MARSDEN CENTENARY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 21 August 1913, Page 4

MARSDEN CENTENARY.

CHRISMS DAY,, 1914.

BIG MEETING IN TOWN HALL.

ARRANGEMENTS MODIFIED.

There was ~a gathering of over. 1000 peoplo in the Town. Hall last evening, when a meeting was held under (tlio auspices of tliO' Anglican Church, to mako preliminary-arrangements for tho fitting celebration oKtho centenary of tho introduction into'Nbw Zealand of Christianity and civilisation ,by tho Itov. Samuel Mars, den,';which tSikes placo next\year. Tho first .Christian sermon in New Zealand was .by Air;, Marsden at tho Bay .of Islands, on Christmas Day, 1811. ' His . Lordship the'.Bishop of .Wellington (Dr. Sprott) presided, 'lhero wero also present on the platform: Bishop Novill (of Dunedin, Prnnato of New Zealand), Bishop Julius (of Christchurch), Bishop Avcrill (of Waiapu), Von.. Archdeacon 'I'ancourt, Ven. Archdeacon Harper, Mr. E. I?. Hndfield, Mr. G. Shirtcliffo, Mr. E. ■Wilberfoss, and others. Bishop Sprott said that almost one hundred! years ago certain undaunted missionaries had'commenced their work, far away ' from tho comity of nations, 'in. what is now'tho Dominion of New Zealand//.'When, one looked back over tho century ono could not think that tho results of tho Christian .work of the century hadbeen • comniensurato with its beginnings'. The 'pakeha had brought to tho original people of tho Dominion an"other messago from that which Marsden had brought,'.and had sbwn different seed from that which' h'ei had sown. Still, there was occasion for tho celebration of

.tho centenary, 4 chastened celebration though it might bo. There was a Christianity amongst tho Maoris, and. there was a; pakeha church founded in the Dominion, as tho fruit of Marsden's work. Suet , a great event in the history of ithe country should be. decisively marked. Marsden's Career. •Bishop Averill reminded his hearers that this year was ihe sixteen hundredth anniversary of the Edict of Milan, by which the Emperor Consta'ntine extended toleration to the religion of Christianity in Europe. They wero next year going tocelebrate a oentenary, not so historic, per-

laps, but still of the greatest importance to the Dominion. They would hare • noticed that every great religions movement in history lad centred round some ' strong personality. This fact stood out right down the centuries. In. New Zea.land, for instance, they had their own Bishop Selwyn. (Applause.) Next year's • celebration would circle round a' great man, who - h'ad done a. wonderful work , for Christianity and for civilisation. In ' their celebration,they must not forget the personality of that really great man. (Applause.) .Marsden was a man who had . been willing at the. end of the eighteenth centnry to accept a post in tlio terrible coiivict settlement of Botany Buy. In •that work he had been beset with ever J ■difficulty, in: spito jot his representation ' and prosecution he had retained his Christian spirit, his undaunted heart, and ■ his .missionary zeal. The speaker drew a picture of Marsden, in his homo at Parra- . matta, as deeply interestsd in tho'darkskinned Maoris, whom he had picked lip iu the streets of Sydney—the victims of

low 'European sailors—as over Gregory

' was'intlie Atigles in-the slavo-markets of ' Home. He. studied them and their ways, : and pondered how they .and their peoplo ■ could be wen for Christ. He was a man of vision, and ho saw a future field ior work amongst tho Maoris. In 1807 he . vent to England .'to'impress on tho newlyfounded Church Missionary Society the needs of the Maoris. He was certain that' a»degree of civilisation must precedo the v wiprk of evangelisation, 'ahd 'had said so de- . in England. His idea was misitSva'S.'bettei'to make a mistake ■and act' tHan never 7to act 'at ' aIL -Among :-and ; Savages.. 1 - With two mechanics, Marsden set out for/Now.- Zealand,- iund on reaching Sydney • , heard 1 the terriblo news, .of the massacre " : ;'of fche crow.of the Boyd. It seemed as if thej mission must be doomed to failure, ■ .' butvMarsden'.'was''not'"tb bo turned : back ;by 'stories ; :bf cannibalism and savagery. camtf the story of determ- . ination, pafienoe,'and-optimism—the.three dluef characteristics of nis great soul. Refused permission by the Governor of Now ■South.' Wales' to go to New ZeaJand,' he , -Iwught the "first ; raissionary; ship'm/ths world?-the ibrig}.-Active—and"./sent ;his' ■'.medhawes'to explore. back: » ; .'the chief liuataoa; amidi-eventually- in'lßl-i, . after, seven years of struggle, 'he reoeived . permission to cross to New Zealand. Ho 1 v immediately- .set'out-,on'the first of his ■ -ssvei renmrkablif missionary .visits to New Zealand. He was .thus" not orily the' Greg- '• orygof the' Maoris;' but 'their Augustine. .: 'Ho ; landed, at Whangaroa, where the ; . Boyd's men'had been slain, r.nd where the < .. Maoris'were preparing to fight a great ibattle. With a .bodyguard of Maori chiefs, .. . -ho "(Went. boldly into the ' midst. of ■ the T.' Natives, and spent tho night with them. He ('prevailed on tho chiefs, to make. ' . peace", so'.'-:th]at;'the'''jnetf he was to leave • behind: him would bo able to livo in

