FRENCH OCEANIA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 130, 19 February 1918, Page 6

FRENCH OCEANIA

, / LECTURE BY PROFESSOR BROWN. A very interesting lecture on "French Oceania" was delivered by Professor Mac millan. Brown in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last evening, under the auspices of the Navyienguo. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke, C.M.G.), presided, and there was a large audience present. _

The lecturer said he spent la6t winter in French Oceania, but lie intended to enlarge on the matter and treat of French Oceania in relation to the Pacific. Ha desired to direct their attention to tho various groups, and to the problems that face New Zealand. The Dominion had not begun to realise that we were changing the direction of civilisation. This country had often been called the Britain of the South, and we did not realise •the significance of that expression.. He traced the growth of empires from the Persian Empire down to our own times. We were now on the verge of seeing parts of humanity on the Pacific with .New Zealand in the position that Great Britain occupied in the Atlantic. New Zealand bad been out of tho Oceania route, and was now only being recognised as- being so. He then went into the past history of New Zealand, and expressed tho opinion chat, there I in this country for thousands of years, aud gave reasons for his opinion. He declared that there were several- races of people in New Zealand before the Maoris came here, and these early races included a negroid type. The negroid type, was found in New Guinea and in the mountains of New Hebrides. The Polynesians, who included the. Maori, were Caucasian, because of their wavy hair and red cheeks, but there was a touch of the negroid due to their raid 3 on the negro racos in the Pacific and the enslavement of the women takeu in tho raids. The idea that the Maoris were descended from the Maloys was refuted, because the Malay represented Hie smallest tvpe of men,, while the Polynesian belonged to the tall race. The Malay, furthermore,, had to pass 3000 miles of negroid territory and steer his canoO against the wind to reach New Zealand. The Malay could not havo done this, and at the same time retain his Polynesian or Caucasian characteristics. The lecturer traced the connection between Polynesia and South America, and pointed out that the sweet potato in Ecuador goes bv the same name that it does in New Zealand, where it is known as the kumara. He showed that the Polynesians did not eome from America, for if they had done so they would certainly havo brought with them maize and tobacco, which could easily have been brought. He then went into tho identity of words in the several languages in Hie Pacific. The lecturer said we need never fear the proximity of the French in the Pacific, but it n'm different with the Germans, and he trusted that Australia and New Zealand would make a strong protest against German colonies being returned to Germany, fie said lu was quite sure tliat the Japanese would not return the Caroline Tslands. We bad in our midst the Bolsheviki. who do not want any Governments at nil. That is the problem we have to face. He elaborated on this danger that thus confronted tho country.