LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 60

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

! VISIT OF DEPUTIES. f The' Rev. A. N. Johnson, 33.A., lionie \ secretary of the London Missionary Society. { and Mr Edward Saaitii, J.P., of Itedley. Worcestershire,! England, a director of the ; society, .are at- present in Dunedin in the ! capacity of a. consultative deputation sent cut i by the Homo .board of the L3I.JSL to cosir sider the workiasc of the Australasian agencies, and to improve if possible, the organisation amongst- the churches, and to generally create interest- in the work ■of the society. The deputation isbeinu accompanied through Australia and N<ew- Zealland by .the Rev. J. King, organiser for Australasia: - . The Rev. Mr Johnson, who, ac homo secretary, has sole charge, of the organisation amongst the churches, save- -some interesting information to a Times~ reporter on Saturday forenoon- concerning tho London Missionary Society. JHe said that the eooiety waa now mainly dependent upon the Congregational. Churches for ita revenue, although it was originally formed, in 1795, by several "denominations, including the Presbyterian, Church, of England, and Congr©sratiorial. Sine* tifenc the Church of England had eataßMjshed t&e Church- Missionary. Society' as' its great missionary 'agency, and the Presbyterian Churdfi had. 'developed 1 ifa«rwn. mistsionsV The „ London ' "MiesSonary^' Sooietv Afros' "now, therefore, practicaUy'*upported^T>y GonffreKatmnaliats. although they received aelp. from other" _ denomination^ especially 'froaTjfche ■ P»«sby- ; teEiantf-"in.---SSatlan<J^ "and tbeje- were "still administered on> an undenominational • basis. " . .: '- -- - - • A.-EOBWAR& MOTfcEMENT. -' This- year in the- Old Goantry ». forward movement was/bed&jr made. lieadmjj ministers were going- fo> conduct 8 missionary " caJmpa,ign throaglionf 6rea.fr -Britain,, and were to have a simultaneous aeries of missionary meetings ur. November- ~ ' BrJwms hoped by this means to cam sufficient' income to meet tfoc'presenfcneeds— they were about £10,000 a year 'short,, — arid to renrovp the cumulative deficiency* of -£35,0G0. '" The expenditure last yeatr wa» £185,000, «n<ttib» income- received" about £10,060 l«s.' Mr Johnson mentioned with pride that, of their' revenue iMfc year no lee* a. sam' than.' £ss, o3o was- contributed by the- native cfcaxob.ee aw the " mission field. Th* lreaknen o£ the' eooiety. continued the home secretary* wa» really tfc% success that had 'attended it, and ■ the grea*. demands there, were front all the ■&bHb\ especially 'Cbrraa and India, for advances in - the- wtrnk. The otfeer - fieltb in witioli feha - society^ ~_ operated were" Central and Sbbth Africa,' 'Madagascar* Polynesia, and New Guinea-. - Not Zealand liad a special interest in part." of tha aociety'a South Seas mission, as JSook Islands: was * portion, of the UomiiMon. For much the, same reason Austrsdia- Brad ft. special ruter-'; ost in their Fapu%~ or Newt' Guinea- - - - The deputation bad been; rouiwt tibe- capitals of the Commonwealth, " and ~to A-ucljb--landy* 1 - WellinKtoft. - anis Timaru in New Zealand, , and .would "hie about a fortaqjiifc ice Ehmedift.' They; had had a ,fieaity_ welcome "eyerjrwnere, ' notwithetsndrns. tjat tlie holiday season had l ' •omef!rha.t- ihf erf«TeS with their meatmgs in thia country. "Altfcodjtn; the piimary object - of -the deputation' had been. the better in R of the organisation amongst tbe churches, • ike visit, had also borne- welcome fruit in another" direction, SwoLutiom had been, passed ;bv all . the auxiliaxiesv in Australia' and New Zealand to increase the" contxibn- ■ lions to the* sooiety. At the present time Australia and .New Zealand contributed £6000 a yesz^ and they bad now decided to endeavour fo; increase thai amount to - £10.000. The* appearances^ too, were is favour of the increase- being brought about. ~ ~ The number of missionaries '•tn the various Qelda -throughout' the ".world appointed -By the Home board waa 275?. This was wrm&ecbvte of tEe wives of missionaries, who would brinr th» .total up to oVer 400. I Twenty of these workers came from, -toe 1 Australian ' -section, includine four from • New 2Jealatid. ! SQCOAL WORK AT HOME. j Mr Edward Smith, who is- a business man in D«dley,~tiie heart of the "Black Coun- • 'try " of England, makes social work his chief centre ' for activity, outside of his offio*. He i» connected with the. Y.