THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23334, 28 October 1937, Page 6

THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

ADDRESSES BY MISSIONARIES. ACTIVITIES VIVIDLY DESCRIBED An interesting account of the activities of the Methodist Missionary Society in the Solomon Islands was given to a large gathering, in : the Town Hall Concert Chamber last njght by the two visiting missionaries, the Rev. Balthazzar Gina, a native of the Solomons, and the New Zealandcr, the Rev. E. C. Leadley. The Rev. C. H. Olds occupied the chair and the Rev. Leslie B. Neale took the opening devotions. Introducing the two missionaries to the audience, Mr Olds dealt briefly with the activities of the Methodist Missionary Society's work in the islands, giving the audience an idea of the wide field covered by the missionaries and an insight into their work. The dread .diseases among the natives and the manner in which the missionaries were combating them were dealt with by Mr Leadley in his opening remarks. He mentioned such diseases as. -yaws, which attacked children;- tropical ulcers, which were often as large as plates, leprosy, eye trouble, malaria and scales. The speaker mentioned the change in midwifery conditions among the ; islanders. Formerly babies were born in tumble-down shanties in the bush and the men did not go near the places for so-jie weeks. Infantile mortality was very high, and this fact, together with the depletion of th - population through warfare, had caused a decline in the birth rate. Now, however, there was a clean midwifery ward at the station, and they seldom lost a baby. Dealing with the educational side o' missionary work, Mr Leadley said that they had 120 children in the kindergarten department and 190 boys and girls in the main school at the head station. Besides these children island boys came to the station to be trained as native missionaries, and, after four years tuition, went back to their villages to act in the triple capacity of pastor, teacher and doctor. There were no Government schools in the British Solomon Islands and the Methodist schools were recognised to be the most advanced in the islands. In fact, most of the native civil servants and business employees had passed through the Methodist schools. Four of their boys, Mr Leadley said, had passed an examination and gone to the Royal Medical School at Fiji to equip themselves so as to return to work among their own people. "Forty years ago the people of Rubiniana were ferocious headhunters and cannibals," the speaker continued, *<but with the coming or the Gospel only 35 years ago a great change took place. To-day 90 per cent, of the natives at the head station are Christians and they love their Gospel and worship with enthusiasm. Thirty-five years ago they had- no conception of sucn feelings as love, pity, mercy and forgiveness, and the missionaries have had to introduce words for these emotions into their language. I have been in the Solomons three years and I am amazed at what has been done and is being done m the islands. There is still a great deal to be done," he concluded, and we still need the help of you New Zealanders.both with regard to finance and prayer." The frightful customs of the headhunters in the Solomon Islands before the coming of the missionaries were dealt with by Mr Gina, who went on to describe how he himself had become a missionary and told how he had descended from a race of headhunters. His people, he said, had worshipped many gods before they had come to learn of the real God. He thanked the people of New Zealand for sending out missionaries to his people and asked them to continue with the great work. The success of the missionaries in the Solomons was not their success but that of the " Stranger of Galilee." He thanked God for the coming of Jesus Christ s Gospel to the Solomons. Once he was blind but now he could see the light. God had called to him and he was doing his best to preach the Gospel to his people. Why was lie not a headhunter like his forefathers? The answer was that Jesus Christ had entered his heart. There was no doubt that it was well worth While to save the people of the Solomons In fact, he concluded, there was nothing that could save the world but the wonder-working power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both speakers were accorded very hearty votes of thanks. Apart from the two interesting addresses, an enjoyable and wellvaried programme was presented, to which Mr Gina contributed a vocal solo, mouth organ solos, and a duet with Mr Leadley, and the choir an anthem.