THE RAMABAI MISSION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2625, 6 October 1909, Page 6

THE RAMABAI MISSION.

ADDRESS BY MRS. MACKENZIE

St. Andrew’s Church was filled last night to hear Mrs. Geo. Mackenzie’s lecture upon the progress of the mission to Indian widows, conducted by the Pandita Ramabai, at Mukti. Mrs. Mackenzie has recently visited the mission homes, and gave a vivid and instructive lecture on the work of assisting the widows of India. Many of these widows, she said, bear the scars of burns and blows, but their former misery is forgotten in the happy home to which they have been brought. Schools, workshops, farm and garden are all conducted by these rescued women, and the lectin-ess feelingly told the story of her visit, when Ramabai asked that some one or more of the girl widows would state for Mrs. Mackenzie’s benefit some thing for which she had. to be thankful, when some hundreds of them rose and recounted the blessings they had received since coming under the cafe of their noble rescue-mother. The homes av* « hive of industry, and there is also the advantage that these rescued girls are permitted to marry Christian men, so that, as the speaker stated, the inundations of thousands of Christian homes are being laid, and the consequent uplifting of a large part of the present heathen population. The lecture was illustrated by .some very fine views of the homes, and the widows at thenseveral occupations. Mr. Moody kindly worked the lantern, and assisted to make the lecture a success. The Rev. Win. Grant presided, and at the close tendered to Mrs. Mackenzie a hearty vote of thanks for her lecture.

SALE OF WORK TO-MORIIOW. At 2 p.m. to-morrow the Mayoress (Mrs. W. D. Lysuar) will open in Whinray’s, Hall a sale of Oriental goods in aid of the funds of Pandita Ramabai’s extremely deserving mission to the women of India. Mrs. G. Mackenzie, New Zealand secretary to the mission, who will personally supervise the sale, recently returned from a tour of the East where she made large purchases of choice articles of various descriptions, which she now offers for sale on behalf of the mission. The collection she has brought to Gisborne is so large that Whinray’s Hall is too small to accommodate it, and the goods are to be offered at remarkably low prices. There are to be four stalls, one for the sale of articles of Indian manufacture, another for Chinese goods, a •third for Japanese products, and the fourth devoted to articles from Persia, Armenia, Egypt, and elsewhere. The quality of all is admirable. The sale is to be continued from 2 to 10 p.m. to-morrow and on Friday. Arrangements are to be made for supplying afternoon tea, at a moderate charge to visitors, but there is to be no charge for admission to the sale. At a sale in aid of the mission held recently m the Choral Hall at Auckland, no less than ,£6OO worth of goods were disposed of, and Mrs. Mackenzie hopes to achieve a proportionately satisfactory result in Gisborne.