Eastern Papua

Religious Demonstration In Eastern Papua

THERE was a remarkable religious de monstration by natives at the Anglican Mission, at Mukawa, in Eastern Papua, during October. The Anglican missionary (Rev. C. W.

Whonsbon-Aston) sent out the usual invi tation to the natives, who desired baptism or confirmation, to come into the Mission Station for more intensive instruction, and he expected possibly 100 persons. Instead of that, he was visited by hundreds of na tives, until the Mission grounds became one huge camp. The missionary became not only a religious instructor but also a quar termaster and director of sanitation. The natives brought in scores of people suffer ing from yaws, ulcers, sipuma, colds, fevers, ear and eye trouble, and the clinical woi k increased enormously. Fortunately, they brought their own food and maintained themselves. They spent a month at the Mis sion Station, receiving religious instruction and medical attention. Over 250 were bap tised and. when the Bishop came along he confirmed 299—the largest number of can didates ever presented at one time in the history of the diocese.

There seems to have ‘been no special explanation of this development—it was jusf* that an unusually large number of people decided to respond to the pleas of a hard-working missionary.

Mr. O. M. Rondahl, a well-known planter, of Rabaul, New Guinea, reached Sydney on a business trip by the Nep tuna on November 10.