The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-11
IN SOUTH PACIFIC.
An Address on Mission.
airy Work.
Captain Hore OF Steamer John VII
Hams Tells Of Labors of London
Missionary Society.

Captain Hore, F. R. G. S. of the mis-
sionary steamer John Williams re-
Gently delivered an address in Sydney
upon missionary work in the Pacific
Islands which will be read with intel
est here.
Referring TO recent statements re-
fiecting upon the nature of the London
Missionary Societys work in the ISL
ands, Captain Hore stated that he
would not indulge in wordy denial, Blu,
would tell the people some of the pro-
gress of the work, while he asked them
to place statistics and statements made
on the one side against those which
bore the authority of the society and
strange that opposition to Christian
Using and Protestant work in the ISL
andS should emanate from Sydney a
center of civilization. People must
statements that the progress of the
missions controlled by the London Mis-
sionary Society and other churches
was delusiOn and a snare. The Poly
than 100 years ago, then, as now,
being impelled by Christ's mes
sage, Go we into all the
world and preach the Gospel There
was then a terrible number of
heather in the islands. The
three great aspects of difficulty
a. that time were the difficulty of
reaching the people by the slow sailing
ships, ignorance of the many island
languages, and lack of feeling amongst
the leaders of churches. The first
missionaries were purely pioneers sent
out to see what hopes of progress
might be held out to those who had
initiated the movement. They went
in the ship Dove, and since then the
growth of Christianity in the islands
had been remarkable, and the difficult
ties had been swept away. Now the
John Williams three times a year visit |
ed the mission settlements, carrying
necessaries for the missionaries, and
helping to spread the Gospel. Cap
tain Hore told of a tradition amongst
the. islands that the gods who had
been Carrying in baskets the materials
to build the great continents had split
some of the contents, and SO formed
the islands. He also traced the theo-
ry of how the islands became populated |
I, ,,,1c hnI
built up their little tribes and lived in
a condition of utter savagery. Alter |
the WeSleyanS took over the Friendly |
Islands and the Fijis there remained
sionary Society, where the number of
Christians, churches, and schools was
a wonderful monument to the progress
made. These proofs of the work We're
the best answer that could be given to
Cardinal Moran. The history of the
first introduction of a Bible by a
Christian fisherman was traced, and it
was shown how after many repulses,
and against the greatest difficulties, at
last Christianity got hold and spread.
The Savage Islands We're VISITED by
John Williams in 1888, and after al
most insuperable difficulties he saw
the conditions of life amongst those I'M
civilized people completely changed,
but not till after Is years work at
them. Captain HOre described the ce-
remony of opening a church which
would hold 900 people, and showed how
the Christian spirit which had been
inculcated was responsible for splendid
efforts among the better islanders for
the Christianising of their own be-
nighted brethren on other islands.
New Guinea remained to be conquered,
but already the progress there was
great, and the missionaries had been
abundantly blessed by God in their