OPENING OF THE LITTLE RIVER NATIVE SCHOOL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 68, 13 March 1877, Page 2

OPENING OF THE LITTLE RIVER NATIVE SCHOOL.

[from our own coruespondext.] The opening of the Native school at . Little River and the examination of the ™ Maori children took place on; Tuesday last. Invitations to participate \m the proceedings, and in the festivities consequent - thereon, were freely made by the Maoris «\. to the settlers, and as freely accepted by - the latter. The occasion was one pregnant with important consequences to the Maori and Pakeha alike ; for without education'a community must be at the least, ignorant, unmannerly, and superstitious, irrespective of race. Not long since a library and school were established here, for the settlers and their children ; and now a school and master are also provided for the Maoris, and henceforward the descendants of either race are not Inevitably doomed to stagnate in ignorance.* Reflections of this nature were generally entertained and expressed. The occasion was unanimously regarded as one that ought to be celebrated, and the settlers resolved en masse, readily and heartily to join their Maori neighbours in the celebration. ,„ The appearances of the morning be- ™ tokened a fine day, and the Maoris were moving early. The Maori Church is built on a grassy mound that rises about 80 feet above, the valley flat; the river winding £ around its base. This Church, _ with its tiny spire and whitened walls, is a conspicuous and attractive object in the landscape, and near to it the new school and master's house have been erected. The view from w this spot is at all times one of rare beauty ; and was on this Occasion especially so, in consequeuce of an unusual and crystal clearness of the atmosphere; which gave a singular distinctness to the outlines of the encompassing hills and to the other objects within them.; ,i" Flags flaunting in the breeze and groups of natives about them, at once indicated to strangers the point of attraction, and by * 10 o'clock a considerable number had been congregated. Among .the earliest of the settlers to arrive, were Messrs. A. D, Allan, H. Buchanan, W. Coop, and' G. R. Joblin, with their wives and'families. The Rev. I J. Stack, with Mrs. Stack, arid" the' Hw.v Mr. Scott,; of Raupaka, arrived direct from Christchurch somewhat later. To receive

Mr. Stack, the Maori children were drawn up in line, and gave three hearty cheers on his entering the enclosure, in which they were freely joined by those, present. Next followed luncheon. At the South end of the Church, on a grassy carpet, and in the shade of a chimp of Nagios. a table'and seats were placed ; the former bearing abundance of good tilings which afforded entire satisfaction, the only scarcity being of knives' and .forks."'.; The repast ended, the children were summoned and again drawn up in line. They went through their drill exercise of marching, countermarching, forming fours, wheeling, &c, displaying much promptitude and precision therein, and then.preceded by a banner " Advance Little River Native School," they proceeded with Mr. Stack to the old whare, where they had for some time past received instruction. Here prayers were offered in the Maori tongue, at the conclusion of which the children marched back to the new school, singing as they marched, " Onward Christian Soldiers.'* At noon Messrs Coop and Powrie closed their saw-mills, and soon after all the men with their families had reached the pah. The Maoris were highly gratified by the presence of such a number of pakeha friends, the dark eyes gleamed with excitement, the swart features were radiant with satisfaction, and their efforts to promote the comfort and enjoyment of their guests were ceaseless. But to return to the children, they on reaching the new school, entered it, and took their seats, and their friends and visitors would have done likewise if they could, but this was impossible, as the number desirous of gaining admission was double that that the school was capable of receiving, but to make room for the whites, many of the Maoris withdrew, and crowded about the windows. The school, which is lofty, and well lighted and ventilated, was tastefully decorated with bannerets, ferns, and the leaves of the Nikau palm, the device, "Advance Little River Native School " being conspicuous Te Ira Mutu, a native 11 years of age, son of the Rev. G. Mutu, took his seat at the harmonium, and played an accompaniment to a hymn which was then sung. After this, prayer was offered •by the Rev. J. Stack, and then the examination commenced. The children were arranged in three classes, and examined in reading, spelling, writing, geography, and