ANGLICAN BACK-BLOCKS MISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1920, Page 6

ANGLICAN BACK-BLOCKS MISSION.

BISHOPS AND CLERGY. (Contributed.) At the Lambeth conference recently held, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave a glimpse of the work which people are apt to forget, "in a few months," he said at one of their meetings, "some of the bishops present would be walking 1500 miles in tropical Africa, or sailing from island to island in horrid little boats which made them shudder to think of, or driving dog teams in Arctic latitudes."

One of those referred to is Bishop Lucas, of the Mackenzie River diocese — the Great Lone Land of Northern Canada —which extends over 600,000 square miles of prairies, forests, lakes, and frozen wastes, and has one inhabitant for every 100 square miles. Of its 0000 people, 5000 are Red Indians or Eskimos. Of the other 1000, only 100 are white people, the rest being half-breeds. Nearly all are trappers. The bishop has charge of seven mission stations, and in visiting them he has to travel thousands of miles a year most of the, journeys being made along the mosquito-infected rivers. Nearly all of the Indians are Christians, and the Eskimos are rapidly being converted and three out of four of the Christian Eskimos can read their Bibles. In New Zealand the hack-blocks missipv.'vy has oft-times unique experiences. In innumerable instances "shanks' pony" is the best way of negotiating some of the tracks, and if by any chance dusk falls, he nearly always encounters droves of wild pigs. However, these scamper quickly out of the way In one case, however, they rushed past the missionary so suddenly that he involuntarily took a ride straggle-legged on one, and not until the frantic animal reached the thick brush was he able to part with his unwilling steed. Crossing flooded rivers in cages on wire cables that very often jib in the middle of the stream, or walking a sixinch plank nailed to logs on either side—which plank has a most disconcerting fashion of swinging when-well out on it—or essaying slippery, mossy logs, are the veriest common-places. , A sleep on the kitchen sofa, to awaken with the smell of frying bacon in the air, and to be assured by the good wife | that if "he will, but wait another minute ] till she put the bacon on the rack and ; go out and then he can get up," are at first matters of very great embarrassment to the young minister. It may be very truly said of the back-blocks that where there is heart room, there is house-room. They itre "remarkable for their hospitality." In one instance a home missionary performed a wedding in a very remote part of the country. After a meal was partaken of, the bridegroom approached the clergyman aud invited him to stay the night with him and his newly-wed wife in their new home, as the "old people were full up." Rather hesitatingly the minister acquiesced, feeling most decidedly "de trop." On reaching the new home the bride lit the fire and got afternoon tea, in a most business-like* way, and then, asking the minister to amuse himself with the newspapers, herself donned her every-day attire, and whisked away to help 'her husband to milk.

Now, working among' these Greathearts no wonder the back-blocks minister loves his work And his best work is done in his visiting among them—no texts perhaps, but a few homely truths dropped here and there, ami always the shining example. "He is a said an old Irish policeman to me once of a certain back-blocks missionary. "Ye can see it shining in his face." "No easy jobs have I to offer," says our Bishop, "but I want priests who are men first of all, men with sympathetic hearts.''