safety. Then ILarsdon. sailed on. to tho Bay of Islands, where ho arrived at Euaiam's pa just before Christmas- Ruatara liatl^been'stftidk Whale in 'England', with the l observaince 'pf' 'the l ;' Lord s Day—"l don't-knp.w,. wither,.he would bo now," added lihe^speakoT—and; ho wished to introduce sii.cE--a tlajv,amongst his peoplo. Ki'.atara made great'preparations for the hiding of a service, and on Sunday, Decemtfer 25,\' 381 l; ,;Mafs'len ' preached, the first-- Christian'' sermon in New Zealand, ; 'his.'text bciintV "Befhold, I bring you glad tidiigs of'tfreat joy, which shall be to all people." 'Vltuatara explained the' sermon to his people;.- Mairsden returned to Australia, . onda came back ,in 1819, bringing with'him: JJr. Butler, and tho first Christian;communion service was held in New Zealand in'that year.' At that timo there was'' a ' proposal ' to : establish a convict •■. settlement in New Zea-land..-.What must Jlarsden havo thought of that scheme! Thank God that no convict settlement had ever been established: in this fair land. .The speaker detaitfd the, difficulties with which the misBioii 1 had. to, contend at first, especially in tho days oF the.notorious Hongi. Marsden .-mado. repeated' visits to the mission in times of trouble, his last being mado in 1837, when he .was 72 years of age. Although rlie. was-a frail old man, his spirit wa3 bright within liini. Ho wa3 carried by- his beloved Maoris from sta-tioni-'to station,' and three months after his .return to. Australia, he breathed his lost— The.Maori mission lay close to his heart up. to the last moment.

What Wo Owe to Marsden. • What did we owe to Marsden? We owed. the . inspiration of a true man. a true saint, and a'true hero. Marsden was more far-sighted than the statesmen of his time, and he saw possibilities in New .Zealand which they failed to recognise. We owed to him the introduction of civilisation to these -islands, the inauguration of farming, and .the establishment of the arts. Where we owed eo

much, were wo not to repay something ? -We owed it to Marsdou that wo should carry oti hi* worlc, find that we should bring' to others the blessings-lie brought to the country, through perils by sea, through perils by heathens, through perils of, false friends, and open enemies. We should thank God for Marsden's work, and make it onr duty to see that it is carried on. (Applause.) "Marsden's Bible," . Mr.' E. P. Hadfield spoke in support of •the memorial proposal. Ho spoko of the debt New Zealand owed to Marsden as. a grfyit one—as great as that which wo owed to Cook, who first raised , the Bri-. 'tish flag in tho islands. Referring to the. proposed memorial, Mr. Hadfield 'said that-one of-the best possible memorials they' could set up was tlie introduction into the State schools of the ChristenBible. He thought that if Marsden could return to New Zealand ho would bo greatly astonished to find that tho book lie ;lind riskod his lifo to introduce into the country Tiad beon excluded from tho education given-by the State; in this country. Ha'would be further astonished to find the only book which>TO3 not recognised in the schools was tlio Bible. The books of all other ; civilised religions were ad-, mitted, and tho "School Journal published lessons from Buddhism, Mohammedanism, and other relictions. ; The only hook included' .was that Bible which-had done 'much; for - tJb,o, ; oi tM.

