THE PIONEER WOMEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26628, 26 November 1947, Page 2

THE PIONEER WOMEN

Literature

FIRST CENTENNIAL STUDY The Otago of Our 'Mothers. By Eileen L. Soper. Otago Centennial Historical Publications. 10s 6d. The first of the official studies designed for the Centennial of Otago has just been published. Mrs Soper’s assignment, to deal with the life of the pioneer women, was probably one of the most difficult of the series because of the undefined nature of the subject and the difficulty of obtaining details of the domestic life of an era which has vanished and left few traces. The task, however, has been ably handled. Mrs Soper had to choose between relying heavily on the few personal records which are extant and attempting to re-create a general picture. She chose, wisely, the second alternative. The work of research must have been considerable, since every detail had to be gleaned from a mass of unrelated material, but she has made a most judicious selection of facts and anecdotes. The result is a book which is in every way a worthy tribute to the civilising influence of women colonists of the province. The book has been carefully planned. Mrs Soper commences her task by showing the prospective immigrants in their own homes in Scotland. She has made a good attempt to get inside their minds, and to show what they expected to find in New Zealand.

There is an interlude describing the voyage—and very enlightening it is—and in the succeeding chapters she describes what they actually found on arrival in Otago, and how they reacted to the situation. The land io> which the first settlers arrived was different from what most of them had expected. They had not fully envisaged what was involved in the task of setting up homes in a country where not even the beginnings of an organised settlement had been prepared. Apart from the fact that the Maoris were peacefully and even hospitably inclined, they were alone in a primitive wilderness and they had everything to do themselves. In the hardships of the voyage, however, they had learned that submission and a willingness of heart was the best way, and they applied the lesson effectively as soon as they set foot on shore. If the authorities had a clear idea of the settlement they intended to found, no less did the women settlers have a clear idea, and that was to established as soon and as completely as possible the way of life to which they had been accustomed. Their ideas of social amenities outstripped the ability of the founders to prepare the conditions under which these could flourish. This must have been a considerable stimulus to the planning of the young township. In seizing on this peculiarity, Mrs Soper has achieved one of the major successes in tflsk Not unnaturally, a* fairly large proportion of the book is concerned with the early days of Dunedin itself, and there is less than mighty have been expected about the lot °*th e wives of those who first pushed into the hinterland of Otago to take up pastoral and agricultural pursuits. This, however, is quite excusable, and the omission is not serious since the difficulties which were experienced after the first landings were much of the same kind as had to be overcome later on The chapter dealing with the effects ol the discovery of gold is well treated. It was well worthwhile to include as appendices extracts at length from two first-hand accounts by pioneer women The illustrations have also been carefully selected.