A GREAT MISSION

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 27, 1 February 1923, Page 4

A GREAT MISSION

BISHOP SELWYN'S WORK

ATTEMPTING THE IMPOSSIBLE.

(FROM OCR OWU COKEBSPONDBNT.) LONDON, 16th December. The Rev. the Hon. Edward Lyttelton, formerly headmaster of Eton College, presided on Thursday at a meeting held at Earl's Court, when the Bishop of Melanesia gave an address on the work in the islands.

Bishop G. A. Selwyn, said the chairman, was probably the v greatest churchman of the last century. There were men more noted for their writing and for their scholarship perhaps, but for statesmanship, splendid" character, and titanic strength, there was no greater churchman. In a way characteristically English, the official who arranged Selwyn's diocese knew nothing whatever about the geography of Melanesia, and a thousand miles more or less meant nothing to him. Selwyn did not enlighten him, but set to work in this vast area, and at once divided it into two and chose his own bishop to take charge of the northern part. That work, which was consecrated by the death of Bishop Patteson. and by his noble life, remained) ■ the most secred memory to anyone who had ever read his life. The work had become difficult. There were problems quite unlike those in any other'part of the globe. There was no missionary work which called for their sympathy and support as this did. Were they engaged in Christianising the world simply for the good of the British Empire, or were they doing it because of their love of souls? How far the British Empire depended on missionary work for widening its influence was a question they might leave in the hands of God. What they might be perfectly certain of was that there was a call upon everyone to recommend the cause and to see if there were anything to do for it and to stimulate the interest of other church people in the great work of evangelisation. ■THE IMPOSSIBLE CAN BE " ACHIEVED. "Bishop Selwyn," said the Bishop of Melanesia, "was not an ordinary person in any sense of the word. There was no such word as 'impossible' in his vocabulary; and I stand here as one of the witnesses that he succeeded in doing the impossible. When we looked ahead and felt a little bit discouraged because we did not get the support we thought we ought to get, we had only to remember that the mission had always gone on taking for granted that the impossible could be achieved, and that is the line we ought to follow." The Bishop then outlined the problems that cried for immediate settlement—the extension of the work in the north and the revision of the diocese. There were the new islands; which were now being held under mandates. In some there were a few German missionaries doing excellent work, but .there was a great responsibility for the Church. Here were these islands handed over to the Australian Church. Australia recognised her Responsibility, but one ,had to face ono of the difficulties that was always cropping up-^lack of money. The Australian Church had her own responsibilities in New Guinea, and with the aborigines of Australia, and it was practically impossible' for the Australian Church to start a. new mis-, sion in the Solomon group and r the Bismarck Archipelago., There was'only one bit of material available to start theevangelisation of these islands at once and that was the Mission, ship. He had taken up this challenge, and. had ■ accepted this responsibility light-hearted-ly on behalf.of the church people here in England. They would undertake "this work if they got the support at Home redoubled. The challenge ' was thrown out to them by the whole state of the world. Civilisation was bound to come amongst these islands. But if'it tame it was absolutely essential that it should be purified to some extent by Christianity. Civilisation without Christianity had the most terrible action upon these young nations. With the antidote of Christian- 1 ity civilisation would do practically ho harm and might do a considerable amount of good to these people.

A BISHOP TO TAKE THE BLAME.

The Bishop then went on to speak of the need of another Bishop in the islands. One of the difficulties the missionaries had to- face was the lose of power and popularity through their efforts to suppress old and evil customs, such as the native teachers taking immature wives. The people were much more inclined to listen to the dictates of a Bishop than those of a man who had been at the work even for , twenty years. Missionaries needed this extra help—they needed someone who could shoulder these burdens and take the blame, which was what a. Bishop was for. : ■,''

Another great need was for. men who were capable of training the native teachers. There was no happier work in tlie mission, for they oame into touch.with the very finest men of the islands. Then there was the urgent need for work among the women. The women there had an enormous effect on the life of the people. They needed women workers scattered over the islands, but they needed money to build decent houses for these teachers so that they could live among the natives.

The Bishop finally paid a tribute to the white population. Taking them as a.,whole, the Europeans of the Solomons and other islands were a very good set of people. They did not do a great deal to help the mission, but they did not do a great deal to hinder it. In fact they maintained a perfectly benevolent neutrality! On the whole, they were cleanliving and a good class of people. The Government's officials, too were doing an extraordinary self-sacrificing work. They really had a great deal to thank God for for the way they were treated >by all the Europaans they came in contact with. DEATH OF A'PROSPECTIVE WORKER. Word has just been received by the Bishop of Melanesia that Mr. E. G. Ballance, one of the six recruits who had been chosen to accompany him to the Is--; lands, has died of apoplexy.