LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4512, 13 November 1901, Page 7

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

MISSION M OilK ABROAD. At the Terraco Congregational .choc:room last owning, uii; itiiipciiU' 1 1 v . ~oi ilie Lem* tm Ali-.MOtu.ry occii;l v ’ v. no are at prcwul vi.iiimg »>"m* .In„iuu lyi.n -A my iiaibana, ii.-0., ami I.U “ itcia. T. i.Oid and ■>. King; nei.i a combined meeting. 1a,,, iu-v. Air Kota .-.poke on “Mihaion Wont ill Madagascar under rreiicn Rule.” .nine.! I--’ had iu-l acka-csseu tiieiu many tilings," he said, had Happened— grt ~al. social and political i'.,luriiia nad Inkon place m Madagascar. Ua every muo tokens abounded ol" a reiich* rule wlilcii had replaced the native government- the ieciuier traced the conquest of A 1 .a;ag.L-.car by its Iji'c-'c-nt go vernors, aua u.ej;ictecl u.,.,’ I.error* cuimequent on the uprising ot the natives at diiiereut times against me French invaders- \t ith tiio appointment of General Gaiiieni as administrator of the island, things, However, assumed a diiluruuc aspect. *-fle Gcuenii assumed complete control, mo Oueen was deposed, martial law was proclaimed, and a spirit of hostility s 't up m'iimst loreign missionaries, and •.•.specially those oi me wiiuoa Missionary Tiio lecturer admitted that General Galliani was gnen to understand chat tho powerful janghsh society was antagonistic to i! ranee. Consequently lie set to work to put me society down. Tho Administrator took the society's college, a Hospital and other buildings, but he paid the value set upon them "by tho society. Ho was giad to say, however, that things had marvellously changed. There was now perfect freedom or religious thought in me island, and the -London -Missionary Society was placed upon exactly tue same footing as any other missionary society, Catholic or Protestant. Xuc relations between the .society ana the Administrator were of a cordial nature. Ho spoke in warm terms of praise of the assistance given to the society in Madagascar by tho French Protestant -Missionary Society. The French administration was endeavouring in many ways to benefit the people of the island. Slavery had been abolished, law courts established, agricultural shows introduced, and methods of rendering the soil more productive had been provided for the people. Ho concluded by expressing the hope that the church in Madagascar would continue to receive in the future, as it had in the past, the divine grace which was so necessary to guide in its groat mission. The Rev. J. King thanked friends of tho society in Wellington for the way himself and his co-workers had oeeu received. Tho difficulty of tho society was that their work increased beyond tho limit of their income. Tneir groat ncodi was money, and to s ecuro in the churches more earnest workers. There were many idlers among church workers in the colony. Missionary work did not depend upon creeds —creeds may come and creeds may go, but missionary work went on for ever. Ho hoped the result of their visit to "Wellington would be of lasting benefit -to the society. At the conclusion of the meeting the following officers of the Wellington Auxiliary of tho London Missionary Society were elected for the coming year: —President, Rev. J. Reed Biasson ; treasurer, Mr Knowles,- committee, Rev. R. B. L. Thomas, Messrs Pago, Eggers, Port, Lewis, Meadowcroft Houldsworth, Lindsay and uumbcll.