REV HARRY JOHNSON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16168, 19 February 1913, Page 12

REV HARRY JOHNSON.

THE NEW MINISTER OF TRINITY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. ARRIVAL IN WELLINGTON. J [From Our Correspondent.] .■ WELLINGTON, February 13, The Rev Harry Johnson arrived from England to-day to take up a Congregational charge at Christchurch. Mr Johnson lias had ten years of missionary experienco in Central Africa, and cornea from tho Willesden Congregational Church, in the busy manufacturing difltrict of Bradford, to fill the pulpit of Trinity Congregational Church 'in Christchurch. Travelling with him are Mrs Johnson and three children, two of whom wore born in Central Africa* They left by this evening's boat for Christchurch.

IS THE CHURCH LOSING GROUND P "Is the Christian Church losing hold upon tho people?" This question was put to Mr Jolinson by a representative of the " Lyttelton .Times," and was answered with frankness. The visitor's attention was called .to some recent statistics showing that there has been.a 6teady decline in church membership among Baptists and: Congregationah*6t3 in England. Mr Johnson replied that, broadly speaking, tho tendency was quite evident. His personal experienco at Bradford, ho was happy to say, did not coincide with this, tor his church had added sixty members in live and a half years, and for four and a half years there had been a men's Biblo class with an average of 250 members. " But I am bound to admit tho accuracy of the figures," continued Mr Johnson. '' There has been a big social tendency at Homo, and this has absorbed a large number of young men who, in looking out on life in a broad sense, are beginning to find—though I don't say they will do so permanently—a now sort of social gospel outside tlie church. Many of them are abstaining from connecting themselves definitely with churches, from the false impression that . the church has not been as progressive in social matters as it might havo been-i: I don't think their attitude betokens;>an absolute lack of religious feeling, as distinguished from ecclesiastical. _ I believe the young people are doing it conscientiously. I believe the churches will have to take a broader view_ of what is going on, and that will bring thorn into sympathy with those with whom they have got out of touch." : Mr Johnson added that ho understood from some of the Congrogational leaders at Homo that the decline' in membership was not now eo marked as previously. Ho had never admitted politics into his church, but ho claimed tho right to exercise his judgment as a citizen outside the church. Men of all phases of thought went to church, and a minister could not set himself up as an infallible judge of social topics. r \ SUCCESS OF MISSIONARY WORK IN CENTRAL AFRICA. '*

Central Africa was described by. Mr Johnson from personal experience. Ho worked Tinder tho London Missionary Society in this part of the continent, where Livingstone acted as the great pioneer, the mission in fact being founded as a memorial to him in the place where ho spent the last, few months of his life. "If tho work is judged on broad lines," said Mr Johnson, " it can be called remarkably'successful. The results are shown not in numbers of conversions (though i* might bo,easy to take advantage of the emotional nature and score a big church membership, but in tho general uplifting morally, socially and ethically of wholo tribes. They wero a people given to very many barbarous practices, such as tho poison cup, a method of trial by ordeal, where ,the person accused of a crime took :a decoction of deadly juice in the presence of witnesses. Sometimes reacted, as ah emetic, in which case ' innocence'was proved, but if it stayed in the system the man was poisoned, and his people Baid it was a good job. ■■?■■■ "Infanticide prevailed to a great extent owing to the superstition that children could bo bewitched with the evil eye, and barbarous punishments wore general. Having no police or prisons the native method of punishment took the summary form of mutilation, the cutting off of hands or gouging out of the eyes. We saw scores of'.mutilated people around and .hundreds in the district when •tre-'Veiit thero, but after' ten years' work'; this practice has passed away, together vwith the infanticide and other . practices against which we strongly set our. Faces. We have been.able to break down tho indolent habits of the natives, teaching them that work was not merely a mean thing which women and slaves might) do. Youths have been got to serve periods of apprenticeship to useful handicrafts in workshops we established, though wo had no market for the product. These youths have become skilled workmen; and have 'gone back to their tribes to take up good ;positions. Alone these broad lmes we nave been astoundingly successful." When he completed his ten years" work on Lake Tanganyika, Mr tfohnson made a tour of Australasia in the London Missionary Society's interests, and it was this visit to New Zealand which eventually led to his acceptance of the Christchurch pulpit.