LIFE IN BRAZIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18612, 21 July 1922, Page 8

LIFE IN BRAZIL

THE PERIPATETIC MISSIONARY, STATE EXPERIMENTS. (From Odb Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 30. The Rev. Alexander Reese (Christchurch) has recently arrived in England from Brazil, where he has been engaged in missionary work. Mr Reese, who is working under the auspices of the American Presbyterian Mission, has not been in New Zealand since 1914. He is again on furlough, and will arrive in the dominion with his wife and young 'daughter in August, spending eight months at home before returning to South America. Mr Reese carries on his work in the highlands of the State of Bahia, and he tells an interesting story of the life they lead amongst the Brazilians. He and his family have no fixed abode, although from .time to time they make their centre at some special town. Prom there the missionary sets out with five to 15 milt's touring from town to town, from village to village, and house to house. Sometimes these expeditions last for jas long as three months, and bedding and 1 kitchen utensils have to be carried. Mrs Reese and the small daughter of five years and o-half, who is an accomplished horsewoman, often form members of the party. In addition, there are muleteers. Empty houses are hired along the route, but the inhabitants arc always most hospitable to the wandering missionary. Out of population of 25 million—a mixture of Portuguese, African, and native Indians —there are only 200,000 Protestants, but socially there is no friction between Catholics and Protestants. There is liberty of worship, but the missionaries are rather looked upon, from a religious point of view as an average English person looks upon a Mormon—fairly harmless, but misguided. There is no colour line in the interior States of Brazil, and Portuguese, riegro, and Indian and the mixed races freely intermarry without sacrificing caste. Brazil is suffering severely from the aftermath of the war and the economic crisis. The people are hit very hard with the abnormal exchanges and the collapse of the rubber market. For coffee the Government has fixed an official price, and make up to the farmers the deficiency between market price and their official figures. There arc some people who think that this will have an adverse effect upon the financial situation of the country, and who predict that it will have a very serious effect on the future of the coffee trade.