MELANESIAN MISSION WORK

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2333, 15 December 1914, Page 2

MELANESIAN MISSION WORK

Mr. James W. Henderson, honorary secretary and treasurer for the' Wellington diocese, was the speaker at a meeting which was held in connection with the C.E.M.S. Wellington and Suburbs Federation in tbo Sydney Street Schoolroom last evening. The Ven. Archdeacon Harper presided, and Mir. Henderson addressed his auuienco upon the work which was carried out by the Melauesian Mission, and the conditions under which it was done. The speaker, who was apparently somewhat devoted to statistics, gave an outline of the missionary history of the Islands, beginning from the timo when Christianity was firet introduced, down to the present day. Owing to a curious mistalte which was made when setting bounds to the various islands which were to belong to the various i missionary areas, a greater extent of | land came under the Australasian dio- ! cese than was originally intended, i'lhe Presbyterian Mission, the speaker 1 said, had spent money enough on their .work to put all the others to shamo. There wero really throe distinct, races in these Pacific Islands. There wero the Polynesian, who were the most numerous and the most, freo. Tbey Were tall, almost golden coloured, and inclined to corpulency, and they absorbed civilisation* with aptitude. Then there were tho Melauosians, who were much darker in colour; in fact, a cigarbrown. They wore not comely, and iwore slight in build, and somewhat short. They were diffioult'to civilise. Thd New ' ' Hobrideans were the third race, and they were even moro difficult than tho Melanesians. The further north one went the darker they became in colour. One of- the great difficulties which missionaries encountered in these is-, lands was the great number of dialects or, languages among the natives, who, might bo so close together as sis milos, and yot a native from ono village would not bo able to understand the language of another. Then there were no sounds which could-possibly convov the words and letters o." some of the languages. Tho speaker desoribr od a printing establishment which was to bo found on Norfolk hland— tho only one. The building bad not been- painted for seventeen /ears, and even thing was done by one -nan —the printing, with most antiquated machinery, tho cutting, binding, and every other" necessary part of the work, and as 'an instance of tho kind of printing, which was turned out the speaker heid up a hymn book, which was one that no city printer and bookbinder need have been ashamed to have turned out. The schools, churches,' hospitals, and their equipment on tho Islands wore described, and a comprehensive idea was given of the lives which were led by the-missionaries on the Melanesian Islands.