MR ABRAHAM HONORE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1531, 5 December 1873, Page 40

MR ABRAHAM HONORE.

The following biographical sketch is from the Taranaki News of the 22nd November : As this gentleman has, during the past week, paid a visit to New Plymouth, a few particulars of his eventful life may be interesting to our readers. In the sixteenth century the Protestants of France, then called Huguenots, but now Reformes, suffered great persecutions, many were killed, and others banished. Of the latter, many fled to England, but one party went to Prussia. From Prussia they removed to Fredericia, in Jutland, and in this French colony of pure French blood Mr Honoru was born. Just about the time of his birth, the colony was under tbe pastoral care of a devoted young minister from Geneva, a companion of the late Merle d'Aubigne, who had been awakened with him by tbe preaching of one of the brothers Haldane. This pastor died before Mr Honoru's recollection, but he left behind him the odour of sanctity. So touching were the tales told by the old people, of this good young pastor, that, Mr Honoru says, he has often wept at their recital. The dead pastor had been a great friend of missions, and the tales he had told of the miserable state of the heathen, and of the good effected by the early missionaries, when recited by his parents, begot in the child's heart a desire to become a missionary. As 'he grew up he became an earnest student of the Bible, and at the age of twenty-two he offered his services to the North German Missionary Society, and was accepted. Having been brought up to agriculture, his education was imperfect, and, after presenting himself to the Society at Bremen, he was sent for two years to a training establishment at Hamburg. In 1843, at the recommendation of the captain of a Bremen whaling vessel, who had taken home a little Maori boy from Stewart's Island, the society was induced to start a mission in the south of New Zealand. To this end they sent out the Rev, J. F. H. Wohlers, who landed at Nelson, in June, 1843. In March, 1844, M. F. Tuckett, the chief surveyor of the New Zealand Company, took him to the South in the brigantine Deborah, which he had chartered for the purpose of discovering a suitable place for a Southern settlement. In May, 1844, Mr Woblers landed on the little island of Ruapuke, in Foveaux Strait, and established himself there in the midst of a population of GOO Maoris. Four years after the arrival of Mr Wohlers, the society thought proper to strengthen his bands, and made choice of Mr Honoru for this purpose. These two devoted men labored together for twenty years, working on their farm during the week, and preaching on Sundays. At the end of that period a separation took place. Mr Wohlers remained at Ruapuke, and Mr Honoru came over to the Middle Island, and labored for two years among the natives in the neighborhood of Dunedin and Invercargill. While laboring at the latter place he fell in with Mr Deck, who strongly persuaded him to come up to the North. After paying two visits to Wellington and the neighborhood, Mr HonorC finally came up and settled at Martou, in the Rangitiki district. Mr Honoru had twice come up the coast as far as Opunake, when he thought he would like to visit the natives in the neighborhood of New Plymouth, Having a recommendation to the present writer, he came up. on. Sunday last. , On his way up the coast Mr Honoru called at the pa of Tito Kowaru, but was not permitted to see the chief. When the Maoris learned that he was a missionary, they rang tbe bell and commenced a mock service, repeating in derision large portions of the liturgy of the Church of England; He then offered them some tracts. As soon as they had received them they went through a disgusting pantomime with them. Then they launched out into the most atrocious and disgusting ribaldry concerning the most sacred things as, perhaps, ever was uttered by human tougues. The grieved, but undaunted, missionary, then stood boldly before them and told them that at the command of his Master he shook off" the dust of his feet as a testimony against them. While giving them this parting address, they knelt down, and put their bodies into contortions, writhing on the ground like snakes. He then called upon To Wbiti, and found in him an accomplished orator and a great fanatic. At his side was Wi Eiogi, of Waitara.

Te Whiti's first inquiry was—" What pay do you receive from Government for acting the spy ?" When the missionary began to utter Christian truths, he was* stopped with the remark: -" Oh, that is all over now ; the Government, the missionaries, the soldiers, the policemen, the pakehas, are all one fraternity ; we have got beyond all that; we are now in the kingdom ;Te Whiti is God; Te Whiti is Jesus Christ; Te Whiti is the image of Nebuchadnezzar's vision ; Te Whiti is one of the witnesses prophesying 1260 days in sackcloth and ashes," The present writer accompanied Mr Honorc to many of the kaingas in this district. Here aud there he was received kindly, but more often the Maoris were found to be brimming with the Te Whiti fanaticism. At Moturoa, old Paharama disowned his name, and said: —" That is not my name since I have become joined to Israel." On the banks of the Waitara, we fell in with fifty of the Ngatimaniapotos returning from Pariaka to Mokau. As they were all seated on the grass, we thought it would be a fine opportunity to address them. Scarcely had the missionary opened his mouth, before a chief waved his spear and commenced a Hauhau Karakia, the chants of which, ending with the words honor and glory, were very musically rendered. Mr Honoi'6 believes that ministry is not of man, nor by man, but of God. He has never received more than £SO per annum from his Society, and never makes collections. With this small sum, with the labor of his hands at home, and with the assistance lie receives from Christians, he has been enabled to labor must earnestly among the natives for nearly twenty-six years; and although his good wife has been much afflicted, he has been able to bring up his family in respectability. Mr Honore speaks four languages— German, Danish, English, aud Maori. The Scandinavians in Wellington are entirely dependent on him for the ministry of the word, and when he visits them, they receive him joyfully.