IN STRANGE LANDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 May 1921, Page 5

IN STRANGE LANDS.

A MISSIONARY’S TASK. WORK IN THE SOLOMONS. The story of missionary work in the Solomon Islands, as told by the Rev. J. F. Goldie, of the Methodist Church, had much to interest the large congregation which assembled at the Whiteley Church, New, Plymouth, last night. Mr. Goldie, who is accompanied by two native teachers from the Islands, has been engaged in this work on behalf of his church for the past nineteen years, and is at present chairman of the Solomons district.

In 1902 the mission was established in a district which was purely heathen. It was the policy of the church not to enter into the territory of other missionaries, and when they commenced an agreement was reached with the Melanesian Society, who were already conducting a campaign in the eastern side of the islands. The Methodist Church commenced operations in the south-western area of the group, and here the inhabitants’ were then most bloodthirsty savages —head hunters. It was their custom to travel many hundreds .of miles for the purpose of murdering their victims and bringing home the heads of the dead, and also capturing slaves. Death and desolation marked their trail. Withal they were clever people, as was demonstrated by the fact that their .buildings were far superior to any erected by the races in the Pacific, such as the Tongans and Fijians, while their canoes were better than any possessed by native races as a whole. Such were the people whose confidence and respect had to be won.

A serious difficulty was the difference in the languages of the missioners and natives. “Planked down in the midst of these savage people,” said Mr. Goldie, “we had no knowledge of their tongue, and they had no knowledge of ours. The language had never been reduced to writing. It was our duty to try and catch the sounds of that strange, new speech, and then teach the natives to read and write in t*neir own tongue.” Of course, he said, there were many mistakes at first, some of which were at times humorous, but all were surmounted, and now every boy and girl in the New Georgian and other adjacent groups was able to read and write. Biblical works bad been translated into the native tongue, and there were now also other books, both secular and sacred, available for the inhabitants. It was pleasing to note that the literature was eagerly sought after. There were now eighty thousand inhabitants who were proud to gall themselves Methodists, and in the Western Solomons over 10,000 of * these were meeting in Methodist churches. Pupils of the schools numbered over 3800, and there were over ninety local preachers. l As instancing the loyalty of the people to the church, Mr. Goldie said that a circuit which did not exist fifteen years < ago lost year contributed £2OOO to the foreign missions fund. Remarks made by the speaker indicated that the Introduction of the gospel to the Solomons arose in an indirect manner through the request of some of the natives. There were times when traders visited the Islands for the purpose of securing recruits in,Fiji and Queensland. These visitors were white people with black hearts. They went “kidnapping” or “blackbirding” the natives, as the occupation was called, and carried away many to semi-slavery. Some of those who reached Australia drifted into Methodist churches, became firm converts, and gradually the demand increased that some missionaries should be sent by the Methodist Church to the Solomons. It was Gods prerogative of taking good out of bad. The two native teachers who accompany Mr. Goldie are I. Zomovo and B. Sunga. Through Mr. Goldie’s aid as interpreter they expressed pleasure at the privilege of taking part in the missionary campaign. They related some of their experiences on the journey from their native land, which they left in February last. The blackness of their skin had been the cause of much curiosity in various parts of Australia and New Zealand, and the remarks passed bv people had been the subject of interest to the natives, who understood English quite well enough to enable them to pick up the conversation of the idly curious. In regard to their own country they welcomed the advent of the missionaries, and rejoiced that the New Zealand Methodist Church was going to help. During the course of the service, hymns were sung by the Islanders. The service closed with the pronouncing of the Benediction bv Rev. Elliott, who