BACK FROM PALESTINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20084, 23 October 1928, Page 12

BACK FROM PALESTINE.

VISIT OF REV. D. C. HERRON

INTERNATIONAL, CONFERENCE

MEETING IN E'.X-KAISER'S MALL,

Ono of tho representatives of 51 nations attending tho international missionary conference at Jerusalem last Easter was the Rev. D. C. llen-on, minister of St. David's Presbyterian Church, Auckland, who re turned by tho Niagara from Sydney last evening Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France and Great Britain were included in Mr. Ilerron's tour abroad, but tho great conference at Jerusalem was the outstanding experience. In nil there were 250 delegates, the only other New Zealander being the Rev. D, Cahler, Dominion representative of tlio British and Fol'eign Bible Society. There were some novel associations at the gathering, said Mr. Ilorron last evening. Delegates were accommodated in tents and cubicles and ho had on his right two German scholars, and oti his left the Negro Bishop of Nigeria and a Uganda chief. Tho Germans spoke frankly of the war, but without bitterness, and expressed the view that Germany's defeat had had the effect of strengthening tho religious life of her people. Meetings wero held in a truly remarkable atmosphere—in a hall built to theordcr of tho ex-Kaiser, a plaster statno of whom, lacking a leg broken off by an earthquake, adorned one of the walls above chapel decorations of orthodox Christian character. British administration had had a tremendous beneficial effect upon conditions of life in Palestine, particularly so far as roads were concerned. There wore numerous rebuilt highways in Palestine as good as those of New Zealand, and some wcro even better. The police force was largely composed of Arabs, or Palestinians, as they termed themselves, mounted on splendid Arab horses. One outward effect, of the Zionist movement had been the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees, including many fruit trees. Although there were a great many Jews in the country, it was patent, when considering the possibilities of the "back to Palestine" movement, that such rocky and poor country could never carry a great population. There were those who thought the prominence given tho Jews' aspirations by the Balfour Declaration had been harmful, inasmuch as it had sharpened feeling between tho Jews and Moslems, winch at all times created a tension in 'She country. Zionism had built a fine modern city named Tel-Aviv, near Jaffa, but whereas it, had a population of 45,000 last year, it had since dwindled to 40,000. Alj the outset tho missionary conference had caused a deal of misapprehension among the Moslems and there had becri some mild rioting, one act of which was to break a glass window in a newly-opened church structure. Tho agitation had not been really grave, and much good had been achieved by this world representative assemblage of Christian workers.