arithmetic, every possible facility being afforded to those present of inspecting the writing and arithmetic. Everyone appeared surprised at the confidence and intelligence displaj-ed by the pupils, and gratified at the great progress that has been made in so brief a space, and much credit was given to Mr. Reeves, the master, for having initiated with so much success, the difficult task he had engaged in. At the conclusion of the examination the children again sang, Te Ira Mutu again accompanying on the harmonium. -After this, the Rev. J. Stack addressed the natives in their own language at considerable length. He was followed by the Rev. G. Mutu, who first addressed the natives in Maori, and then the Europeans in-English. To the latter he explained the great gratification it afforded him to see so many present, which he regarded as an evidence that they desired to aid in advancing his countrymen. He knew well that the system of education introduced by the pakeha, was superior to any known to the Maori, and he was anxious the Maoris should be taught by the new system. He was pleased to see that at last his countrymen were beginning to admit this", and to recognise the many advantages that would result to their children by acquiring a knowledge of the English language, and of the arts and sciences -which would eventually follow. This he believed would greatly benefit his countrymen, and he could not say how pleased he was to see so much encouragement and sympathy manifested by the visitors present. The Rev. Scott next delivered an address in Maori, and was followed by Eli and Henry Tawha, members of the School ' Committee. Their, remarks were translated by Mr. Stack, and chiefly consisted of an expression ! of their acknowledgment and gratification in- seeing ■ such a number of their white' neighbours, displaying so friendly an interest in their welfare. Reference was also made to their oldest neighbours Messrs Buchanan and Coop, who were always their friends, and details of various matters in which a friendly interchange of good offices between them and Mr. Coop in relation to the early attempt to establish a post-office were enumerated. Mr. Buchanan briefly replied, saying that he was the oldest settler in the district, having resided in it twenty-five years, and during the whole of that time had been on friendly terms with the Maoris, indeed, not long ago they used to be called Buchanan's Maoris, and he thought they were all greatly indebted to them. He felt extremely pleased at the great progress made by the children in so short a time, and since Mr. Reeves had been their teacher, and hoped they would continue to improve. He was sure that very great credit was due to Mr. Reeves for accomplishing so much in so short a time. Mr Stack then addressed the assemblage in English, expressing the very great pleasure he felt in the proceedings of the day, and stating he was extremely surprised and pleased to see the great interest displayed by the settlers in this attempt to promote the intellectual development of the natives. He said he himself was astonished at the progress made by the children, as well as at their orderly conduct and their cleanly appearance, and the nicety of their attire. With regard to the neat manner in which they were apparelled, he wished it to be understood that this was hot due to any prompting on his part, but he ascribed it to tlie influence and example exercised and set by the Pakeha, To see the children thus, was to him a surprise and pleasure ; and with regard to their acquirements and improved manners the credit was due to their teacher, Mr. Reeves, who had acquitted himself well. He then adverted to the way in which formerly the natives preserved and perpetrated a know- . ledge of the incidents that constituted their history.. These were committed to memory and with genealogical histories interwoven, were preserved in the memory with great carey and it often took many days to recite such. After again expressing his pleasure in the. proceedings, he said that the highest praise was due to Mr. Reeves for the progress the children had made, as with the exception of two, none had ever received any instruction till within the past eleyen mpnths. He also commended the parents for the regularity and constant attendance observed. He then concluded by saying that the official examination and award of prizes would be made on the following

