MAORI WOMEN AND THEIR WANTS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 251, 16 July 1908, Page 5

MAORI WOMEN AND THEIR WANTS

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON'S MEETING. The largo tea-room at the Hotel Windsor was Tilled afternoon, when, in connection with the Maori Congross, a women's mooting was held to consider the position and needs of . Maori women. There were many Maori .women present, still more European women, and not a few men. Lady Ward, who . presided, mado a graceful little speech of welcomc, assuring tho Maori women of the' 1 , deep : interest she .took-in'their, welfare.'' : \ The main .business''of tlie meeting was the reading of a paper by. Lady Stout on " Domestic Colleges for Maori Girls," anil after this tea; was served. Later on in the afternoon several 'of the'young men sang to tho guests, and Mr. Bennett read a paper by a Maori lady. ■ • Lady Stout's "scheme for the training of Maori girls for domestic service, and its reception by the Native chiefs at Rotorua, have already been referred to, _ in- .these' columns. She-aims at an extension of what is 'already being dono in tho way of training :the girls in domestic arts, and is'anxious to persuade-tho-girls-to enter domestic service ' among .the Pakehas, so that they may get a thorough'training in the European way ; of living. /In Auckland there: are now forty Maori girls in. service with Europeans, and sixteen of these, who. met. and talked with Lady Stout, signed a petition asking that' such colleges. as Lady Stout suggests may bo'formed., Some of the Maoris in the Rotorua district havo promised land for tho purpose, if the Government will erect a college thereon. ~ Tho Rev. P. Bennett . : told the meeting something of what had already been done in tho way of educating tho i Maori girls,, and read;a very interesting paper, clear and concise, which had been written by-a Maori girl educated at a Maori college, dealing with this question. In it the writer.contrasted the life of an educated Maori girl with that of an uneducated "girl. 'The one runs wild;in the fields," doing what, she pleases, learning, per■bapsj to dig and plant potatoes, but learning ; nothing of housekeeping and sewing. She [marries at the.;, age-of fifteen or sixteen , a :young'man who ; knows as littlo as herself, ahd : they_.]ive poorly in a miserable way, the young wife ignorant of all things that make a h'ome : comfortable. She' has children, and they; almost! all ;dio or become sickly, because she ,can iieitlior . feed nor clotho them .pro-' perly.. For those girls who wish to bo edu-cated-there are; four schools open to those who have passed the fourth Standard; the Hukarero Nativo. School, Napier; Queen Victoria School, Auckland; Turakina • Presbyterian School, Turakinaand' St. ■ Joseph's Convent, : Napier, r Speaking - with regard |to -Hukarere, the writer told how tho girls - .are .' taught - •'■ everything that 1 can jpossiblybe a.help to them in after life.'They attend cookery classes; sowing and dressmaking are. taught in the schools, with pliy- ■ siology, drill,, and- all kinds! of • housework, these.'subjects-.being,in addition to the English course. - Eleven ,of , th.e old girls ,aro teaching in Native schools,-three aro being trained as nurses in tho hospitals, arid others jaro ; Kclping- their pcoplo. iijt • other ways. The iwriter protested agiainst!the idea that it was ,of lib use td help .Maori girls, since on their return to their'horhes they relapsed into their old Maori ways. Most; of them, she .said, bad really done.,well after'leaving .school,'and'she begged that, they' might,be [encouraged and helped by their pakeha sisters. It was a clcvor littlo paper, arid .created a .Very good-impression. , 1 At tho .conclusion'; of-, the meeting, a vote 'of thanks was carried- to 'Lady Ward and Lady Stout. • ', . r ' y ;• The; Maori V'Omfin 'present did not speak, reserving themselves, for Saturday, mornings 'when the' whole {subject, ■ will bo discussed in detail. Talking'to some of them.'privately, it was clear that' Lady Stout's suggestions found supporters! ■ Parliament was represented by Lady Ward, Mrs. Eowlds, Mrs. Baume, and Mrs. Arnold, and among other guests were Mcsd.imbs Hislop, Donne, Pomaro, Rhodes, RankinoBrown, Luke, M'Alister, • Low, ■ Miss Ward. Dr. Platts Mills. Miss Bulstrode (head of the Hukarere College), Mrs. Mirams (head of the Queen Victoria Memorial College), Mrs. 'Jennings :(Otaki School), Miss Sterling (mis--. 'sionary /at : Ilawko's Bay), Miss Blakiston '[(missionary -in -'tho AVairarapa), and Mrs. Bennett (from Rotorua).