RELIGIOUS WORK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 85, 5 January 1920, Page 8

RELIGIOUS WORK

0 . PEESB YTEKIAN BIBLE-CLASS CfJJN'FEUENCE. By Telegraph-Press Association i Timaru, January 3. I This week Timaru has entertained the annual conference ot the Presbyterian I Bible-Class Union, with nn attendance f of nearly nine hundred, chiefly young J people, ami a. number of ministers from \ rtu'iuus parts of the Dominion, as teachj ets, iocturer.-i, ami leaders. The men slept in tiro Main School, and the ladies in South School, niul a large hall near the Post Ultiee was used as 11 diningl room. The majority of the delegates 1 arrived last .Saturday, and were given a civic welcome. Business matters relat- • ing to the young men's and young 1 women's organisations respectively were . first attended to. Each day's programme 1 devoted the morning to study circles ! under capable leader;, or addresses on suitable subjects, /such as experiences) iu special fields of work, and teachers' classes were also held. Tlio afternoons ? were devoted to recreation—tennis, 1 cricket, sea battling, etc. A garden J ■piiirly was lu<)d on the Girl/ High ; School grounds on Thursday, and ;i sports meeting on the Boys' itigh School ' grounds on i'riday, Both were quite biiccesst'iil. The evening meetings were iu«tte interesting by a rota of speakers, . local and visiting ministers. . An important statement was made on • Thursday evening by Professor llewit- ; son, of JCnox College, on the effect of adverse exchange rates on remittances for salaries to the New Zealand churches, missionaries in India am! China, especi- , , ally tiio latter. The urcseut. rates re--1 ([Hired 70 per cent, more for Imlia, and ) for China 150 per cent, more, the value. 1 of the sovereign having dropped from 1 fifteen to niuo rupees in tho flJrmer, and from ten Chinese dollars to four .11 tho , latter To maintain present salaries, ■ £,:m a year more was needed, and an ■ effort should bo made to raise an omei--1 cency fund of .tIO.IXIO. J'rofessor Il.ewit- ' son urged the delogales to make the • situation known when they returned to ' their homes. ■ The conference, winch doses to-mor- ' nw has limii Juvciirwl «itli lino suminor weather, and the viFihirs ..■uksif-o Ui» Atraiigeiticnts m*tlo for llwir coa--1 vcuiMico and comfort, their cordial re- . i*,vtifln, ftn.l the rflliio CI the toadiliifa J aaoourasonwnl. an<l ifln , received. ! Christian Stmlents , Conference. 1 'I'll* Austriilnsiftii Christian Slu-lcnW' , Conference >tns npcneil at Gnrnldiiic yes--3 (cnlav About 0110 hundred dfleiiatw • wcro" !volco4*<l by the Mayor (Mr. H. 1! Mao Donald). Tho liev. John Mackeiwic, formerly of St. Andrew p, Cliristchurch, and now ot looralc, .;l?l- ---" tionrne, an eld Geraldinc boy, presided. ' oror by the conference.