The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1880.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 498, 7 February 1880, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1880.

It is evident that the great obstacle to treating in a rational way wiih the Maoris is Te Wbiti. Now vre have often asked ourselves what amount of his influence that fanatic owes to the recognition ho has received from Europeans. In Europe no usurper thinks himself established until he has been recognised by Foreign Powers, and as soon as be obtains that recognition his hands are immensely strengthened in his own country. Every one knows how anxiously I Napoleon ill. waited, after the coup d'etat to see in what terms lie would bo addressed by Nicholas of .Russia, who, in common phrase, owed him a letter. ' Nicholas indicted his letter as to a brother monarch, and all the Courts of Europe followed suit. Thus did Nicholas practically sot up, or at least establish, the man of Sedan,” who afterwards 1 joined England to break Nicholas’ proud heart. Now, have not the Government and the people generally, by their recognition, set up and established this imposter, who is a thorn in their side ? Have they not begged him to attend ] meetings, sent embassies to him, and even visited him and allowed him to exalt himself hy heaping insults upon a Minister of the Crown ? Have not the papers written about him, the politicians sunken about him, and the populace joked about him, and railed at him us though he were the soul of the Maori people, and the only terror of the pakeha? Have not phrenologists phrenologisod him, tourist gaped at him, CroumbioBrowus interviewed him, and Mrs Bartletts visited him until, intoxicated with these honors, he and his people think that the snn himself rises daily to gaze upon Te Whiti, the wonder ot the universe ? There is no doubt of it; the pakehas.bave nursed the snake in their own bosoms, and thawed him with their own bruath. But it is altogether too late to retract a little of the dangerous life they have given ? Is not the Te Whiti mania nearly spent? Do not men. at last, begin to realise, what they should never have doubted—that Te Whiti is an unwashed, blaspheming humbug ? Or will no amount at personal inspection, no number of drivelling, fanatical speeches, no profundity of phrenological analysis, no average of Cronnibie-Brow.nisrn breed a little contempt? We venture to hope that the worst is past, that no more Queens of Sheba will visit Solomon, and that in future free Britons who, with ape-like curiosity, long to sec a man with a soft place in his head, will gratify their craving before their glass. If our good opinion of mankind does not mislead us, To’ Whiti wi'l soon lie as utterly ignored ns he has been solely honored, and the power that was fed by the opposition, alarm, and wonder of the pakaha will wither and die under his indifference and forgetfulness. There is no error, folly, or assumption that will not win its way, if it is only sufficiently opposed, feared, described, and wondered at, and there is no lie, and scarcely any truth, that silence and neglect will not kill out. To be lot alone is tlie only course of treatment an imposter has to fear, but if ho can secure enemies ho can secure friends. Everything that has ever succeeded is more indebted to its enemies than to is friends. >So Te Whiti owes his position among the Maoris to the notice that pabchas have taken of him, and when that notice is withdrawn his star will wane rapidly. But the danger lies with the Government and the Royal Commission. Will they continue to blow the fire that is burning their fingers ? We would suggest that they adopt as a fundamental rule, “ We will have nothing to do with that man Tc Whiti.” If it were :.n invioGble rule to ignore all prophets and to treat only with sane men, the spirit of prophecy would die out. If the Maori people found that no favor could pass from the Government to them throug'ii Te Whiti, and Unit no request, complaint, or demand could pass from them to the Govermivnt through him, their beautiful and innocent faith would b-gin to ravel octal the ends somewhat, and authority would pass over from him to some loss sacred, less expensive, less crafty, more reasonable savage.

Tenders will be received by the County Council, up to 4 p.m. on Monday’ next, fi• t- breaking sumes on the Manawapou Hi!!.

Tenders will be received by the Wairoa Highway Board, up ;o 10 a,:n. to-day, for road works as per advertisement.

