PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN'S MISSIONARY UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 18

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN'S MISSIONARY UNION.

The annual meeting of the Otago Branch of the P.W.M.U. was held in the Stuart Hall on Tuesday, July 27, and was very largely attended. The Rev. James Chisholm, who presided, read apologies for absence from the Rev. Mr M 'Donald (Moderator .of the Presbytery* and from the Rev Mr Tennent, of Port Chalmers. The Chairman expressed his pleasure at being present, and 3aid he was sure they all felt that now was the time they were called upon to do their very utmost to spread the Gospel. The rev. gentleman went on to speak of the rapid progress of many enterprises, and said he supposed it was known, that among native races there was at the present time unrest and discontent, and unless they Drought the Gospel of Truth to these people there would arise problems that were to be dreaded. There | were about 9,000,000 of black and coloured ! people- between Cape Colony and the ZamI besi, and the- blacks were' increasing at" almost double the rate the white populationwas, and unless these races 'were broughtunder authority — became voluntarily subject to authority — there were likely to be serious disturbances. He was glad they had with them Dr Porteous, who was going away to India to carry on work there. He was going to take possession of an area with a population of about 2,000,000, and very few of these had had the opportunity of hearingthe Gospel. He said he would despair of any Church content to carry on work here at home when millions of people were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Home work and foreign work could never be looked at apart. Mrs R. S. Allen (secretary) then read the annual report, of which the following is a summary : — The Rev. G-eorge M'Neur and Mr 3 M'Neur left for Canton last September. We would extend our sympathy to Mr M'Neur in his recent bereavement. Miss Henderson, too, has suffered loss since her return. She addressed a large meeting in June. The Rev. Wm. Mawson and Mrs Mawson are on their first furlough. . Feeling how necessary it was that our Presbyterian Women's Training Institute should have a home of its own, we resolved to make a special effort to augment the Building Fund. For this purpose a sale of work was held in October, the result being that the sum of £304 16s 3d had been handed to the treasurer of the Training Institute Committee. We can again report the formation of new branches. Tapanui and Taieri Be»ch take the pk<e of two others that. in ''-the meantime, have dropped out of the ranks. It was felt that our library was not fulfilling its mission. A sub-committee has been form;d to assist the librarian, Miss Eve MstcGibbon. Miss Lindsay M&ckie's resignation having been accepted with regret. An effort is being made to send books to our country branches, and already there has been a gratifying response. During the year two members of that committee have been called Horne — Mies Alexander, secretary of Roslyn Branch of the Knox Church Branch of the M.M.B.L. and Mrs M'Kenzie, secretary of the Mosgiel Branch. Miss Glasgow (treasurer) read the balance sheet, which showed a small credit, and this and the report were adopted on the motion of Mrs Porteous. The Chairman referred to the good work done by the secretary and treasurer, and said they were greatly indebted to these ladies for the work they did. It was announced that Mrs W. Hewitson, Mrs T. A. Fraser, Miss Glasgow, and Mrs R. S. Allen had been re-elected president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary respectively. Dr Porteous then gave a brief address. He said he understood the chief object of his presence was to meet and become known to the Tadies of the P.W.M.U Most of those present knew, the field of operations chosen in India. The district lay in the r.ortk-nrest o£ Tt»4J» and contained about; 8000 square miles, with a population of? some 2,000,000. , He vent on to refer to the comparatively small number of workers in India, and to its vast population. He then touched upon the degraded condition of the women of India, and said those present' would be glad to know that they had already two-thirds of the sum necessary to build the mission hospital, and he would be disappointed, but not discouraged, if they had not promises of all the money by the end of next month. The choir contributed items during tb* afternoo*.