MIŚION TO MEN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 728, 29 January 1910, Page 6

MIŚION TO MEN.

-—* The Eav.'-H.' S.- Woollcombe, late lead of.Oxford House, now'the travelling secretary of "the; Church of Mens. Society, will .give'addresses in the Wellington Town Hall : at'B o'clock : to-night and 3 o'clock to-morrow afternoon.'; : Australian' newspapers: refer -.. to ' Mr. Woollcombe'as a strflring preacher and a man of charming personality. One can well understand such 'remarks (says, the Dunedin "Star") after, being, in his company. He is a cultured man in the prime of life, and impresses'one by lis earnestness, his manliness, and his sympathetic ways. Asked to something about the objects •of ! his, trip, to"-' New Zealand, - Mr.,: Woollcbmbe /ieniarked: "I am the delegate of the C.E.M.S. Thcre are 86,000 -members of .this .society 'in England: My work; is, to speak t6 . churchmen in,' the"first"instance,-. and-"that," of course, ; means othor- men coming to the meetings; and gat .them tovform. branohes of ■ the C.E.M.S. .and pledge, themselves ,to pray and to do something to help forward "the' work' of the Churoh,, The work may be .'anything .whatever; a ; manfinds ready-to'his.'hand;" - Thb C.E.M.S. was started hf 'Archbishop ' Temple.' and: the present- Bishop:'of London-together,, and • lie . went. on': to ' say:' '.The industrial. and the r -lower--middlo' classes; are the" keenest , supporters we -have. - -1 ; think'■• are the : most,reUgipus.classes at.Home. :But ; we. have' 6ome':-of ,the.-.very; big/people amongst our members::' Our '.first, endeavour'is to band ' together" the' -men ;who are. in-the' Church'.' There.-are.iso many who are . 'receivers merely. 1 - ' We wish ; to emphasise Our, -Lord's teaching' tlat men should' be doers of ', tho ' word and not hearers only. So far .the work -has prospered amazingly.' Wo have. most extraordinary . mass meetings. "Just before leaving/England I a. gathering .'of .3000 men at Newcastle-on-Tyne." In conversation with-'a Dunedin; reporter,-, Mr. Woollcombe remarked :"I am very sorry that Will Crooks has been ' rejected at the | election.. Mr: Cropks is oneof,imy;personal friends. -.'<l sdw hini off at Melbourne, and- .wisled him the test of luct, 1 and I regret that he las not had it. - We : cannot afford to lose such a man from Parliament.' I take it that ,116 defeat has come about partly because of the temporary removal, of : his strong personality' from the. constituency .during the. crisis, and, more because. Wool-.. \noh is '.hit hard by ' tie . reduction of armaments, :nnd ninny' would-vote for a. Government that would moke work in the arsenal;;.; I. :ani sorry to ,read that .one' proposes a ..thanksgiving, service for - Crooks's defeat.; ' All religious, men who:know. Crooks have the deepest ■ regard for liim." :. .