GREETINGS FROM OVERSEAS

White Ribbon, Volume 22, Issue 9, 1 November 1950, Page 3

GREETINGS FROM OVERSEAS

\\ itli the memories of seven crowded months pressing in upon one’s thoughts, it is difficult to sort out the particular happeittngs likely to be of interest to our readers. We do know, however, that anything touching the common life of our great organisation brings us very close together; and that all our members are glad to hear of sister workers wherever they are. The feeling of close association and kinship is very soon established. Nationality, colour, or Church distinction, form no barriers between “White Ribbon Sisters." Constraint falls away, and a common ground is occupied at once, when it is realised that we “all belong." As we went aboard the “Nieue Amsterdam,” at Southampton, for our Atlantic voyage, my Badge, worn most conscientiously, was remarked; and, as a result, a little coterie of three missionaries, two delegates to a great Church Conference in Chicago, myself and another iady was soon formed. On a train journey of t,wo days and nights in the U.S.A., we found a fellow traveller to be the County President in her own district, and a very pleasant companionship resulted. « At Vancouver, we bad quite a good deal of time with the Canadian Dominion President, Mrs. Lade, who had been a guest in the same hotel at Hastings during the World Convention, with Miss Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Pitt and myself. Mrs. Lade was most kind. As in other places on the American Continent, meetings in Vancouver were not being held; so that there w r as no opportunity of meeting other members; but much useful conversation and exchange of ideas took place; and * very real comradeship was established. Mrs. Lade sent greetings to New Zealand in the name of die Canadian Union. It may be interesting to readers to know' that we were travelling in this district during the Canadian Pacific Railway Strike. We were compelled to travel all night by bus tw'ice. The novelty of the experience, and the fact that the moon was full, compensated, in no small degree, for the somewhat exhausting circumstances, and we w-ere no wmrse for it. At Honolulu, we w r ere met by Mrs. Carson, vice-president of the American (as distinguished from the Japanese) Union there, at 8 o’clock in the morning of a lovely day, as we left the “Aorangi” for a few hours ashore. This was a pleasant surprise. Mrs. Carson drove us in her Ruick, showing us the famous Waikiki beach, and other w'ell-known places en route, right up into the high hills w’hich form the glorious background for the city. Up and up we went, among the most luxuriantly w’ooded valleys and along roads lined with beautiful flowering trees ; shrubs, and creepers, till we reached a point from which we had a magnificent view r of the city and the coast. Then, back into the city and up

in another direction to the famous “Pali,” where the wind nearly blew our clothes off us. So we saw the island of Oahu, on which Honolulu stands. It is impossible to describe the loveliness of the hibiscus, allemanda, and countless other floral delights ol this place. Then we were brought down to the Y.W.C.A., a fine, up-to-date building, with a glorious swimming pool, and a tree-shaded garden. Here several ladies of the local Union joined us for luncheon in the garden, after which we went upstairs into one of the many fine rooms available, and had a little friendly talk together. I told something of the Hastings Convention happenings, and, as so many of the prominent people at the Convention were American and known to them personally, they were verv keenly interested. In answer to a request, I told them something of our New Zealand work. They were most astonished to learn of our early closing hour for sale of alcoholic liquors, and told me mournfully that their saloons were legally open till 2 a.m. Here, a** elsewhere, the greatest hindrance to the progress of our work is held to be in the indifference of so many professing Christians, and of whole Churches, to the increasing hold of the liquor traffic on social life. The flagrant falsehoods flaunted before the eyes of the public, in the enormous Liquor Advertisements to be seen eve'ywhere in the U.S.A., are also causing terrible concern : and it is felt that a great campaign against them must be carried out, in the interest of youth particularly. After w r e separated, two other Jadies of the Union took charge of us, and took us to the wonderful Aquarium, and through some charming parts of the city; finally landing us at the wharf with just enough time to scramble aboard before the siren blew for departure. On the wharf were the sweet singers of Honolulu, and to the plaintive strains of "Aloha,” we moved off, throwing the lovely leis, with which we had been presented by Mrs. Carson on arrival in the morning, into the marvellously coloured waters, we left Honolulu behind. Greetings were sent to N.Z. from the Union, as from so many other places. Ip the beginning of our tour, w'C bad made pleasant contact with our workers in Australia, and all along the way where possible, this was done. It was good to feel that our work reallv does go on “All round the World,” and to know that the bonds of sisterhood have been strengthened. Our “Noontide” prayers will have a deeper significance than before; and our pride in our great organisation will be greater. Many very kind messages have been received since our return, for which we are very grateful. M. CHRISTIAN.