Wesleyan Foreign Mission.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 466, 26 April 1890, Page 2

Wesleyan Foreign Mission.

The annual Foreign Missionary Meeting was held in the Wesleyan Church, Te Aroha, on Wednesday evening, when a large Dumber of the 1 residents availed themselves of the opportunity of being piesent. The Rev R, 'Law opened the meeting by giving out a missionary hymn, after wliich the Eev T, ArNorrie (Presbyterian) engugedin piayer. The Eev‘ J. Law said he intended asking a gentleman in the audience to take the chair, but before doing so, he thpught it only right to state why the meeting had been 'called with such short notice. The Rev F. Lang-, ham,Chairman of the Fiji District, who had devoted pver thirty years of his valuable life‘to mission work in the Islands, he was pleased to say was with Mrs Langham and family on a visit to Ye Aroha. In consequence of Mr Langham having kindly _ consented’ to’ : give ,& lectnre on' iu Fij',T and on the manners and customs of . the people, it had been thought advisable •'■ ’to* bold the meeting that evening. Aftej'. the singing of another ; hymn, Mr W. Hetherington was called upon to preside, and in a few well chosen remarks introduce*} the lecturer. The Rev F. Langhath then 'proceeded to deliver his wliich was intensely interesting throughout, and replete with thrilling incidents pertaining. , to • the dangers, difficulties, , and successes of mission work in Fiji; - My Langham, said that’fifty-four years ago there was not. a Clnisiifin’Natiye in Fiji; but few,-if any, who’ did 'Ti&t' believe in the Loiu” (i.e,, ;Ghristianity). The

native population (including Indians mid imported lqbourep«from the inlands of tlie Piij-ifi/ ). at flip present titm mißit lie set dmyp lit 120,000, A* the result of oarn.pfu and faithful mission >vork in those Islands, the Wesleyan Methodist Oln rch was able t<> present to the \yorld tie fothWing interesting statistics, thus shpwing the •rood that has been dp.pe in so short a time: Adherents of the . Wesleyan Church, 104,000 ; Chapels and other preaching places, 1,300 ; full and accredited Church Members,2B.s32.; on trial, ; Junior Society Classes, 4‘763 ; English Missionary’*, JO ; Native Minister.', 72 ; Class Leaders, 3,254 ; local preachers (about), 3,000: ' The lecturer at considerable length, and in a most able mannej,.combatted the stgtepyent oftentimes put forward by thpse imperfectly acquainted with the real facts, that missionary work was a failure ; and in the course of his remarks made use of the following amongst other illustrations ; white resident—notify any : means a representative of our Colonists, —railingatuinst Christianity,and asking a chief wliy he made such a to do about religion, etc,, - the- -chief looking scornfully upon him said : <l .Hold vour tongueyou idiot. Where would yon beta day if we were not Christianized ? Look. here, said he, pointing to bis mouth ; this is the direction you would be taking if we were not Christians. I would eat von. Don-tyou say a word against Christianity.” There are many of our colonists in Fiji, Government officials, planters and others, who have voluntarily home testimony to the genuineness of the great work done. The lecturer was most attentively listened to throughout.

At the close Rev F. G. Evans (Anglican) proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, and in doing so spoke in high terms of the able and interesting manner in which he had dealt his object. The motion having been seconded by Mr S. L. Hirst (who also referred to the lecture in terms of the highest appreciation), was carried by acclamation.