Mission Rivalry

Race for the Benna-Wahgis

From a Special Correspondent.

Salamaua, July 27.

THE missionary war goes on! The souls of the Benna Benna-Wahgis are to be snatched from the burning! European civilization will triumph what e’er be tide!

I reported in June that the discovery of a large native population, with a con siderable degree of culture, on the rich plateaux that lie between the Upper Ramu and Mount Hagen, had stirred the missionary bodies to activity: and that three of the missions—the Alexishafen (Roman Catholic), Finschafen (Lutheran) and the Seventh Day Adventists —were racing each other in ah attempt to be the first mission body established in the new field.

This keen rivalry had resulted in the appearance of a certain bitterness be tween the parties; and the hard-boiled miners and traders in those parts were clearly enjoying this interesting mani festation of Christian enterprise. At the time of that writing the Catholic party was actually on the new field; the Lutherans were hurrying inland by forced marches; and the Seventh Day Adventists were at Salamaua, receiving reports on the rival campaigns and trying to make up their mind to also made a dash in land.

Since then, the Lutherans have been into the new country and reconnoitred, and have returned. Somewhere en route the Lutherans made contact with the Catholic party under Father Ross, a well-known American missionary. Father Ross, it is reported, offered the weary Lutherans hospitality, but they ignored the friendly gesture and pushed grimly on.

When the Lutherans returned to Lar> it was decided to establish immediately three stations in the new territory, with two Europeans on each station, as re quired by the Government. It is re garded as likely that the Lutherans will withdraw all their European missionaries on coastal stations, for this purpose, and leave the latter under the care of natives.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Seventh Day Adventists in this part of the world chartered an aeroplane, and, flew into and all round the Benna Benna-Wahgi region and made a close examination. As a result, he placed half-a-dozen native teachers, including some Solomon Islanders, in the Upper Ramu district, and left the work of introducing Christianity to those gentlemen for the present. The further plans of the S.D.A. people have not been disclosed.