&T.C.A., the Midland Federation of .the Churches (the- larKeat of the federations in England), and with, the Adulte' Sunday. School Aseoedation. It » this latter organisation that Mr Smith evidently takes . the greatest i delight in. He eaye it is " undoubtedly { affeetinjr, -the lives "of {he -working: men of I England. In the Midlands they had 20$ | of these*- schools,' and last year they were , attended by 18^926 men. and 2591 women, 1 or 21J81X workinjf men 'and 'women, attendine tiieae adult echcrdis on SundaT "xnoom-. ' inHB. Mf^ Smith, in -this" connection^ aaid ; he t whs rather pained- tdieeL bow the people in New Zealand Jfcere •rmeainj? the relißioua. life. There was no , relijrions teaching in. ' the -day schools, and he was sorry to heae ; tiat the Sunday teoools xexe but poorly attended. In addition to *hat .fere known I as <t brotberfioods,*' there were in England1 to-day over' 100.000 men attending the adult. Sunday schools. The moTemeob was- started in 1845, and bad been. tbe means of practically reßeneratinjr tbe-very worst parts ok-many-of tie cities.- "Wherever a. school was started it ako carried with it a week-nijnrc "chib, and. many of their best leaders and. teache*s in this class- of social wort were men who had been reclaimed by the agency of- tfcev ecboole from, ttves of crime and debauchery. Mr Smith made a plea for State children — rthat is, those who were educated in the workhouses and industrial homes. Ausr • tralia and New Zealand, he said, % were 1 importing a- large number of the best of i the men and women of the Old Country. Why not, he said, srefc out the raw material' —that was, tibe State children. -, There were various associations like Dr Bar- , LnaoWa Bom®, Middlemose's Homes; and " Fegan's Homes, and many <j| a, Uk« naturo . in the Unitsd. Kingdom .that gathered up? . the waifs and strays, and tsainad them,-an4.-eubseqtfentlr trftna/ferrfcd tnem. to. Canada. Over 98 pec cent, had been proved to turn out well. As. an. instance, Mr Smith men-, tioned that Baetyear the funds oJE tbe-Fwan - Honse« were augmented to the extends- of ; £7000, * subscziptions from ladis who. had . paeeed, -through the homes, and thus- beenenabled to make a -success of life. The only fault of the children in these homes - and workhouses said Mr Smith, wa« their. environment, and it had been proved over - and over again that early environments had. no laetinpt effect on character once the .conditions of life were- ohangfitJ. In Mr . Smith's opinion the solution of t&« popu- . ktion question out here waa that ihe colo«..

nies should assist the Mother Country by providing an. opportunity for the future life of these lads and girls. Although " equality of opportunity " was everywhere preached, the future prospects of these young peoplewere dimmed by the fact that their admission to New Zealand and Australia was barred by law. Of course a kind of receiving" home would have to be -established, where the lads and girls %ould be maintained for a certain time after arrival, and from which they would be drafted to various' employments as. opportunity offered. They were sfcrong^and healthy people, of an age -at which they would- readily adapt themselves to the conditions of the^ country, .and- were- .calculated to become intelligent and "useful- settlers. "*■ l From' New, Zealand the deputation proceeds- to "Hobarti -and then -to Melbourne -*n.<t Sydney. - At the end* of February Jfew-Guinea-will be visited. . - -- -