LECTURE BY THE REV. D. BURFORD HOOKE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12445, 30 August 1902, Page 8

LECTURE BY THE REV. D. BURFORD HOOKE.

Tho Rev. D. Burford Hookc addressed a wcll-attciided meeting at Hie Moray Placo Congregational Church last evening on the subject of " Christian Work in South Africa." Had the lecture been announced earlier no doubt tlio building would have been crowded. The Ilev, Mr Hooke is secretary of the Colonial Congregational Missionary Society, and his present trip through New Zealand (limited to a very short period) is in the interests of that society, In his address last evening ho did not attempt to give any detailed account of mission work done in South Africa, or elsewhere, but contented himself with briefly touching on tlio headlines of the subject, illustrating his remarks by a number of excellent limelight pictures. Splendid views were shown of Capetown and' Port Elizabeth and Algoa May, with a. south-east gale blowing on shore. Johannesburg as it was 12 years ago was shown, and contrasted with the present city containing 60,000 people, but, said the speaker, only church accommodation (or SCOO, Tliero the coloured pooplo (prior to Hie war at least) must not walk on the pavements, and ho had to walk down the iniddlo of tlio road with the vehicles if he wished to accompany a coloured Christian fellow worker. Ho recounted how some 40 coloured gentlemen had been arrested on one occasion for transgressing this rule. (It was r ■ that a misguided individual in the audience seized on as opportune to applaud.) Many slides of interesting subjects in tlio same part of the world were shown, including the grave of ii kivwgstono and tho tree under tho shade of which the heart of the great explorer was buried by Lis faithful followers, and. portion of which tree, bearing the original inscription, had now found its way into tlio Museum of tho Royal Geographical Society. Tasmania was then visitod, where Mr Hooko found the oldest Congregational Oliurch m _ Australasia. The journey was , °<? n tiiiued through Melbourne to ii . 1 ,. Columbia and across tho Canadiani acifio railway, whicli afforded scope for some excellent; views, Niagara in its many suledness being specially dwelt on. Tho vastness of Britain's possession in Canada was emphasised in that a man might travel' all the way from Ungland to America and up tho St. Lawrence 500 miles, and yet he would havo further to go than he had yet come before he readied its further confinos. Having conduotod his audience back again to the Old Country, the lecturer loft them, having kept his hoarers thoroughly interested for an hour and ivhalf, and introduced thom _in passing to many scenes and celebrities connected with tho work with which ho is associated. ' Tho Rev. W. Saunders presided during tho evening.