FIVE YEARS' WORK

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 20, 24 January 1924, Page 14

FIVE YEARS' WORK

MR. HICKSON'S MISSION

TRIBUTE TO NEW ZEALAND PRESS.

(»I miGIUFH.—Pluss ASBOCUTIOK.)

INVERCARGILL, 23rd Jan. St. John's Anglican Church wai crowded to the doors again this morning with a pitiful assembly of patient: numbering over 600, who had come fromi every part of Invercargill to participate in the sacrament of healing conducted by Mr. Hickson.

Many patients claim to have received great spiritual comfort and physical relief.

These services in Invercargill complete a five years' tour of the world by Mr. Hickson. "I cannot speak too highly of the Press o£ New Zealand, and in fact of almost every other\country I have visited," remarked Mr. Hickson in a valedictory interview. "Your Dominion Press particularly has helped tremendously. The papers have preached the Gospel. There has been no attempt at sensationalism, no desire to merely make Press copy out of the mission. Everywhere the mission has been written up reverently and respectfully, and it really has made a difference.. The papers, you know; reach the man in the street who might othetrrise never be induced to interest himself- in oar work." Referring to the subject of his world tour, Mr. Hickson said he had visited almost every country in the world during the past five years, \the cycle being completed in Invereargill. "How did you overcome the language difficulty?" the missioner .was asked.

"By means of interpreters," was the reply. "Of course it was often dif-, ficult, but one comes across some remarkably able men who can interpret with a fluency that is really marvellous. They pass on your words almost as they leave your lips, translating 'instantly and speaking often with due regard to oratorical effect. In India I had some wonderful meetings, where my addresses were passed on to vast concourses by perhaps three or four interpreters stationed at intervals through the crowd, each taking up the thread of the discourse from the other. I have been translated verbally into some strange languages, even Arabic," Mr. Hickson added. He had yet to visit Russia, South America, and Norway and Sweden, which, with a few smaller countries, would complete a. very comprehensive world tour. On leaving New Zealand liis intention is to return- to his base in 'London, and later to conduct big missions itv England and Scotland. A visit to Russia would follow in due course.