MISSION WORK AMONG THE MAORIS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3105, 8 June 1917, Page 3

MISSION WORK AMONG THE MAORIS

' NATIVE SPEAKERS AND THEIR I -ELOQUENT APPEALS. I • ' Tho public meeting which was held in St. Peter's Hull iu (ihuzneo Street last evening in conncction with tho Maori Mission was exceedingly well attended by an interested audience, who heard much that was of interest in regard to mission work among 1 the Maoris. His Lordship tho Bishop of Wellington presided, ana tlio speakers of tho evening were Mciha 'l'uniarangi, Carterton (Major Brown); Ware P. Waitai, "Wellington; and tlio Kev. T. H. Katene, Kangitikei. In his introductory speech, tho Bishop of Wellington, in speaking about mission work in general, said how greatly wo were influenced by the pressure of public opinion. If a work were regarded as of little consequenoe, if it were coldly received, then indeed it of a strong cast of character to stand against this dead-weight of opinion. For some time work among the Maori people had not shown tho vigour .which had characterised it years agq, although the need for its services liad increased. A little over a year ago, however, a fresh effort was made to infuse lifo into the Maori Mission fields, in which the principal instigator was the Vicar .of Marton. This reorganisation of the work and of tho workers had met with much success. Subscriptions had greatly increased, especially from among tho Maoris themselves, and in fact a laTger amount of money had been received for tho support of tho work during this past year than had been the case for very many years. The true development of the work was to bo looked for in other directions, however, and this whs shown in tho fact that 118 Maoris had been confirmed (luring the year out of 3000. It had to bo remembered in this connection that the diocese covered 11,000 square miles, and the Maoris were scattered in all directions in it, one family here, another there, and so on. Every Maori had to bo prepared for his confirmation, so that some idea of the difficulties that had to be encountered in tho course of this work could ba gathered from those figures. It was greatly to be hoped that such results were not merely a spurt, bet would be consistent, and that every effort would be made to support this work among the Maori- people. We Awed them a great debt;' they were a charge upon us, and ho hoped that we would do all we could to worthily discharge that debt. - ■' Meiha 'l'uniarangi, of Carterton, who was called upon to speak by His Lordship, talked in Maori to his audience, his remarks being translated by Ware P. Waitai. His theme was tho influence that Christianity had had noon tho Maoris in tho earlier, days of New Zealand's history. So greatly did they reverence its teaching that where the missionaries liad taught the Maoris rigorously - kept .Sunday freo of. all toil, making it a rule that all the cleaning up should be done on tho Saturday. Furthermore, when ono of their missionaries went to preach in a neighbouring village he was esoorted there by a number of chiefs or friends, who, while the other was preachine, kept order. Bo thought, that it would be an excellent idea if ] that old custom wero reintroduced to-day, because there were Nativps who sometimes liked to "throw off" at the missionary. and with these the Maori friends or chiefs conld more efficiently deal. It | was with very great pleasure and grati-! tude that he came before them to. speak at His Lordship's invitation, and he thanked him greatly for the opportunity. "Ware P. Waitai, who was next asked to speak, briefly sketched life as it was lived in the olden days, and compared it with the opportunities that had opened out to the Maori boys and girls of today. He referred to the remarks that had'been made by the Bishop in connection with the Melanesian Mission, and said that missionaries were sent to China, to India, to Africa, and he believed to North America; While the Maoris did not say "Don't send them," they did say urgently, "Don't forget us." There were people who said that tho Maoris were a dying race. Whether they were a dying raco or ono that would live on, they/wanted to die or live a Christian race. In 1914 the Maoris wero re-born. They wero growing, they had reached the toddling stage, but if they wero to walk upright they must receive the help of their white brethren or they would fall. The Maoris needed all the help that could be offered to them, and they looked to the white people to give them that help without which'they could not stand uoright, and must perish'. This eloquent and unstudied apnea! was followed by an address from the Iter., T. H. Katene, who* also spoke most interestingly uiion tho actual mission work among tlio Maoris. ■ \