DEATH OF CANON J. W. STACK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 22, 21 October 1919, Page 2

DEATH OF CANON J. W. STACK

SON OF AN EAIILY MISSIONARY. The Rev. Canun James West Stack, who was well-known in Now Zealand, died at Worthing, England, on October 13. The llev. Canon Stack, was • born in the Waikato in 1835, and was educated at St. John's College, Waimate, Bay of Islands, and was connected with the earliest church mission work in. the Dominion from 1859 to 1898. He was a soil of the Rev. James Stack, who .emigrated from England to New South Wales in 1820. There the Rev. James Stack made the acquaintance of the Rev.\ Samuel Marsden, who was interesting himself in. the weltara of the Maoris., Mr. .1. .Stack joined a party of Wesleyaii missionaries who came to New Zealand, nnd he worked with tliem for about ten years, He then joined tile Church Mission Society, nnd was a minister assisting Bishop Selwyu, in the Auckland portion of - the diocese, lie remained in New Zealand from 1823 to IS-18, iii which year he returned-to England, aud devoted his life to openair preaching and home missions at Oldham. Liverpool, and-'London, also at the uocKyard gates and arsenal at Woolwich.

Canon *J. W.. Stack entered the service of the Cnurch of England Missionary Society in J852 as a lay agent in tlio Waikato. lie took charge of, tile Maori Mission in Canterbury in ]8.i9. He-be-came a deacon in 1800, and was ordained priest two years later.. lie was' chaplain of the Maori Mission tor the Clinstchurch diocese from 1800 to 1881. Then he became iiic.umbent of the following parishes:—St. Albans, '188-t to 1885;- luiia-poi-cuiu-Woodend, 1885-1888; and Fendalton, 1888-181)8. - He'was appointed'a canon of Clmsichurch Catnediat in 18M. ~ On leaving the Dominion' in 1898 Canon Stack 'laid tne' foundation stone of the Maori monument at Kaiajwhia, Ho and, Mrs. Stack resided some years at Bordighera, in Italy, and then settled down at Worthing, Sussex, England. Canon Stack .was a frequent ana interesting' contributor to the Canterbury Philosophical Institute. His papers, according to the records of'the society, embraced the subjects. "Notes oil Colour Sense of, the Maori)" "Notes on Weka Pass llock Paintings." "Maori 'Literature," "Comments oh Mr. AL'Kenzie-Cunieron's theory respecting- Kahui Tipua," on "Account ot ! the Maori House at ..Canterbury Museum," "Notes ou the "word Nua in. the Poetry of New Zealand," "The Disappearance of New Zealand Liisanls," and an exhaustive paper oil "The Traditional History of tne Maoris of the South Island." This involved considerable labour with long and tedious interviews among the old chiefs who were, woiit to enlighten the "pakeha" with the affairs of tlieir ancestors'. Thus the'information could only b» piecemeal, and every item ol' their legend had. to be checked before authentic results contributed a triumph which enriches for' all time our knowledge of Maoris ancestry. He printed many interesting stories of Banks I'eninsulify and a twenty-eight page pamphlet giving an account' of Bishop Harper's overland journey front 'Canterbury to Jacob's River, Otago, detailing the arduous task of riding over- inundated country and crossing rivars often barely fordable. His history of Kaiapohiii, the stronghold that fell to To Raiiparaha, in .1830, was soon out of print, and further editions . have assisted to preserve : the vivid history of the early .Maoris. A booklet oil Koro, a Maori church.worker, has been, much read.