LIFE IN NEW GUINEA.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1675, 15 February 1913, Page 10

LIFE IN NEW GUINEA.

MATTHEW.THB PAPUAN; ', Yesterday afternoon tho Ladies'' Atiiill. ; My of tho Methodist Foreign' Mission en- ' ,r r s? ln ?. d , 1116l 116 delegates attending''tho . Methodist Conference at afternoon tea in Wesley Hall, and afterwards a most inwresting time was spent iit listening to Mrs. Gilmoro, a missionary from New ' Guinea, lecturing upon the work that is ' done among, tho natives o) that region.: Indeed, so engrossing was tho subject, ■' that the delegates forgot tioy were duo at the conferonco very 6homy after tea, \ and an urgent messago hid to bo sent summoning them to attend 1 thoir duty ia h the adjoining building. ': i -Miss Kirk,, president of' tho 'Ladles' ''! Auxiliary;:ihtrdduced Mrs. :Bilmore to aa audience that .practically filled the hall. | Mrs. Gilmoro said she likcl speaking to ii ladies' auxiliaries, because' (Key took, such I an, interest in mission work.' When speak- v , ing in Sydney to. one ofi thoso bodies, .' ■ members, became eo enthnsii stio that they '""■!': i subscribed at that meeting for tho l building of a hoiho in ono o: these islands, Wcllingtoh' ought to tako a particular ,: interest in the mission woilk,' bocauso of Sister Margarot, : who was tpeir own par- ■ \ ticular missionary whom t'pey were sup*. : v .-; l»rting. Sho, was doing etcollent work,' chiefly among tho ohildwn, but it was hard work and she needed ■ Itll' th 6 support! -i they could!givo.her., . ¥ 'V'i(,',ji .. .~: '. The Metho*li6t;inissidn"w:iii'entiroly, w' \ sponsible for tho work done.among soma of these islands off New GuSneoi and also

on a strip of Now Guinea ijtself. It woi ; a great responsibility,' because if they failed in their work, therk was no ono:.'■'■' else to do it; It was twilvo years ago eince she went thero as a bride, with her i husband, and Kjriwina was tlieir first station. Then war and rtimours of war vwere rifo among tho but in about > two years tlmo a great chtjnge had come ,'.'■ :| over tho natives'Ond strife had becemo ,• quite uncommon.' Frem Itiriwina, after some few years had passed they went to■■■': Übuia, where the work largely consisted, of training native young trpn otid women' . V for missionary work' amopg their own '~ .■'!. people; ns white missionaries could nob ; roach them as those of tlieir own race, V The : work was as follows |i at TJbuia:—There was the nursing work, ■ first and second division. Ik theso islands ' '.;,!' the babiss wore eometimei buried alive i or starved, or:, ncgleotod; .and those na- ( i tives who had oomo undcij tho influenco' ■■ of the missionaries used to bring them -. . : > in to be cared for. In the first division ;:| the babiei varied in ago fijom thoir early ,; stages to about two ycars.;j In the second, j division they were from seven to fourteen years of ago, and thedr education was I taken in hand. There was a boarding BChool (with forty conducted by ' the sisters whoro native girls would bo, trained ■; in all housewifely arts, so that ■>.'■ later on they would bo fitting help-mates' v ; for the native ' studontil attending tho boys' school. They taught gardening, cooking, scrubbing, how to moke their own clothes and these of their husbands.,. mats, and baskets, and all kinds of useful tilings, and when they went back to their', villages theydid not sink back into their old ways. A. daily inspection was mado " of their houses by-tho missionaries, and" they were ■ helped in all their troubles or difficulties. .- y ~, ■■ Occupying a scat upon tho platform,ira» ■ Matthow, a n&tivo of Papua,, whom Mrs. Gilmoro hod brought over from Papua. - Small in Btature, and slight in build, in ' colour very much like that of our own: Maoris, with a bright,. intelligent face, ■ Matthow. created an extremely, favourable. , impression. His dress,, too, was pici turcsquc, being in,whit© and rod—a white shirt' and red tie, and: ft sarong-offect of t white, patterned, with rod flowtts and. figures. • ■ > \- - ; i' ■ ' }•■ Matthew was called upon to speak, and Mrs, Gilmoro acted as his interpreter. His..' speech was full of the poctio feeling, and imagery that distinguishes our.: Maori people, as well as tho wonderful Intuition . and power of deduction that is *o oftcn ! feuna among native races. He spoke of the traders that came, to New Guinea; : , and who said, "These people aro only animals." What did they do. to help thorn P. Nothing at all.- All they wanted was gold. That was not so with tho missionary people,'and thoso he was Speaking to. They had a vision of souls. Matthew' compared tho Btate of his people to that of a mnn swimming in deep wal«,; A boat with men in it passed by, and the/ ssid "I pity.you," and did .nothing. / Where was their lielp to the drowning r Needless to say. Matthew met with a great . ovation* - . - ■ ''..v. "■ ;-.;