WORK IN THE EAST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 8

WORK IN THE EAST.

WHAT THE Y.M.C.A. IS DOING,

An-interesting lecture was'-delivered-on bunday afternoon, at the Y.M.C.A., meeting room,-by _Mr. R. D. Pringle, secretary of the V.M.U.A., Singapore*. ... \ Mr...Pringle, jvlio was well received, said that, for thirteen or fourteen years'he had boen representing the English' : . National .Council, and he mado some interesting remarks concerning the work in tho parts .of the world in which ho' had been engaged. s a Place'of.-250,000 people, -iUU,U(JO of whom were Chinese, and it was growing rapidly. There were, however, very few British young men there,.but those that were .there took the greatest interest in football, cricket, tennis,- etc.,\ in spite of tho hot weather. The statement was' made that ithero was no moral standard-in Singapore, and a,young, man could live there at a low level, and think less of it than,he would m another place, but good Christian teaching would alter . this, There was' a very fine Y.M.C.A. in Rangoon, and they had a £12,000 building, in. which lived sixty-five young men, who .wanted nothing but a Christian homo. It was intended'to put up a building_ in Singapore;', and £1000 was needed l for it. The missionaries encountered obstacles in some of' the. young men living at the.,same Eastern'places, and the godless Australian or Englishman were great allies of, the natives against/ the missionaries. Tho natives saw young men going about drunk, and when the missionaries came to persuade the natives, the'latter retortod,; "Why don't you see to . them jirst? On the .other hand,. of course, the I man was of great. assistance to tho i . missionaries, • and supported them in their work. x .

Coming up on a steamer a few days ago, a man told the speaker that ho did not believe in converting people, from their re-. ligions, but Mr. Pnngld gave the man an idea of Hinduism, which, lie said," included the greatest immorality as a part of-its worship, which all. knew who had lived in India', and that young girls were being sacrificed to, their religion. It was time that the Gospel was sent to redeem. them, and dispel, tho darkness. There was a growing notion that Hinduism was all right for Hindus, and Confucianism for Chinese, but although there was much in some of those religions that one could admire—and one could bo glad of' thoir ' admirable ' points— there, was an. utter lack of knowledge of the power of salvation! The Chinese teachers. held that if the teaching, of Confucius was the Chinese would be freed from such ovils as opium smoking, etc, but Confucius was dead, and something more was needed. It was precept without'powor, l but with the Christians there was'tho power of thei living Christ. -Mr.. Pringle remarked that the Chinese were the, best of tho Eastern peoples- he had met. The Hindus, on the contrary,-..wero a conquered race, although the young bloods were at present kicking their heels, perhaps with some reason. In India he . found that- the' Englishman was number oho and tho Hindu number two, but in China it was the, other way about/ The Chinaman did not want any man s patronage, and lie was frugal,,patient, and honest, and the merchants trusted him where thoy could not trust a Japanese With Christianity, China would, be a great nation in fifty years, for the highest heights of nobility were to be found amongst those owning a pig-tail as well as amongst Europeans. In ' conclusion, Mr. Pri'nglo extended a hearty v/elcome to any of his hearers to pay a visit to that part of the world, and they would be sure of a good. reception (Applause.) • ' Mr. Holmes thanked the speaker for his remarks, find-, said the audience would' now have an idea of the work that was being conducted among the Eastern nations.