A FAREWELL MEETING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6313, 13 September 1907, Page 5

A FAREWELL MEETING

DEPARTURE OF MISSIONARIES. A meeting was held last night in the Kent Terrace Presbyterian to bid. farewell to tlie tliree uiissioiiaries. Misses Rose Davey and McGregor, and I>r Kirk, who are departing < to take up work in the foreign mission held. Misses McGregor and Davey are going to Madras, the former to continue and the latter to commence work in the mission ■ of tho United Free Ghurch of Scotland in that city. Dr Kirk is to take up the duties of medical missionary in the Canton Villages Mission of the Presbyterian Church of .New Zealand, a mission founded some years ago by the Rev. A. Don, of Dunedin, since carried on entirely by New Zealanders Dr Kirk, who hails from Edinburgh, • being the first “foreigner" to take service under its auspices. Last night's meeting was presided over by the Moderator of the Presbytery (the ilev. J. McGaw). Miss McGregor said it was often stated that it was the glamour and romance of going to an unknown land that was the first attraction to the young missionary, and that this glamour soon wore off when work came to be actually faced. This was not so, as she could testify from her own experience, it was now fifteen years since she first left New Zealand for Madras. Not the least little bit of the glamour had worn off. bhe knew the terrible difficulties that missionaries In India had to face, the tropical heat, tho deadly disease, the sicken- : ing odours from overcrowded cities, and more terrible still, the hope deferred and disappointments which beset them at every turn. But, notwithstanding all this/ she heard the call sounding louder for her now than ever it had been before. We were accustomed to talk of “tho changeless East," but it was changeless no longer. She could give hundreds of illustrations' to show the alterations which Christianity was making In the customs and morality of India. But was New Zealand doing its proper share of tho work of reformation? There were three New Zealand missionaries in India, the last appointed five years ago. but they were not in' on© place, not connected with one mission. They were all far removed from one another. .She had one appeal to make to New Zealanders. Gould they not plant .one mission station In India, and send out a read live man to establish it? Why was it that at the present time two-thirds of the population of the world were nonChristian? Simply because for close on two thousand years the Christian Church had systematically ignored the words of the Master when he commanded his disciples to evangelise, the world. It was earnestly to be hoped that in tho near future still more New Zealand young people would hear His request for workers in the field already whitened into the harvest, and that they should come forward with boldnasr and say, “Here am I, send me."

The Rev, J. Kennedy Elliott gave a short address on “The Call of Missions." This call, he said, was not so much the call to the individual as to the whole Church. It was the call which came to the Apostle Paul, the greatest of all missionaries. It was the call which came to St. Patrick, when, as a poor slave-boy,- he heard a voice saying, “Come, holy youth, and walk among us." The captious critic often scoffed at the imagined failure of missions. But who could really doubt their success? Even Gibbon, a sneering sceptic, confessed in his great work that Christianity was an enormous power. That missions were increasing in .power was shown by tho fact that since 1900 there had been 50,000 converts in China: while it took thirty-five years to build up a church with only six members. In twenty years in India there had been 10,000 converts. Dr Kirk thanked tho meeting for its expression of goodwill to himself and his fellow missionaries. Miss Davey said that the meeting then being held indicated three things—the personal interest of many of those present in the missionaries, .their .interest in them os fel-low-workers iu the same cause, and also their general sympathy with the missionary movement. Although she was going out to be a missionary of the United Free Church of Scotland, she would never forget that she was a New Zealand missionary. ; She would advise New Zealanders to read more about their missionaries, and to take an intelligent interest in their doings. Dr Gibb said ho hod yesterday received a telegram from the Rev. William Hewitsou, convener of .the Missions Committee of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, bidding farewell tq the departing missionaries. The three missionaries were, he might say, going out into the fighting line in the great battle for seals. ■ They could rest assured that they would be always followed by the prayers of those they left behind them in New Zealand.