Lecture on South America.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42782, 23 September 1905, Page 2

Lecture on South America.

On Thursday evening, in the Presbyterian Church, an interesting and instructive lecture on South America was given by Mr C. T. W. Wilson. The text was illustrated by means of a powerful lantern projecting a large nu nber of excellent photographic slides, mostly prepared by the lecturer him- • self, and which served admirably .to convey j to the audience a good impression of the ! grandeur, resources, and people of the vari- ; ous districts visited by the lecturer. . Slides • were shown of Patagonians, those beings so often quoted by Professor Darwin and Her- , bert Spencer, as being on the lowest plane of humanity. Professor Darwin had thought that it was beyond anyone’s power to uplift these natives, but since then, missionaries. had been out and a marked advance made. The lecturer then related how the first missionary party under the organisation of Captain Gardiner, having all died through lack of food, when expecting provisions which arrived when just too late. Mr Wilson and party left Wellington in the Kaikoura, and in twenty-one days arrived at Mo to Video. From this port they went by piuldle steamer up the La Plata River, and in twelve hours landed at Buenos Ayres, a city possessing extensive docks capable of receiving the largest steamers. This is one of the most beautiful cities. in the world, anl has about one million inhabitants —more than the population of New Zealand —the ground is fiat, with mostly one-storied houses, having flat roofs. Hundreds of electric cars -traverse the streets. Mr Wilson lived in a suburb called Flores, where house rents were very high, he paying between £7 arid £8 per month: A fine view j was shown of the largest Plaza, of which j there are seventy in Buenos Ayres. Another slide gave an evening view of the Park, the main drive being crowded with numberless horsemen, or carnages containing people who were perhaps more gaily dressed than those of any other part of the world. Views of the fine cemeteries were shown, in which magnificent monuments .were thickly clustered. A curious way of delivering butter was then described. The earner, riding a mule, puts the cream into a large can, and before delivering the butter,- goes for a trot round, during which journey the. cream should be churned to butter, when he is able to commence delivering it. Milk is purveyed by bringing the cow round accompanied by the calf, to the purchaser’s door.. The calf is allowed to get a little milk, and is then tied to the cow’s front leg, the attendant taking the remainder of the milk for sale.

In Bolivia the poorer people are ignorant and superstitious, arid the high-class are mostly infidels and atheists. There are, however, a number of churches, and these contain costly images, often covered with jewels worth £2OOO. These images are sometimes paraded round the town when rain is wanted, but the precaution is taken not to bring them out until black clouds gather and rain I is. a certainty. AMr Morris, the lecturer said, had started a school with eight scholars, which in a comparatively short period, had increased to 100 and lastly to 2008. One day a certain religious dignitary approached the Government with a view to having the grant to this school discontinued. The Government, on the other hand, increased the grant from 300 to oOOdols. a month, and expressed a wish that there were other men who could have the same good influence as Mr Morris. Mr Wilson had done much tent work. They would pitch at a small town and preach till they could see some effect had been made on the people. At one town they had converted one man over sixty-years of age who could not read. The boys at these places invariably took the tent to be a circus, and often perforated the sides with peep-holes. They would often have picnics, said Mr Wilson, and on these occasions would take with them perhaps two sheep and half a bullock, roasting them on* the ground. The lecturer described in graphic manner how, one day he went into a house to try and sell a bible to a man, who immediately produced a long knife, and would have killed him but for the fact that the man’s companions held him back. Mr Wilson described how, at several towns he had visited, after he had sold or given bibles to inhabitants there, the priest would come round taking the bibles from the people, and would publicly burn them in the street.

Part of the trip which lasted five months, was up the Las Palmas River in boats. Here the houses on the river Ranks are built on piles five or six feet high. The party lived and slept, in their boat. At first the mosquitoes, which were large, nearly ate them up, but after covering the whole boat with a inosqfuito net, they slept secure. Along the river they encountered many people who had .never seen a bible, and were Had to get one. the 250 they had with them soon beinsr sold.

From Buenos to Huhui was a railway journov of 330 miles. Arriv,\l at Huhui. they saw many bullock waggons bringing wheat -to the station, for Argentine is a great wheat-producing country and possesses a wheat-field 100 square miles in area, preliably the largest iu the world. Mules are used for riding purposes, but difficulty is often experienced in getting one to suit. Mr Wilson related how, haviug bargaimxl with a native, asked the man to mount and ride it. The man, however, said he had rheumatism, and when his son was suggested, said that he too was not well, so Mr Wilson essayed to try the animal himself. Mounted, he was Just, getting bis legs round the mule when he suddenly siiot up into the air. coming down with his legs txnuul the mule’s neck. Noedless to sav.' they didn’t buy that animal. The climate being lass ohaugoabls than ours, (hey were able to go without a sleeping tent, for the dry season lasted six months, during which there was no rain. Sometimes they [Kissed t hrough dense forests, the haunts of pumas and tigers. Cactus up to 13 or 20 feet high abounds with other tropical vegetation. Often they would sleep in a banana grave. A tine sight, was to see the men oovalling cattle in the fields. In Northern Argentine there are many sugar plantations, on some of which upwards of 3000 hands m-e employed, The Mataeo Indians are skilled with the bow iu\d arrow, hut thoy 111-treat their wives, whilst the Chirgwanus treat their wives with great respret. The Matacos live ehietlv on fish and beans for eight months of therein'.

The hx'tnrer deserilxxl ho\y, one day they wen' walking up a dry river bed, when the sky overhead wont very blank and they expected a storm, hut could not, got, up the precipitous recks on either side of the river bed. They kept ahead and iu the evening came to an Indian’s hut on the side of a mountain. Into this thyy went and slept. At about half-past nine the rain began, and soon tlm river bis 1 where they lu\d \\\m walking, was covered with a deep flood. Part of tlie mountain slipped, and hundreds of tons of wirlh'and iwok just missed tho lmt in which they wore obliged to wait next day until the river wont down. 1 h> Bolivia, Mr Wilson stated, there aro 20 tribes, each speaking a different language. The Indians of Bolivia are chiefly engaged in milling tin and silver. In these, mining towns food \y«s often dear: butter 3s Cd a pound, milk till a quart and cabbages Is (id. The metal fs clqssbd by women and taken down to the depots op llamas. Ono third of the year is spout in feiyst days in connection with Urn old Inca religious sun and moon worship, when men tlpp quaint , disguises and go intoxicated to, their church. In forty years file Spaniards have caused the death of twelve millions of these Indians. Children of eight or nine years are sold for sums equalling Jalunit L2. There arc in Bolivia one million Oholas. a lazy and immqrul people. Some splendid iUnstyntiops were shown of ancient buildings construe! od' of enormous biimks of stone, giving, vise, io mnoh conjecture as to how they were placed in position by the Tncius without mechanical appliances. An interesting slide also was that of a cemet'rc at < q -I,chime,a, where a maasive wall was pierced with hundreds of niches into Which tlm coffins containing the remains o£

wealthy people were, thrust in lieurf bunah V lO total population of South 'America is 40 millions, and of,these 2| millions are m Bolivia. ... Mr Wilson said that South America was, sadly in need of more Christum missionaries. The lecture emphasised the fact that a missionary’s life is by no means an easy one but that the trials and hard lups are m a great measure compensated h r by the powerful influence of the work on the ignorant and ; ho ]£ Wilson is connected with tlie Austral- ’ asiun South American mission. . . ; A very good audience was present, and much appreciated Mr Wilson’s able address.