NATIVE QUESTION.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 12, 5 March 1857, Page 1

NATIVE QUESTION.

In an admirable History of the Conquest of Mexico, by American Prescott, is passage following:— As the long file of (Mexican), priests and warriors reached the flat summit of the teocalli, the Spaniards saw the figures of several men stripped to their waists, some of whom, by'the whiteness of their skin, they recognized as their countrymen. They were the victims for sacrifice. Their heads were gaudily decorated with coronals of plumes, and they carried fans in their hands. They were urged along by blows, and compelled to take part in the dance in honor of the A.ztec wargod. The unfortunate eaptives then stripped of their sad finery, were stretched, one after another,, on the great stone of sacrifice. On its convex surface, their breasts were heaved, up conveniently for the diabolical purpose of the priestly executioner, who cut asunder the ribs by a strong blow with hi s sharp razor itzli, and thrusting his hands into the wound tore away the heart,'which, hot and reeking,.was deposited on the golden censer before the idol. The body of the slaughtered victim was then hurled down the steep stairs of the pyramid, which were placed at the same angle of the pile, one flight above' another; and the mutilated remains were gathered up by the savages beneath, who soon prepared with them the cannibal repast which completed the work of abomination.

Emperor Nero wished the Roman people had but one neck that he might annihilate them at a blow. If Cortez had been able at a blow to annihilate every mother’s son of this cannibal Mexican race would he have been wrong to strike it ? On the contrary, would not a refusal to do so been crime of deepest dye ? Here was a race of rank idolaters, vengful, bloody-minded, cruel past all expression, whose priests from living victims tore away the heart which, our historian tells us, was deposited on the golden censer before the idol, while the remains mutilated yet still palpitating mere “ gathered up by the savages beneath who soon prepared with them the cannibal repast which completed the work of abomination.” Although they had necks almost innumerable Cortez did exterminate these savage Mexicans ; he did it utterly. Was he unjustified ? That is a question we would have our antiidolatrous and anti-blood-drinking readeis well consider.

In dealing with all sorts of savages we are for Bible and Sword —sometimes one, sometimes the other—because there are heads into which Bible Truth cannot penetrate, cannot by any number of Bible Societies be made to find its way. By the Sword Cortez purged Mexico of an idolatry — the crudest, frightful est, and bloodiest that was ever yet permitted on God’s earth Could he in same space of time have done it by the Bible ? Could he have done it at all ? Of what use is it to cast seed upon stony places except,

indeed, your object is to furnish pleasant employment for fowls of the air. Spanish soldiers, according to authentic history, counted in one place 136,000 skulls of human victims—skulls known to be skulls of victims whose heart had been torn out, and flesh still fresh, bloody and palpitating had feasted these worst of cannibals. No wonder that Cortez imagined himself “ moved by the Holy Ghost” to rid the world of monsters so enormous. Undoubtedly, to enlighten savages is better than to destroy them, but may it not be true that some savages have ripened into rottenness, and are too far gone ever to be made mentally sound or morally pure.

Bray the fool in a mortar and out he conies a fool still. Thus runs the proverb and the proverb is radically true, while the quasi philanthrophy which expends itself in vain efforts to make philosophers of fools and highly civilized beings of savages inherently brutal, is radically false. Now, this and none other than this quasi philanthropy has been at the bottom of all our legislation for Maories, who can no more be developed into reasonable creatures according to European notions of reasonableness than a jackdaw can be developed into a peacock or a brute beast into a human creature. Our correspondent “ W. C.” acknowledges that so far the civilizing of Maories has gone slowly on —that Missionaries have not performed a feat analogous to the much-talked of but seldom seen, washing of black-a-moors white, and that their off-repeated promises to Bibleize Maories have not been kept. His letter, published in another column, will show that he hopes to settle the Native Question by such extensive distribution amongst Maories of Maori Bibles as our Bible Societies through a period of more than forty years have periodically promised but periodically and most lamentably failed to effect. Now, our mode of settling the Native Question includes that of settling the Natives themselves — were reason lost up«m them and all attempts to bring them under British rule proved nugato’ry. If to-morrow a Bible could be placed in the hands of every Maori and every Maori could be enabled reasonably to interpret it, civilizing Maories would be unfaitaccompli, and the problem—What should be done with Maories ? solved. But mistranslated Bibles are not the Word of God, and Bible misinterpreters are not Christians.

Our correspondent complains, and. justly too, of the philological and most profane hotch-potch nicknamed Maori version of Holy Writ. Were our rulers sincere in ther oft-repeated wish to really civilize and enlighten the Maories they would not pamper Maori indolence by Maori versions of the Bible, but open

schools for teaching Maories English. Were our rulers not afraid of both Native and Foreign knowledge diffusion they would take measures to make Maories learn English and not humbug the whole of us with schemes nominally for their intellectual and moral advancement which are neither more nor less than schemes for perpetuating their barbarism. Unless the Maories can be taught English and also be taught to think for themselves, no amount of Bibles will meet their thoroughly idolatrous case. By way of preliminary to teaching them which will take some time, we would repeal all laws which impede, or prevent, or discourage freest possible intercourse between ourselves and the Native population. Clause 73 of our, in many respects supremely rediculous, Constitution Act, says: —

It shall not be lawful for any person other than Her Majesty, her heirs and successors, to purchase, or in anywise acquire or accept, from the aboriginal natives land of or belonging to, or used or occupied by them in common as tribes or communities, or to accept any release or extinguishment of the rights of such aboriginal natives in any such land aforesaid; and no conveyance or transfer, or arrangement, for the conveyance or transfer of any such land, either in perpetuity or for any term or period, either absolutely or conditionally, and either in property, or by way of lease or occupancy, and no such release or extinguishment, as aforesaid, shall be of any validity or effect, unless the same bo made to, -or entered into with, and accepted by, her Majesty, her heirs or successors.

This clause lots us into the secret of Imperial legislation. Massingers prince •of extortioners the cormorant Overreach,

sa y s >~-i r must have all men sellers and I the only purchaser. Imperialism says, All Maories may sell, but only my right Imperial self must be the purchaser. But Imperialism is worse than Overreach inasmuch as though an extortioner he was not at the same time a hypocrite. By arrogating to itself the exclusive right to purchase Maori land Imperialism is extortinate. By affecting to do so lest these “ amiable savages” called Maories should be commercially imposed upon and politically eaten up by Europeans is hypocritical. We are friendly Jo the Native race and have no desire either to cheat or to exterminate them. We would not if we could, as Pizarro did Peruvians, hang Maories up by thirteens “ all of a row” in honor of the thirteen Apostles. Our disposition is merciful and the paths of peace please us best. But any law which stands in the way of completes! fraternization as between Maories and Europeans we would at once sweep from the statute book. The Native population should take its chance in the battle of life, Government confining itself to the honest business of removing obstructions and seeing fair play.