HOME AGAIN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1083, 23 March 1911, Page 6

HOME AGAIN.

■ — $ —: . THE ANGLICAN JIISSIONEES. A scries of meetings were held at Church House, 'Westminster, in connection with the return of the Anglican Missionary from New Zealand, and several interesting speeches were made. Tho Hev. Cyril Hephcr (vicar of St. John the Baptist, Newcastlc-on-Tyne) said they had taken part in an amazing wave of spiritual life. Life in New Zealand was a very attractive thing. The people were Englishmen at their best generous, open-hearted, hospitable to a degree keenly alert in their intelligence, accustomed to be in touch with the latest am! most up-to-date methods of agriculture and of dealing with the produce of the land. One thing that the New Zealandci was—he was certainly intelligent. The missioners found there such a real thirsl for touch with the spiritual world, a knowledge of things uuseen, as made il easy work for those who had to ministei to them. To show their enlightenment he had only to mention their treatment of their Maori brother. (Applause.) Th( racial question did not exist in New Zea land. The New Zealand clergy were grand lot. Everybody in New Zealtm worked, but nobody worked harder thai the clergy. At the same time, life wa< pleasant and attractive, and it was di'ffi cult to keep spiritual life at n high level If tho future of religion in Now'Zeaianc was not in the main the future of (hi Anglican Church in New Zealand, il would bo the fault of the AiHicar Church; but if she was to be tho' Church of the future in that country he was absolutely certain, she must be a Church that was awako to tho thoughts of hci own age, and in touch with the thoughts of the modern day, for nowhere waf modem thought more closely watched thnu in New Zealand. The Rev. C. F. C. de Carteret (vicai of Christ Church. Greenwich) said the special features of the mission were tlic spirit of intense reality, tho spirit oi prayer, the large number who used k come for personal interviews, the spirit of unity evidenced in the mission, and th< extraordinary response on the part of the men. The future was full of hopefulness, and what was needed in New Zcalam' more than anything else at tho prescn! time was n stronger staff nf clergy. The Rev. Timothy Roes (Community oi the Resurrection) said he had been sti'ucl by the solidarity of the Christian Church in 'New Zealand, where whito ruan ant Maori were 011 c in Christ.