Papua.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 27 April 1918, Page 4

Papua.

A missionary meeting was held in tlie Century Hall 011 Tuesday evening, when the Ilev. A. H. ! Scriven, formerly of the New . Zealand Methodist Conference, but for the past four years labouring in Papua under the direction of the New .South Wales'. Conference, gave a most interest- j ing and informative address on | the work which has been, and is-j being, done by the Methodist, missionaries in the l - sphere allotted to them by Sir William MacvJiegor when Administrator of l^ 11 " tisli New Guinea. 15y the aid of a map, Mr Scriven showed that the Methodist sphere was composed entirely of islands, and eiitnil- j gcl u vast umouiit lot ti'UA ollnij-, \ which was at times attended by ! considerable dang'ev. llio an guages and dialects of the group were very numerous, but the nus siouaries were endeavouring to make Dabuan the standard language in order to simplify tne work, bring the various peoples into closer touch with one another, and incidentally to lessen the cost of printing required to carry in the mission propaganda. The mission is only 27 years old, nevertheless, that short space or time had seen a great change toi the better in the life of the People. As an instance of that. Mi I Scriven said that last us people, who*upwards of ear ? •an'o were cannibals, contributed £400 for the relief of war-distres-sed Belgians; not a great sum perhaps, but it indicated a cJiano>e of heart and a widening ox outlook that did not exist prior to the preaching of the Gospel The meeting was well attended and the misioner excited the keen interest of his hearers to the end. On the motion of the l?ev. J. 11. Ha si am, the missioner was accorded a hearty vote of thanks toi his address^^^^^