THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN. Our Duty to the Maori.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 73, 23 November 1901, Page 8

THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN. Our Duty to the Maori.

WHEN the Maon lace has diminished sufficiently foi a member of it to become a lanty, the people of New Zealand will wnte books about then fine physical and mental qualities The poweiful and pathetic appeal by Mr A T Ngata lecently. to the pakeha, for sympathy and practical assistance to pi event the fin t her decay of his people should be le-echoed in every papei and on eveiy platfoim wheie justice is commended or freedom spoken of * * * The Maon, in his intelligence, sees that the weak must go to the wall, that it has ever been so and that there is nothing m the ordinary course of events to prevent his following well-established precedent Mr Ngata, in speaking for his lace, lecogmses that under the mle of no other countiy would the Maonshave leceived the same consideiation as they have fiom the British race Maybe, he is right, maybe the point is debatable Whatever consideration the native lace has been shown, is small m comparison to the benefits leceived by the pakeha * # * The pakeha, out of the goodness of his heait, allows the Maon ceitam pnvileges, but he has not patience enough to allow for the defects of the Maori chaiacter. The Maori, being on an equal footing with the white man, enjoying the same laws, and being admitted to the rights of biotherhood, is reqmied to look at the situation from the white man's standpoint The white man gives him these privileges, and practically tells him to hustle for himself to make a living and to keep his race alive As their able advocate shows the Maoris cannot overcome the supeistitions, the prejudices, the ingiained habits of centuries at once, and if the white man, in giving them the legal privileges he himself enjoys, does not help them to utilise these pnvileges to the best advant-

age, the Maori must inevitably go to the wall m his stiuggle with the pakeha foi existence. * • • It is the half-and-half business that is killing them. The Queen Victona School for Maon Girls is one of the best means towards the end of laismg the Maori to a position m which he may take an equal part with his pakeha brother Elevate the women of any race, and you at once lift that race on to a highei plane Ngata s pathetic appeal to the white man to bear with his race, to stiengthen its weaknesses, and to help it by educating it, should touch the hearts of those to whom the Maori lace has a leal interest