Revifii of Repiews, 1/6/06. 



Topics of the Month. 



463 



would thus be given, the remission might be granted 

 for a fixed number of years. Ac the end of that 

 period the matter could be reconsidered.' 



" Supposing, then," I said, " that dual control in 

 proposed joint control or administration established, 

 what would be the effect in the Xew Hebrides?'' 



■■ It would give to Europeans set-urity to life and 

 property, and indisputable titles of land (a thing 

 hitherto impossible), and encourage the investment 

 of capital necessary to the development of the re- 

 sources of the islands. .And it would give the same 

 security to the natives, so that they should not be 

 deprived of their lands, especially of such of them 

 as are necessary for their subsistence, bv fraud 

 (native or European) or violence ; so that they 

 should not be improperly engaged for senice, or 



improperlv treated while under engagement, and 

 duly paid for their services : and so that trading 

 with them in or giving them intoxicants, firearms 

 and explosives should be effectively prohibited. It 

 would put an end to the present chaotic state of 

 things in which Europeans are constantly being 

 killed by natives, and the latter are going steadily 

 forward on the road to extinction. This state of 

 things, a scandal to humanity, is not worthy of the 

 two great leading civilised powers responsible for 

 it, but the proposed dual administration would be 

 a remedy for this altogether worthy of them." 



The i-everend Doctor speaks with the certainty 

 of conviction, and the powers that be, both here and 

 in London, cannot do better than follow strictly 

 the letter of his opinions. 



LXXXL— THE MELBOURNE CITY MISSION AND ITS 50th BIRTHDAY. 



THE REV. E. 



It is not the most 

 conspicuous and 

 most widely-adver- 

 tised forces in the 

 social world to-day 

 that are the most 

 powerful and the most 

 worthv of a kindly 

 word of notice. 

 Among the forces at 

 work in Australasia 

 t' -dav none works 

 more quietly, nor 

 shows better results 

 m proportion to tht- 

 efforts expended 

 than the Melbourne 

 Cit}' Mission. It is 

 just celebrating its 

 50th birthday, and 

 its record has been 

 so good that readers 

 of " The Review of 

 Reviews " ought to 

 know of it. So the 

 Rev. E. Steggall, 

 the beloved, honoured and successful secretary, and 

 I had a chat about its main characteristics. 



" Tell me, I said, " for our readers, who vou (vou 

 as the visible body of the Mission), are, what you 

 are, and what you do?" 



'• Well,'' he said, " to take one question at a time 

 and be explicit, I am, or rather, the Mission is a 

 body composed of a Committee of Ministers and 

 ymen connected with the leading denominations." 

 " Whose work is — " 

 " To convert the people, in brief."' 

 "And loiik after their creature comforts?" 



itelba} 



Rev. 



fl'hoto. 



E Steggall. 



STEGGALL. 



'■ Most certainly, but our work lies on different 

 routes to those traversed by most missions." 



•■ I notice that you don't work to the accompani- 

 ment of trumpet blare and much advertising." 



• No, I'll tell you what we do. We plant a mis- 

 sioned man or woman, in a district, and they visit 

 ever}' home they can that contains' the least, the 

 last, and the lost of society — that part of our social 

 life wfuch shrinks from view, and lives in back 

 streets and lanes and bye-ways which respectable 

 folk know exist, but which they never visit, the 

 least noticed, the last cared-for, the often lost to al- 

 most everj-thing that is good. Among these our 

 missionaries work in a wav peculiar to our constitu- 

 tion." 



■' And what is the dominant ch,Tracteristic that 

 makes it differ from others ?' 



" Well, most missions of a religious-benevolent 

 nature seek to uplift such people by holding more 

 or less attractive meetings, and have places for dis- 

 tributing charity, and meals, and aft'ording cheap 

 lodgings, attracting thus crowds of the needy, and 

 larger crowds of loafers. A religious meeting is en- 

 dured as the price of a breakfast or something else, 

 while the benefactors hope that under the influence 

 of a meal, etc., and an earnest exhortation, there 

 may come a desire on the part of the helped and 

 exhorted to forsake evil and be led to Christ." 



•' But the City Mission " 



" Does its work by the quiet method of house to 

 house visitation. Each missionary is assigned a 

 district, and visits so many houses a day, taking 

 street by street. He or she thus meets directly with 

 the people, and generally wins confidence and dis- 

 covers whether there is real need. If there is, 

 material help is given." 



'■ But the real object of the visit is the regenera- 

 tion of the people?" 



