Untitled

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19669, 11 December 1933, Page 10

The Rev. Tom Dent, a New Zealand Methodist missionary in the Solomon Islands, who is returning to the Dominion next year, tells a story of the keenness of one of his native helpers named Abel. This teacher is stati< ned t r Marovo, and was visiting Mr Dent. He made a request for a tennis ball, and this rather surprised the missionary, who said: "Why, have your people started playing tennis? "Oh. no.” said Abel, “but it is this w-ay. The people of my village are very dark-minded as yet. and that means I have to preach longer sermons than is usual, in order to get anything I say home to their minds and hearts. A short sermon would be lost on my congregation I have to repeat myself two or three times before anything sinks in. and in the meantime a few of the congregation fall asleep I want a tenni- ball to throw at them in orde r to w ke them, so that they shall not miss what I am saying, and that they may get some good " Mr Dent suggested that perhaps a coconut would do. bu* Abel thought that might be too drastic He did not want to kill them br if he could k* them awake hr might do them good Mr Dent said that fortunately \e did not have a tennL ball and .0 Abel had to return anr) carry out his task of awakening his people In a double sense as best he could. Cushion Covers made like new with Fairy Dyes