FOREIGN MISSIONS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10622, 30 April 1912, Page 5

FOREIGN MISSIONS

REV. J. T.'FIELD IN THE METHODIST CHURCH,

There was a lairge attendance in' t&e Masterton Methodist C'lrarch last evening, when the Rev. J. T. Field .gave an address on mii&sion wtetrt in „ Papua. Mr 0. N. O. Pragnell pre-sided,,-a.nd iiitcvdvjied the £|pea'ker. The Rev. S. J. fcerpell spoko for a yhort time on ,ihe financial' jpceition.- 'of wiO Fcrngn. Morsiori, whicfe. | during 1011 fli'ad rn::od the mm <.<£ £39,201 thirorrjlbut Auctralasia, which was an increase- of £3SMG on. the previous year's work. Tilio emission vats in. hopes of raising. £42,000 to he expended d.irr:',ng the (present year, and : uc hbped that the Methodists of Maeterton wtould materially assist. Mr J. T. :Field was .then called upon to address (those, present. Mr Field said that it "was always a pleasure to meet an as&ambly interested in the work of Foreign Mis'sionsy and he was there that evening to telt them of the worlc done by the MethotFiist Mission in the Ts'laiid® in the Sbutli Seas, hut n.tore ■paa'tioidWly of the work done' dulring the past twenty years irn Phpua, or better known as iNewCaunea. Fijcj'-vir Field said, last • year contributed £IO,OOO for the inisSioii v.'ork in iFijl, which went to show that the natives in that island had the tfurthen-'ance of the Gospel at heart. The- sttime thing applied to Samoa-,, which was aiow ■ tdff-supporti.ug in mission work, and also sent £3OO for mission work in other islands. New Britain had also made great strides in mission work, and last year native contribut'lon'S from the island amounted to £ISOO. New Guinea last yeargave £SOO to assist'.miifisidns. in spreading the 1 Gospel through the island. Mr Field then dwelt with Papua from the time' he visited the island, -with the first >mi:,si£iioni that went to the country itwenty years .ago, and referred to the. gircat hardships which the raissio.nar- \ ies had to go through before they made any headway with the'' native*;, who were then in a state of absolute | cannibalism, and it was. only with I gre'at difficulty that they saved their Jives. Mr Keld spoke at length oil the customs, -character and. dress of tlie natives, and recounted some very interesting anecdotes of life amongst the natives. The result of twenty years of missionary work among tho Papt'uns was that one might now travel through the country .and find"the natives as well conducted as were' to he found in any part cf the w'orld, and their conduct during church services was an example to church going people en highly civi.lis.ed countries. Mr Field concluded by appealing for support end assistance in the great work of preaching the Gospel t-o thv. iHi?athen, tn:id in elevating him to a higher state b"f civilisation.