LONELY BACKBLOCKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 273, 17 November 1922, Page 8

LONELY BACKBLOCKS.

HOW THE MISSIONARIES HELP. A touching description of the sad side ' of life in the backblocks was given by Mr. E. King at the Presbyterian Home Missionary demonstration in the Scots \ Hall last evening. I Mr. King said he had always been impressed with the sadness of death there. In the cities and smaller towns death ' was not so sad as in the backblocks. Life j was lonely there at any time, but when ' the breadwinner was suddenly taken 1 away it seemed to vanish all hope that ' might have been in the home. The speaker described a funeral where the coffin was conveyed on an old trap, which broke down, the journey being completed with the coffin on a sledge. Qn the way various difficulties were encountered, including the crossing of a '• deep creek. Finally the grave was . reached—just a square hale such as one ! would use to bury a dead beast. ; Mr- King spoke of another case, where i a poor woman lost her husband suddenly. . She had 35 cows to be milked and could | get no help. Consequently Mr. King . felt the most Christian thing he could , do was to undertake the milking until , assistance could be obtained. With the . help of a boy he milked the 35 cows I till his arms swelled until they were as , big as legs. Mr. King concluded with an appeal . for financial support for the work. i The chairman, the Moderator of the , General Assembly, said that unknown to | Mr. King it had been aptly arranged to ; take up a collection at that stage and the audience would have an opportunity j to contribute. After the collection, the Moderator an- ' nounced, amid laughter, that he had been accused of misrepresentation—that the ' collection was not for Home Missions, ' but for the local expenses of the • Assembly! i ■■ 1 emir hair handicaps. . Protect yourself against compulsory re- • tiiement. Don't let your balr make you an old man before your time. Use Donnelly's Grey Hair Tonic to maintain natural colour. a „; 1 »? or . ary balr> No - 2 tor o«y hair. Prlco a/fl bottle of all hairdressers, chemists • and stores.— (Ad.)