Empire and tlie foundation of tho colony of Now Zealand. Marsden luul faced great dangers to introduco the Bible—including tho danger of being eaten. Surely they would not let it bo .said that ho had laced these dangers in vain. Tho speaker said that a great number of thoso who had objections to tho introduction of the Bible into tho schools were not opposed to religion. They wero acting on the mistaken logic that the Biblo in schools would -'mposu hardship on certain people. AH that was required was . a fuller knowledge in tho minds of these people, and he was certain that when tho wholo facts were known such objections would disappear from all calm and dispassionate minds. Tho speaker wont on to criticise the statements mado at tho recent deputat'on to Prime Minister. Some of the speakers at that deputation, ho said, had been Rationalists. So they called themselves, but if they wero, they did not adhere to tho views of such a prominent rationalist as Huxley, who had supported the use of the Biblo as a school book. Ho also quoted tho Rt. Hon. A. J. Balfour in favour of tho scheme, and others. Ho eaicl that if Now Zealand did not "wako up" and take somo decisive action,, it would find itself left far behind in tho

settlement of this great question by tho various States of tho Commonwealth. Tho Nelson system was a failure, since it was not fair that religious teaching should bo brought into competition with, tops and marbles, and that children 6hould bo asked to give up their play hours. There could be no objection to the entrance of Bible teachers into tho schools in school hours, so long as objectors were protected by an adequate conscience clause. | The Memorial Scheme. Bishop Julius said that tho memory of men liko Alarsden. was tho greatest heritage of the Christian Church in New Zealand. They could not afford to loso tho fragrance ot such a memory. The'spcaker detailed the proposed scheme for tho observation of/the centenary, it'had orginally been decided that on Christmas Day, 1914, a service should bo held on tho spot whero Marsden preached his historic sermon. In April, 1911, a great Church congress was proposed,. to bo held in Auckland, to which great preachers from' all over ;tho 1 world would be invited. There was also to be a big memorial fund, part of which would be devoted to the Bible-in-Statfi-Schools League. Since these proposals had, been made the Bishop of Auckland had resigned, and as the scheme was ono which would take tiiuo' to work .up, the Bishops had met in Wellington, and had drawn up a scheme, which would bo submitted, to the standing committees. Tho Bishop of Auckland had held* all \ the .threads in'his hand, and ho had lost tliam, and they.thought it.would be too much to ask a new Bislhop to undertake euch. a tremendous work as the organising of a 'great cluurch congress. It had, thereforo, been decided to hold a congircss on a smaller scale. The servico on Christmas Day, 1911, woidd bo a diocesan affair, and th«y couild not expect many peoplo outsido of the district to attend it, as tho. placo was out of til© way, and visitors would havo to camp out—although that would do them good. (Laughtor.) There would bo local services in the other dioceses on tho

same day. TJioro would also bo missionary oxliibition and pagoant in Welling,ton. (Apfdauise.) Wellington was a heathen town, they ,6aid—(laugh ter)—and they needed "shaking up." With their Bishop behind them,. ho was confident that Wellington would give a good account of itself in this matter. The Duty of the Church. , Speaking of the du'ty of the Church to cho memorial swiaiue, Bishop Juiius said that there wero two great faults in the A'ew Zealand Church—they were abominably parochial, and thoy had no diisoiplino. They exaggerated . the provincial spirit, and did not puil togctner. If they nad discipline there was no Government in tho country which couid refuso.thp referendum if they demanded it to-morrow. They must discipline themediyes ■ and pull togotlier, ■'< to ; make the Church Congress a great''success, and to rSise" a'substantial momorial fund. The fund would be two-fold. In. the first ■place they wiere pledged to donate .£SOO a year for. some years to the' Bible in Stajte Schools League, to aid the' work of placing in the schools the Bible which ALaa-silen 'had loved and had brought into tho country. , Then they were; going to erect a memorial church on the ground wtare Hie great missionary's - feet had .stood whoa he preached-that famous first -sermon. He prayed tliat they would be worthy to Mlow in tho steps.of such'a; great man and such a devoted Christian. They must malae it their duty to see that tho memorial yros worthy of his greatThe Biimato (Bishop Nevill) said that if they did not succeed in raising the memorial fund of-,£20,000 first spoken of, still such interest had been shown in the scheme-thait he was sut© that something important woiild be done. • They had great hopes that the scheme outlined by Bishop Julius would be carried to a successful issue. The modified sohemo which the bishops had decided on, after a great deall of deliberation, would be placed before the different diooeses, and ho was euro would rectdve the hearty 6upport of church people ■ throughout tho Dominion'. ■ He lioped that the. work which had 1 been eo well begun by such a largo garf%erin:g' would bo kept in their memories, and successfully. carried out. (Applause.)'