PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S MISSIONARY UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3168, 2 December 1914, Page 81

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S MISSIONARY UNION.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. The annual conference meetings of the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union ■were opened on the 19th in the Burns Hall. The morning sitting was devoted to general business. A large attendance of dele?;ates was presided over by the president Mrs W. Gray Dixon). The foreign correspondence and report were read by Mrs Allan, in the regrettable absence of Mrs Bannerman. The report dealt in an Interesting manner with work done in the Belgian Church. Other reports dealt with the progress made in the circulation of the Harvest Field, which had reached 4000 and was paying for itself. The report of the Literary Committee stated that a calendar had been issued, as well as the revised constitution and by-laws. Reports were also presented reporting on the progress made in the Maori Mission and the Maori Mission Birthday League. At noon a bell was rung, and all engaged in prayer for peace. In the afternoon the Burns Hall was well filled, and the gathering was presided over by the Moderator of the Assembly (the Rev. A. Grant). After praise and prayer. Sister Jean read the financial statement of the union. This showed a credit balance of £l9 3s Bd. The report pointed out the encouragement The Rev/ Graham H. Balfour moved the adoption of the annual report, which was carried. The Chairman expressed his thanks for the honour In presiding at the meeting. He referred to the bewildering variety of work done by the union and the excellent way they went about their duties. Dr Bowie, who has laboured in Ambrim (New Hebrides), spoke of the success of foreign missions in all parts of the world. He pointed out the difficulty of driving a belief of witchcraft out of the heathen mind, but the missionary had to get the natives’ viewpoint, and to try to get in sympathy with them. But when the missionary got in touch he found that a native’s beliefs extended through the whole of their lives, and they came to think that the missionary’s skill was only a more powerful kind of witchcraft. When anaesthetics were used the natives thought that by witchcraft the missionary doctor could make a man dead and bring him to life again after an operation was performed. After that belief was broken down the natives were open to believe in the Gospel and live Christ-like lives. The Rev. G. H. M'Neur, of Canton, referred to the spread of mission work in China. In an interesting way he spoke of the improvements that were being made in Canton City and in railway communication. These were symptomatic of the moral improvement in China as shown by the suppression by law of public gambling. By the prohibition of the opium trade China had killed her national vice, and Christianity honoured her for it. The ethical teaching in the schools was of high value, and the text-books were submitted to leading missionaries before being published by the Government. The outlook for the future was complicated by the war, and all wondered what would be the outcome. Mrs Dixon moved a vote of thanks to the Moderator and to those who had addressed the meeting. Tea was served at the close of the meeting. The annual conference of the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Lnion was continued in Stuart Hall ’ in King street, there being a large attendance. The morning session opened, with devotional exercises, after which a report was submitted by Mrs Blackie on the Training Institute. The next subject was “The Mission as it is Circularised.” A speci men mission as it is circularised was given in the room. The meeting was led by Mrs Rodger, and a number of other ladies prePen ted papers or spoke in regard to mission work, tho meeting lasting for on hour. Tho afternoon session was devoted to hearing addresses by Mrs Bowie and Mrs M’Ncur. Mrs Bowie at the outset said that at Lie meeting in First Church the previous evening Mr Bowie had told them much about the Christian people in the New Hebrides group, and she would now tell them something about the heathen. She then gave a graphic description of the habits and customs of the natives in so far as they affected missionary work. She would never forget the first woman she saw when she landed at the Islands. Of course, the heathen wore no clothes, and believed in having their bodies painted. The women and men wore all very curious about her at first; and could not understand her wearing clothes and shoes, but after a little while they got over this curiosity and she had to take off her shoes and stockings in order that they might feel her feet. They used at tho outset to hold themselves aloof from her as though they considered her as something loathsome. Mrs Bowie said that they could not understand a woman wearing long hair, as tho native women had their heads shaved quite close. The men on the other hand wore long hair, and they never washed themselves, with the result that the hair became absolutely matted together and formed a hard surface. She remembered well on one occasion seeing a man who had by chance been caught in a shower of rainThe water had softened his hair, with tho result that the dirt from it coursed down his body like little streams of mud. This was quite a common thing. On another occasion when sho was singing to some native women, they busied themselves by taking the p*ns out of her hair, and she happened to shake her head and her hair fell in folds round her shoulders, and a native man who had seen her grasped hia rifle and ran for his life. When she saw these creatures she could not help feeling thankful for having been brought up in civilisation. Mrs Bowie next described tho methods adopted by fathers in disposing of their daughters, this taking tho form _ of barter with a man who wanted a wife. According to their looks girls were sold for so many pigs, and if they rebelled they were forcibly taken away, being often bound with ropes. The speaker next

touched on the question of the Ambrira disaster on the lines that her husband had previously dealt with it. Tho address was listened to with interest throughout, and Mrs Bowie was loudly applauded upon resuming her seat. Mrs M’Neur spoke on the subject of mission work in China, and described the difficult nature of tho work that missionaries had to carry out. Particularly was this so with regard to young single women who wont into the China mission field. They had great difficulty in getting Bible women, and they could do with quite .a number. Tho Chinese women, unlike tho women of the New Hebrides, clothed themselves thoroughly, and they were in addition most sensitive, -and the missionaries had to be careful not to offend them. Then again, the Chinese were dull and did not appear to think. The missionaries had to repeat their messages over and over again before the natives grasped it. They were now endeavouring to make their schools self-supporting, but this would be hard at at first. The audience listened attentively to this address, and applauded the speaker at the conclusion of her remarks. Tho Rev. Mr Perry, who devotes his time to home missionary work in the north of tho North Island, also addressed the meeting.