MISSIONARY CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 47, 19 November 1920, Page 4

MISSIONARY CONFERENCE

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN'S UNION. The annual conference- of tho Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union was continued yesterday, Mrs. Envin (president) occupying the .chair. It was decided that Wellington should be the location of tho new executive. Tho officers appointed were as follow:— President, Mcs. lng&is; vice-president, 'Mrs. Gibbs; secretary, Mrs. Falconer; treasurer, Mies Gunpbttl Sister Christobel, P.W.M.U., travelling secretary, reported upon the year's activities, tho growth, reorganisation, and cxtersion of the P.W.M.U. and such branches as the Scattered Members' League, tho Girls' Auxiliary, tho Busy Bee Hives, tho M.M.B.L. She statedthat this work was growing in a way that was not realised. An address upon mission work in China, more particularly in Canton, was givon by the Rov. A. Don, It was difficult, he told his hearers, to revise how vast the work was, and. how ninny wcro its obstacles. The. district the missionaries there had to cover in the course of their work included at least 1200 square miles, with 400 villages and 50 market towns. Tho clan system of living 'was very generally folCoived, and in one placo ho visited there wero 12,000 men, women, and children nil of the same siirnaitijei One viltage had a population of 40,000 inhabitants. This |

claniiishnes9 of the people was ono of the difficulties of the. work, Tho Chiuesg in New Zeafand came mostly from Canton, • and missionaries visiting the villages were able in tell tho people about their relatives in New Zealand, and 80 get into touch with lliom upon personal grounds.. Mr. Bou considered ..Hint • f Uiijja was the hardest-Missionary field, tho'southern part of Canton beiiig particularly so, because of the intense donnishness of the people. A great part in union work was being- taken by the Rov. 6. M'Neur, Miss Hancock, and Dr. J. Kirk. If this work was to succeed they had firstoif all to brenk down tho illiteracy of tho 'people, and bv teaching thenr enable them to grasp the truths that wero being placed before them; and secondly, they had to encourage cooperation in every way, and seek out individuals'to work for this end next year. .A missionary conference was to bo hold at Shanghai, and half of the delegates would bo Chinese. More schools wero wanted, also more single women workers (at least eight or twelve), and more union, normal schools. They also had to support the hospital work of /the mission. A' vo.to of thanks was passed 16 the speaker at tho closo of his address, .'

In the afternoon the annual meeting of" pie union was held in St. John's Church; the Moderator presiding,.! He gave a brief address touching upon tho ..bust which was given to Church and pooplo in tho ■• teaching of tho Gospcil. It was-iv trust that was to be used for the' pood of others, and not for the individual alone. Both responsibility and work lay at each one's hand, and it, was for the individual to give and to serve. Whatever money he might have should be regarded as a trust given him by God to be- used for tho furtherance of His work. • In conclusion, theJloderator pnidi a tribute to the work of. tho P.W.M.U., and said they had been loyal ■to the trust thnt had been given them. Progress was shown in tho work of (ha branches, and in their financial work, Without their work whero would the PresbytemntChurch fie? A solo, "0 Test, in the lord;" was sun? by 'Sirs, Carey, and; an interesting address upon' modern China jn industry, pht.iticsi and' religion, was given by Mr, G. A. Wilson, of Canton. •