Notable Men of The Pacific

THE Rev. John Wear Burton, who has been general secretary of the Methodist Missionary Society since 1925, is a man of striking personality and outstanding gifts. The high regard in which he is generally held was forc ibly illustrated only last month, when, at the Methodist Conference in Sydney, he was elected President of the Confer ence for the ensuing year. This tri bute was richly deserved.

In missionary circles he is regarded as one of the advanced and progressive type. Mr. Burton has always taken the modern view in missionary enterprise, and, while emphasising the necessity for the evangelisation of native peo ple, he feels that it is the duty of the missionary societies, in co-operation with the various governments, to fit the people to maintain their positions in the new industrial development that is coming to them.

Mr. Burton believes that the develop ment of every group must be neces sarily through the development of its people. To have an alien civilisation forced upon the native race is one of the worst things that can happen to it. But, if gradually the natives can be brought to introduce into their own lives new elements through another civilisation, without disrupting their own culture, this must be ultimately a great gain.

Mr. Burton was born at Lazenby, Yorkshire, on March 7, 1875. At the age of 10 years he went with his par

ents to New Zealand. He commenced preaching at 16 and was accepted as a candidate for the ministry at the Napier Synod of 1894. He stayed in New Zealand until 1902, and then left and became first superintendent of the Indian Mission in Fiji. He com pleted nine years’ service there, and later was appointed conference foreign mission secretary for Victoria and Tasmania, which office he occupied for ten years. During this time he completed a university course, gaining his Master of Arts degree, with hon ours, in the School of Philosophy.

In 1923 he took up an organising position in Sydney, and shortly after wards succeeded to the position of gen eral secretary of the Foreign Mission Society.

Mr. Burton has become well-known for his literary work, which is of a high standard. His books include: Fiji of To-day (1910), Call of The Pacific (1914), Modern Problems of Missionary Enterprise (1919), Snapshots in India (1921), Our Task in Papua (1926), A Missionary Survey of the Pacific Is lands (1930). He is also editor of The Missionary Review, which position he has occupied since 1922.

He saw war service as chief religious war director with the Australian Y.M.C.A., holding the rank of honor ary major.

In 1902 Mr. Burton married Miss Florence Hadfield, of Christchurch, New Zealand.

Rev. J. W. Burton, M.A., General Secretary of the Methodist Missionary Society of Australasia