A CALL FROM NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 883, 1 August 1910, Page 8

A CALL FROM NEW ZEALAND.

THE COMINC ANCLICAN MISSION. THE MEN AND THE WORK. (By tee Rev. H. Akbos.) We have received the following communication from tho Rev. Harold Anson, of Birch Rectory, Rusholmo, Manchester, and formerly Warden of St. John's College, Auckland, in reference to tho visit of sixteen Anglican clergymen, who'aro now on their way from England to conduct a general mission in New Zealand:—

I am asked to write a few lines to enable New Zealanders to form an idea of the aim which has animated the. minds of the . committee',. in England which,.at the express wish and request of, tho General Svnod of the Anglican Church in New. Zealand, has chosen, missioners to visit the Dominion' this year, arid has endeavoured to carry out the arrangements in regard to their visit. ' • .' . • Wo wish it to be clearly understood that wo have never regarded this mission as being'an effort on-the part, of a pious England to convert wicked and pagan colonials. Those of us who know England and know New Zealand aro entirely conscious that England, has no cause to thank God that slid is. more righteous than other parts of the Empire,' but we havo hero, what you have not in equal measure in New Zealand, an abundance of clergy endowed with the' particular gift and experience of oVangelistic work—Hnen 'who are continually engaged in holding such missions ; iii England as you have asked for in New. Zealand,, and we could not re.'fuse':', to do our best to do what you. have asked us to do, in' sending out the best men we could find to. help our over-worked brethren in New Zealand

,1 do not believe that'many of these sixteen men would, or could, have gone out unless they had felt it a positive duty, to show their love, for New land by giving up extremely important home work in answer to the- New; Zealand Church's call. ' • '.. ■ -'■ A Creat Missions!-. The leader of the mission, Canon E. A. Stuart, is a loader well known in "Evangelical" Church circles. A great niissioner and. a fearless speaker, who has already made ai reputation in South Africa and in tlio Pan-Anglican Congress, and who, in' spite of his pronounced Evangelical views, is .heartily respected and beloved by "High" Churchmen, as well as by ''Low" Churchmen. He will be. conducting special services iii Wellington' Town Hall.

His brother, Canon H. V; Stuart, Rector of. the very important -manufacturing town of.-, Stoke-Upon-Trent, .whore he. has six curates under,- him,gained a reputation from his having himself spent a .week as a collior in a coal mine,, in order;'to gain -experience of his parishioners' - trials and difficulties. Ho is frequently '.-.sked to conduct missions in iliiEland. The Fishermen's Parson. .. Canon Tupper;Carey',-'the- popular "fishenncvi's parson," who for. many years has -worked among the fisher-folk of the North Sea at' Lowestoft, following them sometimes in their boats-to their fishing-lgrounds, has-just been ajh pointed by the Archbishop of York J a Canon of York Minister to organise tho mission ' work .of that diocese. There aro"few more popular clergymen in England. Canon Lillingston is vicar of tho important p'afish church of Hull, and one of.the-best known,younger men of the' Evangelical school of'•■ thought. He took' part in- tho 1 mission. '■ in South Africa:-''.'" '-'.-•'■ '. ''■-■"'■ •,.■'■ .■•'.•-'

-Mr. Horan,has been a naval officer, and if I_am' ; riot mistaken, was in his. infancy in.; New '• Zealand, where his' .father was fighting'in the Maori'war. ,-". ■ Mr.. Fitzgerald, and Mr. Rees r who belong to the . Commuiuty of; Mission Preachers at. Mirfield, are, both: .men: who have given up, their lives'.: to . the 'particular;: work; of- ; mission-preachirig; ; ■where their services are in constant request.. -We- are .exceedingly ',- grateful to the community ; for sparing them both' for 'so, long from: England, whcii they aro so mucli needed liero.;. 'Mr. Fitzgerald is, I believe, a great authority upon, matters theosophical, which - in some parts of. the Dominion.'have: attracted so much interest, of: late years. Mr. Rces, I hear, is-the special favourite, of children. . < ... ; '■'.; Like New Zoalanders. ' . ': Canon Ivens, a well-known evangelical preacher, has a wide experience '.of ■ the hard-headed and democratic working people of the West Hiding of Yorkshire, who aTe, so like New Zealanders ■ intheir views and.-ideals.. : He has been for many years 1 vicar of.; Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax: Mr. Cyril-Hephe.r..'is .'vicar of St. John's, Newcastle-upori-Tyne, and the author of. a. book-.of ; .devotional ''addrosses, and a popular 'missioned in' the North ; of;England. : '■'. .: ;..;■• ' Mr. de Carteret,- vicar 'of : Christ' Church, Greenwich, is prominent among supporters- of the-. Church;. 1 Missionary Society, to which New Zealand'owed so much in .early years,, and still supports so seriously. "•.■■■'''•. Mr. Kinloch, who is private chaplain to tho Duke of Westminster and rector of. the "'parish ; adjoining • the Duke's house at 'Eaton Hail, is a well-known preacher in Cheshire, who has experience, with all conditions of men. Mr. Farrer, vicar, of:-Bridp'ort, has* lived in-'.New Zealand, and.is familiar with its ways of thought, I believe' ho is a friend of the -Bishop; of Wellington.l, v ■ j . ; v - ; . -..,•; Mi\ Evans has-been biirate to Canon. Tupper Carey, -and has been especially successful in working among young men. Mr. Darby has been chosen by the Bishop of Worcester as his diocesan missionor, by whom his services have been most' kindly lent to the Now Zealand Church. •■'--..' A Temperance Lecturer, , .Mr. Bell is lecturer for'the Church of England Temperance-Society in Oxford diocese, and will no doubt bo especially, interested in that. - work in New Zealand,, though I suspect he will be too prudent to express his views during his short stay on that muchcontroverted question of-New Zealand politics. Ho comes, on this occasion, not as a temperance preacher, but as a- missioner. :

Mr. Jones has experience of work in a small county parish liear Malveni, as well.as of mission work in more populous .centre*..

All Shades of Thought! The • committee has tried most sinr cercly to send men who represent all shades of thought within tho Church of England, with no thought whatever.of forwarding any narrow or sectional interest. It need:-scarcely be said that there is no desire to interfere with the work of any "other denomination. We feel ourselves ■ most deep gratitude to the men who arc going out. We ask Now Zealanders to remember that it wjll be very difficult for them to, adjust themselves to the new moral and'mental atmosphere during their short st-ay in the Dominion, to remember also that there tiro few kinds of work so'exhausting as mission work, and above air to remember that the missioncrs not only come as invited guests, but. as mon whose supreme ambition it is to giro help wherever and to whomever they can. Wc know that wo cannot bo wrong in commending thenn to tho prayers and tho warm co-operation of New Zealand cb.urch.-oeoj}l<,.