CHRISTIANISING THE ANGLO SUDAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 157, 5 July 1926, Page 3

CHRISTIANISING THE ANGLO SUDAN.

• The men's meeting of the "i.M.C.A. was yesterday addressed by Mr. D. X. MacDiarmid. of the Sudan United Mission. Mr. Alex. Mill occupying the chair. Mr. MacDiarmid, by the aid of a map. took his audience on a journey from f'airo to Mombassa. Touching- on the J size of Africa, lie said that it is j 12.000.000 square miles in area —China. Australia. Europe and India could be comfortably contained in it. In discussI ins animals, the speaker said that so | alike are sheep and goat_ that the only I way to tell the difference is that the j j tail of the sheep hangs down, and the I tail of the goat "hangs"'up. In touching on the Sudan he spoke of the ignorance j lor the people. They knew of no other I country, or even of Egypt, or Khartum. | The difficulty was of language, it being | unsafe ror thu.-e speaking one language !to penetrate the province of those speak- ' j :_•_ another tongue. The primitive j i nature of the country, however, could | not last, because of the ingress of trade. j The irrigation works for the growing of j cotton in the north indicated that much cotton could lie grown in the interior. where there is a heavy rainfaii. Because of the ignorance and lack of sanitation. HO per cent of infants die before the a_e of two. but, though not medical ! people-, the missionaries gave attention !to the inhabitants, who have absolutely no other means of healing. Itinerant work among villages was also described. The fact of their idea of an Almighty P»eing. to be appeased or feared, makes the presentation of God as one Who cares difficult. Iv conclusion. Mr. MacDiarmid said that the ideal of the mission was to alleviate the intense suffering of the people, and to bring in the reign or" the Prince of Peace. During the afternoon Mr. Bru c Hutton contributed a son 2. and Mr. Xeilson a violin solo, Mr. R. Dyer being accompanist.