The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1879-09-30 00:00:00

LONDON MISSIONARY SOGIRT'Y.

lite evesing ineetleg far the public was beid ow Tuesday,
whoa the weather was very wet, still, • moder•tely good
co_ areetabird.

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no Rey. T. NM'S stated the amount contributed by
Dorchester last pup was 4323 13a 84., Ism expense. 7s. 6d.,
and tholl were sent from the county of Dorset £0079.. 84.
during the past year. The county had suffered from the
financial depression ; Christian people ally, be
thought, had not diminished their notributions ; but the
society had bad pecuniary difficulties from the extension
of it. operations. The time of excitement as to mission
: work has passed away. sod the societies had settled down
to ordinary wade Sir William Muir had remarked it was
stated that nearer intermits are Reelected for the romanoe
of missies'. bet Charles Dickens. In one instance in which
he sought to depict the llbeistian laity taking an interest
In missions in Africa at the expense of home wants, was
not successful in his sketch of the character, became it
wes not tree in fact, the fact being that those who take
the greatest interest in missions babe the greatest and
most earnest seal for the needed twine. If the mission seal
is becoming cool, the missies pulse becoming feeble. it is
because we ourselves are becoming feeble and cool, lie
regretted the night being so unfavourable as to the
weather ; be did not remember so unfavourable an evenlag
for the mimionary meeting since he had been bus; but
the number of them present was much greater than he
expected (Beer, hear.)
Rev. W. Am.gue looked upon the Dorchester people not
as a poor, but, rich people and well able to give, and they
had loom* forth. purpose of riving to-night. He himeeß
had been • missionary in Weston Africa, that " white
man's grave," and six had died there before he came.
Their services were begun at six o'clock in the molar%
and they would be ashamed to cams late ; their singing
very hearty, for although they may ynot sing in the tote,
certainly dosing with the spirit. Many prayer- meetings are
held after the morning marries', and instead of it ben; as
In England, meet of the conversions are made niter that
winks One meeting be held in a palm-oil shed, inviting
only thins who were enemas to 1301 brace the white man's
religion. About 150 attended, the meeting lasted from
raven to altar tenons, and 70 professed to have nand
peace with Gel. Brighter thine, ate dawning for
Africa, though the Zulu. may not think so, and by the
way, he wished thi eutesionarie. had what bad been spent
in Zolulsed ; he believed that 100 iiiinionaries would here
doue more good then all that had lately heel) dime there,
they would have taught the Zulus to love God, to love
'web other, and to love us. (Applause.)
Rev. E. Seesaow said the society have 110 missionaries,
labouring in the Went Indies, in Polynesia, Berl, Africa,
New Guise% lladaippear. and India, and about)) native
preacher' for every European mitidonery. The society's
operations have been enlarged, and it is necessary to have
an increase of about .65000 a year. Cue of the causes of
the increase of agents was that so many people are calling
for them in Madagascar, and many more hail been sent
out; • new work had been begun in New Guinea, where
are four European missions:is* and about 40 Polyneeian
teachers, and there are indications of their being wed
received. In Central Africa, several missionary lonelier
have established stations,among them the London Mission-
ary Society had one on the moat western of toe great
lakes-Tanganyika Yet there are still many kingbolts and
nattons and scores of tribes .hr. the Gospel ea Christ is
not yet carried He exhorted them to contribute more to
missions by systematic effort, for in this kingdom we
spend £3 3.. per head Ile r annum for intoxicating drinks,
while we only spend 61. per head for mission work. Nos-
ing to India he remarked we speak of one-sixth of the
human family., the great times an Hinaloos, of whom ere
have more under our rule than there an Protestant& in all
the world. The Hinds.. are easily conned, ready to
enquire into all matters alerting the supernatural, hut
very sensitive on all matters of caste. There are the Hill,
or aboriginal tribes, who are very much debased in their
worship, and an as neater me se the people of Ragland,
and bard's these are twice as many Mabommedans as
people in Zeeland, who are the proudest and meet bitterly
opposed to Chnatianity. Although the Ilireloos ive very
much worried by their friends it they &Beni English
morViCek yet their rurio.ity about the supernatural is very
great, even labourers, at their daily mealtimes, discussing
such questions as "Right and wrong— what are they t Is
there any essential difference t Matter—what is it? Is
there any matter, or is it all a dream r And since the
English are the masters of India and our customs are en-
tirely different from theirs, they are very curious to know
what our ideas are about religion. The uxissionaries
travel about, sometime, in a bullock-waggon, sometimes
by boat, and call at the er nips of villagis, or in the
markets, where ere from 2.000 4.10,000 people. But the
numbers who hear the Gospel are very few, with all the
societies there are but one missionary to ILIO.OOO people,
and the poor people of ten say—" AU this seems very good,
we should like to know more; hot you come for a day.
and then are gone away. What can we do?' Ttte
!Endow are altering in their ideas about caste, about
perpetual widowhood, kc., and Hindooisin I. melting
away. Ile read a testimony front an educated Ilindoo, that
everything about religion and cuatom in India is changing.
old institutions are crumbling away, and Western civilise-
Bon is exercising a changing influeuee over all. He spoke
of some converted Meow!), who had proved their sincerity
by becoming Christians in the face of expulsion from
, home and family, and who, although they had been
brought up in all the filth and even devilithnem of
Eiseluoism, yet had for years since lived Christian lives,
as consistent as the missionaries own, In conclusion, ha
urged them to think about the work, and pray for it, for
It was worthy all they could do for it. (Applause.)
Rev. H. TAIJIAnT, of Bath, gave an eloquent address,
of the wonderful adaptation of the Goopal, which
. is sui for all tribes in Mein, and in all parte of the
world.— .

—Th—e. Rev. Ilr. ETD urged that if we have been fighting
with the heathen, there is the more need for our sending
weal the Gospel, and helping them in every way we can.
Singing, prayer. and a ndloction closed the meeting.