LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 47

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the Ladies' Auxiliary of the London Missionary Society was held on Satuiday, the 17th, in the View street Hall. The Rev. W. Saunders presided, and after prayer by the Rev. W. Taylor (of Port Chalmers), the Rev. A. W. Brough (of S. India) delivered an address on the women and girls of India. Reference was made to the social customs of the country and the degraded position occupied by women. The lecturer stated that while there were 145,000,000 women and girls in India, of whom 117,000.000 at least had never heard of the Woman's Friend, less than 1,000,000 could read or were under any instruction whatever, and that at the present time there were only 396,000 girls attending the mission and Government schools. There are, however, 58,000,000 girls of a school-going age in India, and if only there were more European workers and greater financial assistance given the number of girls' schools could be greatly increased, as there waß a growing desire among the people for education. The hopeless condition and the terrible sufferings of widows in India were described, and it was said that according to the latest returns the widows numbered 25,000,000, of whom 70.000 were widows under 10 years of age, and 15,000 under four years of age. The importance of Zenana work was alluded to, and an appeal was made for young ladies of education to devote themselves to the service of Christ in seeking to rescue India's millions from the degradation and superstition of heathenism. 1

The longest electorate in the colony is Westland, 324 miles, and the shortest Parnell, three miles. The loyal Rangitane chiefs have declined to have anything to do with King Mahuta, in connection with the proposed ceremony of erecting a granite obelisk in memory of loyal chiefs of their tribe.

The brain and top part of the skull of Joe Governor has been forwarded to Sydney for the information of university students. The output of coal from Westport last week was 10,048 tons llcwt, of which amount the Westport Coal Company shipped 9791 tons 15cwt, and the Westport -Co-operative Company 257 tons 16owt»