken by Mr. Mayers in New Zealand was £29,' at Knos Church; Dunedin. The collection at the Town Hall last evoning totalled £60.; Mr. Mayers had previously stated that his biggest collection at an afterchurch meeting in the' Dominion was £38, and pleaded on thiß occasion for'at least £40. As ; however, the sum needed from Austrahsia is £20,000, and the sum raised to date is only about £10,000, there is still a,lot of leeway .to make up.: ... - Church Addresses. • Preaching yesterday morning at Wesley Church, Mr. Mayer took as "And;, his name was called Moses, because he was drawn out of the water." From this text it' was an easy transition, to the subject of Dr. Barnardo's boys,.who are drawn out pf tho haunts of vice and suffering. , ' At St. John's Church in the evening,' to a packed congregation, Mr. Mayers'spoke on .Ecclesiastes.i ix, 10; '.'Whatsoever thy', hand findefh to do, do, it with thy might, for thore is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor : wisdom in the grave, 1 whither thou goest." The hand was the symbol of work, esplajned the preacher, ,and among a number of devoteu'workers for'the young who had been gathered home within their memory, Dr. . Barnardo was' not-the least earnest ..nor tho least successful. If ever a man worked -with his might it was Dr. Barnardo. Well might they thank God for him, and pray that in their measure they might emulate his deeds, for much was still to be:done to take from earth the .black stain of childish suffering, and misery, and sorrow. He wished to speak of Dr.'Barnardo as preacher, •searcher, father and friend. Dr. Barnardo had the preacher's hand, and. pointed others- to the way of life. He was a most earnest evangelist, a man with a message, a man on fire, who wanted to set others on'fire. . His.'work was founded on. evangelism. Ho cominenced by holding, with.otheT students, a school for rough boys in,a stable,' which thb students fitted up' themselves. He had the searcher's hand. The people who .laughed to see.a man groping with his bare arm in the mud. ceased laughing when they- learned that he' was :feeling for a sovereign, stamped with, the king's image, that was'lost ■ there. Dr.; Barnardo' believed that the King's image was stamped on the children who were sunken, swallowed up in the miro of their surroundings', and he plunged his hand into the mire to search for and restore them. He would go but at midnight with'a lantern and search.for,neglected children by the waterside,. in the alleys, and in the common lodginghouses, whioh /were then/the: haunt of thioves and.vagaborids of . the worst description. In ono of these lodginghouses, which ho visited during a sequence of horrible'crimes, to find a certain'child, ho found a woman of the lowest class, who said to ; 'him, "If someone had done this for us when we were young •wo should not have been hero now.'' ■ Tho nest day another of tbeso.crimes was' reported in the newspapers: and in tbo mortuary he recognised, the dead body of thp;woman who had spoken to him ,-the. night before. Tho incident spurred him to, redoubled efforts, and lib opened lodginghouses of!-a philanthropic kind.. Barnardo •had also tho hand of a father. > Ho defended and■ protected ,his charges; !'"tho father" of. nbbody's children"; he'had'been well called. "The bpys/of London lost a true, friend when he died. His work, however, remained after him; his institutions had been founded on unchanging principles, and built' well. There was now a family of 8000 in. his homes, and "overy- day. the number was, increased., ,-. A hospital for girls was ono scheme which'ho had vainly loped to undertake before bis death; and the speaker, who had been ono of Dr. "Barnardo's oldest friends and'!*fcllbwworkers; had come out to raise funds for that/object,'as ari'Australasian "memorialto Dt. Barnardo's memory. He had;been travelling for over a year, and that was about ihe 143 rd Sunday service he had conducted, in addition.to many meetings.' ' Very!nearly £10,000 had been contributed, but more was their: gifts that night would go towards',that 'fund.'."' So. far,be'had not' seen such ' gonerbsity as . had been displayed in some : of' the ohurohes. in New Zealand.

v. ■■;/;' In the: fown Hall.' < '■-':■';■".. seat at the meeting held in'the,Town-Hall in.the'evening. . Tho Rev. Dr. Gibb :engaged in prayer, after which Mr. J. G. W. Aitken bnofly. explained the object of the meeting, reforring to tho magnificent work which was' dono .by' Dr. Barnardo's-Homes., •..;." . .■■ The Rev. W. 'J.' Mayers alluded to his previous visit/to' Wellington' seventeen'years ago, when he; had first mot Mr.' Aitken, then as eager ingood works as now.. (Applause.) He read the passage 'of Scripture which declares: "Tako heeoT'that .ye.despise/not ono of these little ones," and "It is not the will of your Father; which is in Heaven that one of these little ones ' should'perish." • He dwelt,on the Christian inspiration of Barnardo's work for children, No physical defects wero a bar to admission ; to the homes, and' often childreu werb recoived who otherwise would be exhibited as freaks and monstrosities., Many of. the. rescued : children were now doctors and professional men and thriving fanners; and the: girls also had prospered in the world. Pictures^wore shown of uridergrown,,'shrinking children as they appeared whon first taken from homes ■ of crimo or; from the streets, and the 'same children, wero shown happy and ~ healthylooking after their residence :in': the Barnardo Homes. /Mr. Mayers explained that every pennyiaised during his mission would be devoted to the work. Tho expenses of the visit,were, being entirely.defrayed by the secretary of the mission, Mr..-Howard Williams; soil of Sir • George ' /Williams, of Y.M.C.A.'fame. ".-'/. .;;';.:/..:, /.During the evening one.of the boys played very artistically on the cornet tho hymn "Nearer, My God/to Thee," /and tho boys performed; with' the bells'. and'cornet; the hymn ."As Pants the Hart," from Spohr's "Crucifixion.'? ,-.'MJr. - Mayer's . address vras followed; with the closest interest, and tho soleotions i by tho boys were applauded with great enthusiasm. V -■..-■' -~- ■;■'' ,' ".•' '_. )'/, ji•■■>.Future Fixtures. ■ : ;: ; ...The:Rev;'. W. ; ; k'Mayors'wiil'lccture in tho Town' Hall -this evening on "Tragedies in Child-lifo." /,. His Excellency tho ■ Governor will preside. Tho striking' pictures of the homes and; life-sized / photographs of 1 the aro said to rendor'Mr. Mayers's;; addresses' particularly, .attractive and impressive. To-inorrbw night a second address, will bo .given, at which the Mayor (Dr. Newman) .will preside. •• After,the; country tour, which is to follow to-morrow night's meeting, the Rev. W. J. Mayors hopes to return for a few nights to Wellington, when other addresses-will bo . given. -.-.;.!