NEW GUINEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 224, 15 September 1908, Page 3

NEW GUINEA.

MISSIONARY WORK THERE. he .^'.' lel ' o was a lair attendance al lie ) Wlitell! y a " last evening when tn; lu'v. Bioinolow and ill'!;. Broiuflow ketmvd on: "Seventeen years amongst j Hie New Guinea natives." .Mr. c. , o ' Carter presided. Rev. and -Mrs. st Bromelow opened the programme willi a native song, which was interesting, the air being tuneful and the wonts of ttic song souuding not unlike Maori, j Rev. Bromelow outlined his missionI ary work for the last 20 years. Seventeen years ago, with Sirs. Bromelow, ilie had gone to Xew Guinea to take up U mission work. At that time the Gos- •- pel was quite unknown amongst the . natives and their experiences were at i time s novel and exciting. The natives practised witchcraft, and sorcery was most common, while cannibalism was indulged in. 'Hie difficulties of introducing a religion were al(most insuperable. The natives were disinclined to introduce strangers to the tribe at Dobbo Island. Soon after the speaker and ill's. Bromelow arrived at the island and after the natives had , made peaceful overtures, the whole male population of 4000 warriors conspired to kill the missionary party, but luckily one chief interposed aiid : the party was accepted as part and parcel of the tribe. Another great difficulty was the thieving propensities of the natives. They were particularly adept at pilfering by the aid of their feat, pic-king up articles with their toes as easily as with their fingers. However, the mission party persevered! and eventually overcame 'the trouble. On one occasion the rev- gentleman's study was broken into and several articles stolen. He went to the village to settle the matter and after a while file thieves admitted having stolen the articles and produced them. The' thieves were exposed to all the people of the village and surrounding villages and publicly shamed. This had the effect of stopping tte petty thieving, and after that there was not even need to close the mission doors. Another great difficulty was the trading instinct of the natives. Everything that was done was in the spirit of trading. He (the speaker) had cured a man of a disease who wanted payment for allowing himself to be cured! If the natives came to the meetings of the mission and listened attentively} ' they requested payment for being present. In fact, they wanted payment for everything. The speaker gave an interesting account of the manner in ' which he was introduced to the tribe and made a Papuan chief, and also how his wife and daughter had been taken into the tribe.

Most of the villages were built to re •'at attack. Some of these were built high up in the rocks; others erected palisades and built traps in the ground, all showing that the natives were very warlike. Tribe was frequently pitted against tribe. The men wore valiant in battle. All of them were more or less adept in the use of the spear. He had frequently seen a warrior when a spear had been thrown at him, bend his head to one side, and catch the spear in his hand as it flew past his cheek. Touching upon the lives and customs of the natives, ha said the natives were a most peculiar people, though a very fine people, but prejudiced against outside peoples. After great trials and work the Gospel had' been introduced and was being spread by native and other teachers.

Mrs. Bromclow prefaced her remarks with a sJiort song in the Papuan 'tongue. When they first went to the islands great difficulty was experienced ill approaching the natives. To gain the confidence of the women one oAlie best methods was to learn and address them by their Christian names, The speaker had found the women kindhearted, and, after a wSiile, trustworthy. There were many old customs of the natives tliat were most dillicult to overcome. One of these was the burying of live children with the foodies of their mothers. She herself at the risk of her life, had interfered at on° of these burying ceremonies, anil saved the life of a child which sire had afterwards cared for and fed at ttie mission station. By degrees this gruesome system had been stopped until at the present time very little, if any, of that form of infanticide existed. Both of the speakers were listened to with rapt attention, and were accorded a hearty vote of tlranks.