TAARE WAITARA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 872, 19 July 1910, Page 3

TAARE WAITARA.

DR. POMARE'S SPEECH AT PARIHAKA. _ _ Among tho visitors to Parihaka ,011 Wednesday last to do honour to tho late Taare Waitara, tjlio son-in-law of the prophet Te Whiti, was Dr. Pomare, who paid a tribute, to .the deceased in tho following language:— ' " "The stars of tho heavens aro getting scarce. There is darkness. Tho treasurebird has iiown away. The giant of tho forest, that sheltered tho big and, small birds has fallen. The mid-post of the whare has snapped asunder; tho house leaks. The chill blasts of the cold world finds an entrance, and tho children shiver with the cold." . He then sang an ancient lamentation for the dead, which was a complaint to tho gods for their creating man in such an imperfect way as to cause pain and death. _ . . . The irresistible tide of civilisation and progress is sweeping on. We must • rise to tho occasion. Education is to he the future -paddle , for our canoe. If,we do not take advantage nf what is before us we will be swept, into oblivion. This is the history of tho world. The day has dawned when tho Pakeha and the Maori must work 111 harmony with each other,, having tho same aim in life and that is "Progress.' Waitara was. a nian: of; few words, but of great deeds. To. him there-was neither high, nor low; .there was no rich and no poor. At his table sat the chief and the pleboian, the Governor and his coachman. This is tho .religion of the grand old man To-Whiti. This-is your religion, and Waitara was tho apostle. Farewell! Waitara. Farewell! -Time is short; thou art now with our great dead. When next the canoe of Fate comes who knows what will bo-the next passenger?. And so, Farewell!"

After .the funeral, Mr. Bates (Waitara's half : brothcr) addressed the Natives. Ho thanked all Natives and Europeans for : their . kind sympathy, well knowing that many had como at great inconveniqncc from distant parts ;of the islands to ; pay their last respect. Charlie, Waitara induccd tho Natives to live a contented life, and spent the whole of his income in the uplifting of the Maoris of the district. Now that ho has passed away it was to bo hoped that tho tribe would continue the work for their welfare which ho had so dearly at heart. The Natives must now recognise that industry and good living were tho only solution . for their salvation. Let it not be said that at Waitara's death they allowed themselves to fall back into their old- methods. '