MISSIONARY WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 30, 5 February 1932, Page 11

MISSIONARY WORK

IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

The Concert Chamber of the Town Hall was almost filled last evening, when Mr. William Mallis, general director of the South Sea Evangelical Mission, gave an address, illustrated by lantern slides in colour, on the work of the mission in the Solomon Islands.

Mr. Mallis said that the only book used was,the Bible, and in the training school, where the teachers went for two years; the Bible was the only text book. No denominational doctrine was taught. The native teachers were not paid for preaching, which they did morning and evening, in the day tending' their gardens: The natives built their own schools and churches, and repaired them themselves. The island of Malaita carried the largest population, and a training school on it 'was at One Pusu. To reach OnePu'su one took an islands steamer from Sydney to the- town where the British administrative offices- were situated, and from thers by the missionaries' yacht, the tivangelieal, to the training centre. On arrival at ' One Pusu the native teachers accorded the missionaries a formal guard of honour. The missionaries' house is built on piles, a relic of. the days when they were in danger of being attacked by heathen natives. The native boys when they went to school were unable to read, but they were taught on a "read and say" system from the Bible. Script writing was also taught. The natives, unfortunately,' suffered from Western diseases. In, successive years the islands were swept by measles, whooping cough, infantile paralysis, and influenza, and as a result many natives died: Tuberculosis was also prevalent, but by teaching the natives breathing exercises the missionaries helped them, to. guard against this. ■

Mr. Mallis showed slides of high, mountains covered with bush, and tropical rivers over which orchids and ferns were festooned, to illustrate the nature of the land m which the missionaries worked. The salt water people arid the shore people were shown engaged in barter. The salt water people lived in huts on artificialislands built up of dead coral deposited at low tide. In time these coral islands reached above high water mark, and the natives who lived on them generally were too sharp for the shore natives in bartering. As yet, not many of the salt water natives were converted. The salt water natives had a superstition that if a woman looked on their nets they would not catch any fish. In all the islands the women did the heavy work, although the men mixed the. puddings. .. .-■ The natives' supervision of their own church, said Mr. Mallis, was stricter than any white man would suggest. At the annual convention held at, the "big fellow" church about 1400 people attended from three to four days, camped in little villages near the church. At 7 a.m. the day opened with prayer, and if the missionaries did not stop them the natives ■would continue praying for most of the day. None of the native teachers smoked, and they would not allow into their church anyone of whose conversion they were not certain.

A view was shown of a school situated in a place where Government officials were killed two and a half years ago. Another view showed a group of'jiatives on an island on which were three< missionaries' graves. As yet, these .natives were unconverted. A tidal wave,,following an earthquake, did much, damage in the Solomons recently, and one picture was of a village the tidal wave swept over. . '

Mr. Mallis was applauded at the conclusion of his address. ■ ~.;.