MELANESIAN MISSION.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17220, 10 August 1921, Page 12

MELANESIAN MISSION.

; ANNUAL MEETING IN LONDON. APPEAL FOB £25,000. (FBOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, June ]C. Rapid and startling changes taking place in the Pacific are bringing greater responsibilities to the Christian Church, and the Melanesian Mission, recognising this fact, are making a special appeal for funds to carry on their work and to meet the new problems presenting themselves. The headquarters-of the Diocese have now been moved from Norfolk Island to the Solomons. This mow, together with the erection of new buildings, the necessary overhaul of the Mission's vessel, tho Southern Cross, and other matters have involved the Mission in heavy expense, and then; is a debt of £SOOO to be cleared off. To meet tho needs the English Committee is appealing for £25,000 Ito be call.d the Bishop Patteson Jubilae Memorntf Fund). The question is also being considered whether thero should be a new Diocese for the ex-German islands, or whether the present Diocese shall bo divided between north and south. If the money is forthcoming it will be allocated as follows:—For endowment of bishopric, £15,000; to pay off the debt, £5000; and, to meet the incrased cost of working the .Mission, £SOOO. „ ■ This appenl was launched at the annual meeting of the Mission yesterday, when the Archbishop of Canterbury presided. Mr Charles Workman, Resident Commissioner of the Solomon Islands, who is in London at present, spoke on tho work of the Mission fiom tho unbiassed point of view of the onlooking •layman, and addresses were given, by the Rev. D. E. Graves, missionary in Florida, and by Mrs A. Mason (formerly Miss G. Childs, of Dunedin), who, with her husband, has been spending her holiday in Yorkshire.

Heroes of To-day.

' Tho Archbishop in his opening address compared the work of the Mission to that of the early founders of the Church. Bishop Selwyn and Bishop .Patteson might very well be compared to. Columbus, or to the preat pioneer missionaries of the 13th c-.-n----tury. " In many ways—especially in that they had to present the simple message of the Gospel to a primitive people:—their work was similar to that of St. Paul and Lystra and St. Augustine in England. The characteristics of these modern missionaries were comparable to those of tho earlier Christian missionaries, and probably'in some ways they showed qualities which the great pioneers of the past did not possess "Do not let us throw nil tho

glamour into-the past," said the Archoishqp. "Wo have in these more modern days some heroes equally self-. ; effacing and self-sacrificing." In the sense of being "witnesses" these men and others who followed-in their footsteps were in the truest meaning of tho word martyrs. He doubted if there ; was.any incident in the history of the Church during the last hundred years which brought about such a revolution of thought with regard to missionary enterprise as the murder of Bishop Patteson. It had started people thinking in a way they had not done before? on this; great question. The : Archbishop then spoke of the development of the Mission in the Pacific, referring to the work the successors of Selwyn and Patt:«on had done, and appealing' for that help which.was necessary to strengthen .their hands in the tasks which they now had before them. An Outside Testimony. MrWorkman, as Resident Commissioner, was able to give an interesting picture of life in the Solomon Islands, and;to bear eloquent testimony to the effect of the Melanesian Mission upon the natives of those islands. One of *he first things which struck the onlooker was the admirable way in which the ojnissionaries treated the members of the native races. There was no patronage—the. aboriginals were treated just ■.as; if they were. Eton boys, and with' a sympathy w ( hich would command respect from everyone who saw the work. The speaker recalled the fact that the Melajnesian Mission was not the .first in those islands, ~ In 1567 a party of Spaniards left Callao, including amongst theni four Franciscan ' friars. • They stayed' in ,' the islands for a short_ time, but eventually abandoned then* missionary, scheme. Then for two hundred years tho islands were never heard of. Had. these missionaries carried out their enterprise Australia, New Zealand, and the islands of the Pacific could have been run pn the lines of. Latin South America, and there would- 1 have been no-Melanesian Mission to-day. j • Speaking of the economic situation of : the. Islands, Mr Workman said that though; theynever forced the natives to work lest they.should obtain a distaste ! for it, it wain the hope of the authorities tnat gradually they would come to learn the necessity of working continuously. " It was' a matter which was vital to the The British Government ■could not.take up the dog-in-;the-manger attitude, and it was necessary that the native population should become -an economic factor in the Pacific if they were to, retain v their islands for their own • use;- ■ \ ' of ! the greatest questions wes education, and tney were depending on the Mission,, for'this, If -the government ' instituted,' schoote. ( it would -have tp be 6ri'<a. secular basis, which would he most disastrous.*© the-character tof the natives.' - ' schools would add to the sufifcle.of the native, but not ti>: the character.... In other ! words he would learn how. to lie in fiveways instead of ode. .There was no doubt that the' test method waVto lave a door from the school to the church. Then; tact was needed in "dealing with; the people, and he was glad to-say-the missionaries possessed that in a reinarkable degree. He commended the..work of the medical missionaries. -The Govern-! iherit, he said, had only one medical officer. The medical requirements were second'only to the education and moral ■ requirements." • '..''■ In a,tropical country where the con-, ditions are extremely trying and" people's nerves are apt •to become unstrung, he : was pleased to Irear testimony .to the fact that the missionaries were the people wh6 were always cheerful, and had nothing but kindness to show' to everybody. From his official . point of, view he' could appreciate the great work, being done. Civilisation had taken away from the natives their head-hunting which was as attractive to them as cricket or football to the average Englishman. The life of tie native : was under ordinary circumstances' a . Very dull one, hut the. mission brought something into their lives and gave them, an aim and object. He could see the needs of the Mission. The staff was too small and the needs were-great. In truth where there is no vision the people perish. As an earnest' of his appreciation! of. the. great work being done by, the Melanesian Mission, he would have great pleasure in making a subscription) of £IOO to the funds.

Need for More Helpers. . . Mrs. Mason gave some interesting de* tells of the work being done on the island of Gela, and at the girls', school at.Sista. She appealed for more worki era. It ;was an exaggeration to say i that the majority of deaths among the missionaries -was caused through overwork". .When the natives lookedat pictures showing the great crowds of people in European countries, they were not concerned with the crowds, but asked why more did not come over .and: help them., . Mr Graves - explained - the.. recent.

changes that had taken place in the mission, and conveyed the' special mes- ' sage of Bishop Steward that one of the greatest needs of the moment was a teacher for the native college. Many of the old native clergy were labouring on. under great difficulties, and , there ivere not enough younger men to take their places. Ho showed how the villages were influenced by these native ministers, and how the success of • the missionary work depended very largely on them. It was announced at the close of the meeting that the immediate collection had amounted to £ll2, and there was every hope that the appeal which is being made on this 60th anniversary of the death of Bishop Patteson would meet with success.