MELANESIAN MISSION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10699, 21 August 1912, Page 3

MELANESIAN MISSION

LECTURE BY REV H. N. DRUMMOND. A lecture by. the Rev H. N. Drummorn] was given in St. Matthew's Schoolroom on Monday night. Therc was a fair attendance, tlio acting vicar (the Rev H. N. Williams) being ii, the chair. The chairman introduced the missioner, who presently began his lecture. •Ho spoke first of all of the effect of the work upon a white missionary. The work was narrowing, and tlio life inclined to be dull, and lie was often several months without speaking a word of English. The audience would realise, therefore, why it was that a missionary's lecture was often dull and the missioner at fault in choosing his words. Besides, the audience generally failed to realise the conditions under which the missionary laboured.

Norfolk Island, the headquarters, is a little island about 700 miles North of Auckland; ono quarter of this belongs to the mission, the remainder to the descendants of the Bounty mutineers, who now number about 800. The speaker himself works in the Santa Cruz group, some' 1000 miles from Norfolk Island; a group consecrated by the graves of several martyrs, of whom Bishop Patteson is ono. For the work between Auckland and Norfolk Island and the three central schools, they have the Southern Gross. In addition they want three schooners and three, motor boats. Some of these are promised, and for some the funds are partlv raised. The Wellington Diocese is subscribing for a motor launch, fn using the whale boats, as at present, the missioner continually runs the risk of sun stroke, besides being worn out when he should be fresh for his visit. Motor boats will thus increase the effectiveness of the staff. In speaking of the islands, Mr Dnunmoiul said his first feelings bad been those of disappointment, because he liad formed his opinions of them from the novelists. But closer acquaintance showed their real glories. In the bush one was struck bv the beauty of the flowers, with _ their manv and delicate shades of rich colouring, and bv the beauty of the •birds, with the resplendent glories of their variegated plumage. The staple food is yams. These vegetables grow to as much as six or eight feet. Jn fact one man had told him.that he had'sccn one eighteen feet, but it was a small man who told him that. The people were savages, but they are now passing out of that state, and even th'>«c who have not embraced Christianity arc being influenced by the lives'of those who have. They are a kind and childlike people, being naHirallv honest and simple. Passionate i'hev are too, but t»cn are capable 01 ,l,ein" taugbt to control their anger. The missioner paid a tribute to the life and devotion of Bishop Wilson, who has hist ceased work m the islands. When other bishops had influenced the missioujiroadly, Bishop Wilson had left his mark by bis wonderful power over the individual. Mr Dnunmond interspersed serious with humorous, .and the attention the audience w- nm n'ollolisly well Kept hV ft' unique lecture, unique because the Inevitable lant«*n v-ore abK't't a»d because he fronted the suhn"'t i*l h different way from the usual He lias only been five weeks awav from his station, and returns in two"weeks' time. An arduous lecture tour fills his holiday, but the holiday will not have been ill-spent if other meeting are as successful as that on Monday nigW-