MISSIONARY WORK IN THE ISLANDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9174, 25 August 1908, Page 5

MISSIONARY WORK IN THE ISLANDS.

ADDRESS BY REV. A. BALLANTYNE. There was a very fair atten lance at the Mastertoii Methodist Church last evening, when the Rev. Andrew Ballantyne delivered an address, the subject being "Missionary work in Papua." The Rev. J. N. Buttle pre sided. The Rev. Ballantyne who is a fluent speaker, gave a very instructive and highly interesting account of the important work done on the Native Mission Stations in New Guinea. The spread of the gospel was a work which was making wonderful headway among the benighteJ heathen in the islands of that group, in spite of the missionaries being greatly handicapped in their operations for the want of modern vessels of navigation. The missionaries were very greatly in want of stream vesse's, the only class now used\ being wind driven craft, and in the' Islands the devious winds made the process of navigation a very tedious one. Quoting figures to show the great hold Christianity had in the New Guinea group, the Rev. lecturer said there were tour hundred services held every week, while the number of natives who attended Christian knowledge classes was four thousand. The spiritual wants of the Islanders were attended to by twelve ministers, included in which were eight New Zealanders. The encouragement given by New Zealand to the missions in the Islands was a point upon which the speaker spoke with considerable approval, and he outlined instances of individual self-sacrifice which were very enlightening. The Chairman made a short speech at the close of the address, in which he too expatiated on the characteristic generosity of some New Zealand people in the support of foreign missions. He moved a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was carried by acclamation. A collection in aid ot' the fi inds of the mission was taken up at t ie close of the address, the proceedii ga closing with a hymn and the Benediction.