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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 661, 4 March 1869, Page 2

Maoei Capacity for Education Speaking of the Maori prisoners in til ; Mount Eden Jail, the New Zealand HeraH says : —lt is erroneously supposed by somf persons that the Maoris never would sub ject themselves to a course of education,; and that if they did they would alwaji continue the greatest drones. We would advise those who think thus to visit the Stockade. Natives there, who, when thej entered two years ago, could not read ! word of English, or write their own nam(,i can now do both tolerably well, and some of them are excellent arithmeticians. Thej have not merely got hold of the theory, but could work out their knowledge iutu practical life ; and this they learned in their leisure hour 3 after their work was done. They appear to have a great tasts for this course of study, and the school" master (a prisoner) says they are verji quick in comprehending it. Te Hira, tlis chief who assisted in the murder of Mt Fulloon, goes to school every day, and ii posting himself up in arithmetic. He is a, strong, well-built man, and is a fine speci< men —physically speaking—of the Maori man. He takes his turn at hard labor, ana is very industrious and civil. This maj be said with truth of all the natives in tin jail. Te Whake, the man who shot a Maori of another tribe, and whose case W> brought before the public a few days ago, is very clever as a mason although he has only been in the jail a short time. Ueai Te Hara, another murderer, whose sen« tence of death has been remitted for penal servitude for life, is also very handy at dressing stones, and turns out kerbing in excellent style. A deaf and dumb nativfl too, in the "shoe shop" at the jail, though only learning a short time, can now turn out work equal to any of the men. This proof that Maoris could excel in different branches of industry, makes us deeply deplore the inutility and ignorance of thei?