HOME OF THE MAORI AND HIS ART.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17125, 21 April 1921, Page 5

HOME OF THE MAORI AND HIS ART.

DISCOURSE BY MB S. H. SEAGER. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, March 9. Mr S. Hurst Seager is a very able and entertaining lecturer, as no doubt New Zealand people know. As such he is establishing a reputation in London, too, and one would 'have to go far before hearing anything more interestingly told than his "Story of the Nation as Enshrined in the Abbey" (this is about to be repeated in aid of the Abbey and Rheiius Restoration Funds), or his talk entitled "The Home of the Maori and his Art." This latter was prepared specially for the Victoria League, and was delivered this week at the headquarters in Eccleston square, when there was a good attendance of members, with, Sir James Allen in the chair. Mr Seager had slides —some showing the gems of New Zealand scenery, the majority dealing withHhe beauty of Maori art. These latter were from his own photographs, and it is certain that no such collection has before been shown in > London, or has there ever been anyone who has dealt with such intimate knowledge and appreciation of the beauty of the native designs and the perfection in which their work was carried out. Mr Seager evidently is a great admirer .of _ the Maori, and of the splendid old chiefs, whom he described as "Nature's gentlemen." He had many fine things to tell of them. In introducing Mr Seager as a good lecturer and -promising the audience enjoyment, Sir James Allen made an accurate forecast. He described the lecturer as a cultivated New Zealander, one who took great interest in all the good things that had been done in New Zealand. "I do not know how much he knows of Maori art, for it is a very difficult subject to know much about." However, Mr Seager soon showefl that Tie knew a great deal, and he spoke all through as a keen student of it and as an enthusiast. In the discourse of more than an hour, he described the Maori as the greatest and finest type of tho whole of the Polynesian races; he said that everything the Maori did was well done, while Maori art was to the Pacific' what Greek art had bsen to Europe. The language was extremely beautiful, whether in laments, invocations, prayers, speeches or names—and the speakers expressed themselves in the most wonderful way.' By the langunge, the white man who "understood it, and was among the Maoris,

could be roused almost to the fury of madness, for through its influence he would be completely imbued by the Maori spirit. As an instance, Mr Seager told of the late Canon Stack, recalling the latter's placid and quiet manner, dreamy to a degree when he was in the pulpit preaching tea white congregation, but -what a magical transformation occurred when he was preaching in Maori before a Maori con. gregation, becoming thus deeply absorbed in their/- -wonderful language and inspired through and through by it. In the depiction of their art the Maoris did not do anything that was objectionable, but only carried out with perfection the beauties which they saw round them, and the perfection of the Maori scroll designs was seen in all the best examples of Greek art. "1 wish those wretched people, the modern Cubists and Futurists, originators of hideous designs and effects, could be wiped .out," exclaimed Mr Seager. "They would certainly have short shrift from the Maori." He showed many slides with the typical scroll design, around the origin of which there had been a good deal of controversy and difference of opinion.' >His own'theory was that it originated from the idea of rope which had so much to do with a canoe, and that it was not inspired by the cobweb, as some.people thought. Mr Seager interspersed his remarks with touches of humour. For instance, in the case of a very fine Maori girl, with splendid eyes, he branded them as eye 3 that might do a lot of damage. Reference to Canterbury inspired a little story about mutton, thus—"Oh, no, I never take New Zealand mutton." said a lady a few days ago. "I would never think of buying such a thing. I always get 'Prime Canterbury."* The wonders and the uses of the thermal region did not pass without comment, and Mr Seager mentioned that one of the latest inventions at a London labour-saving home exhibition was a fireless cooker —an "invention" that the Maori, by heating hot bricks in the thermal ground, had had as his own for years; Nature had provided him with a fireless cooker, and the same idea had only recently been thought of i& England. Sir Harry "Wilson, in moving a vote of thanks, w&a eager to know what was being done in New Zealand to preserve this marvellous Maori art. Mr Sealer said that much was being done in the way of preservation by the Maoris themselves. Those present included Lady Allen, Miss Allen. Mrs Bernard Myers, Mi» and Miss Mitchell (Christchurch).