morning ; the examination of to-day having been arranged for the satisfaction of their guests; Mr. Reeves expressed the pleasure he felt that his efforts had secured the improvement of the children and the approbation of those present. The Committee, had supported him well, and he ascribed much of his success to the constant attendance of the children at the school, and said that no effort should be lacking on his part to ensure a continuous improvement. The children here sang " God Save the Queen," which terminated this part of the proceedings. The school-room having been cleared, immediate steps were taken to convert it into a refectory. While these preparations were being made, the young men were engaged in leaping, running, &c. Eventually the refreshments were ready. Four tables, extending the width of the school, draped in snowy damask, garnished with flowers, and loaded with eatables, met the eye on entering. These tables Were presided over by the Misses Powrie, the Misses Tyson and Reynolds, the Misses Coup, and the Maori ladies, and the Misses Eli. These presiding ladies, aided by the indefatigable Mrs. Walters, dispensed refreshments to all who required fhern. The last named lady had no easy time of it, but by dint of patience and perseverance the empty were filled, and yielded their seats to others who hungered. Abundance, however, was the order of the day, and everyone was able to satisfy the appetite. Where the table requisites, such as •■ cup 3, saucers, plates, &c, Avere found in such numbers, it is hard to say, as they do not generally abound in the native dwellings, probably the presiding damsels had some hand in providing them. w Next followed sports, which,,were engaged in by the young men of "both races. In the wrestling match, Timona, of Rapaka took first prize; Harry, the shearer, second. Vaulting with pole—Poteroi, first, Bft. lin., John Karorona, second, 7ft. lOin. Hop, step and jump—John Billey (Maori) first, 37ft. ; Joseph Reynolds, second, 36ft. 6in. There were also threelegged races, sack races, foot races, and cripple races, all of which were well contested. During these sports the tables were removed and the seats made ready in the school, upon which it was quickly filled, when the following programme was carried out for the entertainment of those present : — Song—"Strive to Learn," by Native scholars ; recitation—" The Children's Choice," ditto; song—"Children go to and fro," ditto ; recitation—"John Little John," Te Hira Mutu; song—"Taras Halls," Mr. Reeves ; song—" What can the matter be," Native scholars ; recitation—"Early Rising," Margaret Tini; Reading—" Stop by Signal," Mr. N.Phillips; song—"Try, Try, Try Again," Native scholars ; recitation—" Charge of the Light Brigade," John Martin ; song— " Ring the Bell, Watchman," Native scholars'; reading—Extracts from "Handy Andy," Rev. Mr. Stack ; song—" Maryland," ■ Mr. Reeves; song—" Auld Lang Syne," Native, scholars. The whole of the items were very well rendered, the children singing in excellent time, and eliciting applause. At the conclusion it was found that a sudden change in the temperature had taken place, and a thick fog appeared hovering over the tops of the surrounding hills, whish finally descended, accompanied by wind and drizzling rain. This precluded the successful display of fireworks, for which provision had" been made, and checked the sports in which the young men were engaged, and the settlers with their families speedily directed their steps homewards, thus bringing to a close a day in which nothing but good feeling was displayed. The policy of the true statesman and the principles of the true christian would multiply indefinitely such days! On Wednesday morning the Rev. J. Stack held the official examination and awarded the prizes given by Mr. Coop, as follows :— Class Ist :—Te Ira Mutu, first prize ; Ameri Christy, 2nd prize ; Queen Tawha, 3rd prize ; Margaret Tini, 4th prize. Class 2nd :—Miriam Kurawaka, first prize; Mary Nutria, 2nd prize; Pipi Karitipa, 3rd prize. Class 3rd :—Edward. Ist prize ; Ehetere Irahau, 2nd prize ; Mary Tawha, 3rd prize ; John Nutria, 4th prize; Harrawerra, sth prize. For regular attendance, a prize of 10s. was given by Mr. G. R. Joblin to the pupil of the first class, who had secured the greatest number of marks. This was awarded to John Pohio, who had attended 199 days out of a possible 205; also a prize of ss. to the pupil of the second class so distinguished. This was awarded to Miriam Karawaka ; and further, a prize of ss. for the like object in the 3rd class. This was decided between Pino and Pipi K'oritupu, whose marks were equal. A Silver Cup, presented by Mr. Peterson, of Christchurch, for the pupil who displayed the greatest degree of proficiency, was not awarded, Mr. Stack deciding to hold it over until the next year. Mr. Stack, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Messrs. Coup and Joblin for their prizes. The National Anthem was sung, and this terminated the examination.