FOREIGN MISSION WORK.

Evening Star, Issue 11607, 18 June 1902, Page 6

FOREIGN MISSION WORK.

The annual fore.gii mission meeting vm held in the Cargill road Wesleyan Schoolroom last' evening. The Rev. Josiah Ward presided, and there was a good attendance. The Rev. W. Slade gave an interesting account of mission work in Fiji, showing that God had abundantly blessed the work there. Less than sixty years ago the people were heathens and cannibals; now there are 90,000 adherents to the Methodist Church. And the people are not only contributing largely to the mission cause, but they are giving up their men and women to go to the other islands to spread the Gospel that has done so much for them.* In Mr Blade's circuit there are 10,338 class members, and during the last seven years 3,000 have been added to the church in Ids circuit. Mr Slade referred to some of the bad habits amongst the people that have not been entirely done away with. In common with most of the South Sea Islanders, they w«>re t> some extent strangers to the truth. The chiefs also held great sway over the people, and a man's goods were not his own if the chief took a fanov to them. The peonle in the past were also great beggars. The address was listened to with interest by those present. The mercy boxes were opened during the evening, when it was found that the amount raised compared favorably with last year's. The collection also more than doubled last year's, so altogether the meeting was very successful.