Macris and Christianty.

Manawatu Herald, 4 July 1899, Page 3

Macris and Christi anty.

At the meeting of the Wellington Diocesan Synod the Rev A. W. H. Compton put in a very strong pli'a for assistance for the Maoris in the Taranaki district. He described Ihe natives as living in a ptate of drunkenness and vice, and a sink of immorality. Thing* wpnt on there which he" could only hint at. Tin natives were unrli-r the dominance of either Te "Whiti or Tohu, and thsy were absolutely inaccessible to Christian influences. They r. fuged to discuss anything hut the land question with Europeans, and they were under the impression and they wpre being very badly treated by the Government, which they alleged seized their land, without consulting them, whether it was under cultivation or not. The alternations of feasting (in connection with which the whole district was tax^d for orgies and gluttony and drunkenneFS at Parihaka) und starving* reduced the Maori people down to a veiy lew ebb. and they wer« indeed in a pitiable condition. Is was useless for any clergyman or cntecbist to go to Parihaka to try and effect reforms but some good might be done by going to the different pahs and preaching to the old natives, who had already had some religiou? training, and to the young, whose moral natures had not already been capped by their dreadful surroundings. Tie knew of only on< Maori professing Christianity in thiwhole of' the Taranaki district. R°v H. Anson said it wa3 a disgrace to them they were doing nothing to improve the condition ol the native race. The state of affairhad not in any way been exaggerated hy the previous speaker. Wiih the exception of a Wesleyen lufccion at Patea, nothing was being d: ne fo the Maoris in that larga district. They were living in a state which could not be otherwise described than as " one of bestial immorality." Rt-v A. (). Williams described hisexperiences amongst the natives, but in a slightly more hopeful tone than that adopted by the previous speakers. He said he occasionally vi?iiecl Waitotara from his headquarters at Wanganni. On the first occasion he found that an old native was a Christian. The old man died and when he (Mr Williams) went up t<. the funeral the natives were in such a state of absolute drunkenness that it was with difficulty that he was able to get four of them sober enough vto curry ihe body to the grave. Th< beer was there in large casks, and was bping served out in buck* -tt - half a bucket to each pfrson. Thi usual allowance was actually brough to him and he had the. satisfaction of kicking it a9 far as he cou'd kick it. (Applause). Under the influenc of their " false prophets," the native;around Parihaka flaunted th* ministers wlio visited Ihrm. They pnef-r^d and said, " P^haw 1 Youi Gid ! We ha yp. got better gods than yriut-a — beer and w.mv n! " Tlv>\ also remarked, "Go away ! Yon can't teach us anything. We knr w all nbout it. See, we can sing your hymns a« well as yon can," and the> -start off and pung a Chniv.h rf England hymn from one end to th o r hpr. Nothing could be done a' Parikaka unless one went, a3 hi? h;u3 gone, with a pirly of friendly naMvp c and bald service in tho couriyard He agreed, however, that somfi gnorl might be done by enthusiasts working in the nnre isolated localities, and h^ recorded the fact that he had til ready received an (fifer from fl young Maori to commence the good work. He knew of another young man in Gislnrne who wa3 being educated, and in a year or two would be able to enter on the good work He advocated, in concluding au elrqnent speech, that some attempt eh6uld be mide by Europeans in th. vicinity of Maori pnhp, even though they had no knowledge of the languag' to go to those places and teach Sunday school and teach the Gispel. He said there were signs of* the decline of the influence of Te Whiti and Tohn. The Rpvs. A. F. Gardiner and R. Young alpo spoke. Mr Young said that Mormonism at the present tim was causing a terrible schism in thi WaTrarapa district. The president (Dr Wallis) an nbunced, amidst applause, that in one part of the diocese a lady and her sister and three daughters had setifclfd down to make friend* with the Maoris, to nur^e them and teach them and help them whenever th>y could, and that in another part, in December, another mother and daughter equally well qualified, hoppd to settle down and enter npon the good work. Eev. A. W. H. Comptnn, in re ply paid that Ngata Hnd anolhei Maori who had recently been Interesting themselves in the con dition of their race, might b. prevailed upon to enter upon missionary work. The motion that Fpecial provision should be made for bringing Chris tianity to the natives was carried on the voices. — Times.