MISSIONARY SOCIETY'S DEPUTATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 90, 9 January 1908, Page 6

MISSIONARY SOCIETY'S DEPUTATION.

PUBLIC 1 MEETING. There was a fairly large attendance at a public meeting; held in, tlio Courtenay Place Congregational' Church last evening, at which addresses were'given by the ,Rev. A. N. Johnson and Mr. Edward Smith, J.P., delegates' of the London Missionary Society, arid the Rov. Joseph King, Australasian Organising Secretary of the samo.:body. The Rev.. J. Heed Glasson occupied'tho chair.

Mr. Edward;' Smith.said that Now Zealand seomed to him to stand'in much the same relation to tho older countries as the greenhouso, fr,om which every enemy of growth was excluded, stood in to.tho rest .of his garden.' Tho British Empire was ■ similarly favoured, _,'aS compared with the rest of the world. While' tho aspiration of the British Empire was Godward, the Empire would, flourish, but, :if evor wealth should take the place of riiorality. in its people's- estimation, it would perish like the. nations of. antiquity. God's messago'to our. day..was written right down the ages of history. He .was glad to know that;.;bs, per cent, of tho missionaries in the world ■. came from England and America. There' wore altogether 55S missionary societies .in the world to-day, and 18,591 missionaries' in the field. Tho societies had 1,843,309 members, and 4,359,322 adherent. Yet* they should bo able to do still more, and financial deficiencies should not trouble them as they did. The London Missionary Society was an historical organisation, associated with tho lives of some of the noblest men the world , had known. Its well-known':, work .-in the South Pacific Islands represented only 14 per cent, of .its entire work and expenditure. He urged a vigorous prosecution of,, foreign mission work, in obedience to thevDivine command.

The Rev. A. N. Johnson, Home-Secretary of the' London . Missionary Society' said he was glad l that, the delegates had been able -to, meet so many people in Wellington,/despite the; claims of tho holiday season.:, He expressed appreciation of the assistance which, had been given in New Zealand in'the past to foreign ■ mission work, and' hoped . that, that assistance would bo increased. • A person who had.iottended.'ono of his meetings in-'Wellingtonftliad been under, a .Misconception when he'fexpressed'his pleasuro, because no appeal ;ha'd..been, made for money.- lie was most certainly appealing for. money. The London Missionary. Society was'. always/ in need of funds,.:because "its great.\vrirk was always increasing,'and the progress of Christianity could' iiot be extended to other icountri'e's without expenditurd. The London Missionary. Society stood for tho world-wide Kingdom of Christ,' and lie- thought that they wero all indebted-to' it for . bringing beforo them the' claims .'which the; whole world had upon their'.',sympathy, in order'that through, their' devotion' the entire world niiglit be hi'o'ugh't .to. a ; knowledge of/the glory of God. With tllp increased work of the Society came increased responsibilities. Its ehibarfassmerits "to-day cahi'o from'its success, its' growth,- the openings that, were, everywhere , presented. A. financial' deficiency -.of, tho Society it,:had sent out.men who .had •'accomplished', such successful :work that, more, men .were wanted to bring in the * , harvest , . that was'-' now ready, to hand. .- The;-.deficiency -; was,' in - a''-sense, l caused, by ; ;/,;tho._. answered' /prayers' 'of arid it vi'ould -bo'; removed as they truly,"and'earnestly. asked" of - God the means for: on ' the work /which';.He 'had put into:their,.hands. He compared tlie, religious.c.jpan?ion'.of foreign mission work with.the. desire/for territorial: expansion that had been shown by New "Zealand and Australia.- He was gratified to find that tho Governments' in theso ' countries wero resolved, as |ic believed, to-do their duty towards tho natives who wero brought under their ruk«, maintaining in this connection the traditions of the ' British Empirfe. Tho Natives Affairs Commission in South Africa had recognised _ very frankly tho value of mission work among the natives, and iii Australia tho samo appreciation was expressod' of tho efforts of missionaries in training and natives of New Guinea/'' 'He referred to tho successful development of Christian work -in China, and said that there were signs that 1 Tibet, the only country stiU closed to Christian' influence, would soon be reached by Christian agencies. They had to live up to the achievements of the past. They should rise as one man and resolve dn the conversion of 400 millions of 'Chinese', who would not always he confined to China. He denied tho sneer that' tjio Chineso cpnvorts wore 't-fm" 'Christians, 1 .who''had' embraced tho faith in' order to obtain food, and told 'h'ow 16,000 of" thdni'had -laid down their .lives .for .Christianity in .tho ..Boxer .riots. There, wero': .200,000 Christiansto-day in China, and • tho number of Christians now doubled itself in seven years. At the present rato. of progress China would, ho a Christian nation by the/' end of "the prosent century. In India Christianity was' now having a great permeating" influence," and it' was esspntial that they should develop 'the "educational side of the . work." In' England there was -being hold a missionary cnisado throughr out tli'o Congregational churches, in which they wished New Zealand to take part'.' They wanted'to'give' tho people a' better . understanding' of tho work; its high sanction/ and its great claims upon them. It-was-proposed to, hold, in November: next,, eight- days' of simultaneous meetings,throughout the Empire to strengthen, intorest 'in mission work, bu't he did ' not want to wait till' then' to arouso interest.

Tho'Roy. Joseph King, of Melbourne, said ' that it was marvellous •to him, considering their groat significance, . that. in-. Christian lands so many should bo repelled, rather than attracted, by missionary 1 meetings. The deputation' had come front London.in order that Now' Zealand helpers might enter into a new covenant with'the Society, to hold for it this Australasian baso, ■ and to maintain it efficiently. Tho Society had always, shown a broad and-Christian spirit in dealing with Australasia.'

A collection' was taken up on behalf of tho Society, and'a resolution passed expressing thanks to that body for sending out tho dolegates. /