Mr VV. Dale will hold a sale of merchandise, book debts, &c., at his mart, to-day. In last issue we anticipated Mr W. Oowern's Kakaramea stock sale by a week, fur which we apologise to those who attended at the yards on Wednesday, - and we express a hope that it will not prevent, their putting in an appearance on Wednesday next, when the sale will really take place. On Wednesday nest, at 11 a.m., _ allotments of land in Ngaire District, situated on the Mountain Road, will be offered for sale by public auction, in the Institute, Hawcra. There are twenty-two allotments, varying in size from 62 to 141 acres. Letter from Wilson Milne will appear in next issue. At (ho lI.M. Court yesterday, Thomas Scown, for allowing two cows to wander, was lined 2s fld a head, and 7s costs. No natives are allowed inside the camp on tire Plains, and a sentry is posted so as to keep them from coming beyond a certain line. It is to bo hoped that no escoptionss will be made to this rule, for it is a well-known fact that the Maori race are very prying, and once one was admitted, the rest would soon become acquainted with everything connected with the camp. They are much better kept at a distance.

In the Church of England services on Wednesday last, the morning Prayer at Carlyle was given as 11.30, and Ilawera at 11 ; whereas the former should have been 11, and the latter 11.30. No service will be held at Waihi, as advertised.

Fm - the Wellington Cup, of 400 sovg, which was run for on Thursday, Mr Powdrell’s Hailstorm ran third. Considering that eleven other horses started—the pick of New Zealand —the Paten horse came out well ; and wo should not bo at all surprised to see him run a much closer race for the Wanganui 1,000 sovk. stakes, more especially'as nearly’all the horses ho beat at Wellington, give him weight on this occasion.

By our Council report it will bo seen that proceedings arc to be taken in the R.M. Court against Councillor Gane, to test whether he is legally holding his seat in the Council, after having been engaged on County road works, such conduct being contrary to the provisions of the Counties Act. Leaving out the question of pay’rnent for any work done, we consider Mr Gane has been guilty of an act that ho would be the first to cry down in others ; and although it may have been done thoughtlessly’, there is no excuse for him, as the above Act, which he should be well acquainted with, is very clear on this point. Section 62, sub-section 4, says that “ any’ person holding any office or place of protit under or in tho gift of the Council, or being concerned or participating in any’ partnership (other than as a shareholder in a Company’ or partnership consisting of more then twenty persons), in any contract with or work to be done for the Council,” shall be incapable of being, or of being elected to be a Conncollor. Clearly’ then, .Mr Gane has made a mistake, and for his own sake we should advise him to resign, instead of fighting the battle out in the R.M. Court.

Not by any moans tho most creditable part of the Sy’dney Exhibition has been a Ladies’ Walking Match. Four jwizes were offered—£’2s for the greatest distance covered in Iwenty-fom- hours, H‘2o Tor the second, and £lo for the third greatest distance, and a gold watch for the greatest distance without resting. Eight started, three of whom soon threw up the sponge. The contest was finished in the presence of 2,000 men, who indulged in betting and in criticising as freely as if the competitors had been horses. It was a most painful and degrading exhibition imaginable ; for the competitors were pictures of misery, and although supported on the arm of a fiieml or trainer, limped along like the pilgrim who did’nt boil his peas. The Morning Herald say’s :—At 10 o’clock the proceedings were varied by a fight in tho crowd, and a general rush towards it ensued, and shortly afterwards the ashfield band struckup “Seethe conqneringhero comes.” In ten minutes, <! time” was called, and one of the competitors fainted. The “ hero” proved to be Madame Azella, who had walked 76£ miles. The winner of tho second was Miss Goodwin, who walked 72f miles, and the winner of the third prize was Miss Wallace, who walked 70 7-12 th miles. Miss Wallace also won the gold watch, having walked 41| miles without resting. The winners were literally dragged on to the platform to receive applause for their exertions. Each of them was accommodated with a chair, butseemed too exhausted or too apathetic to care for cheers or groans. Some one made a speech on gameness unci staying powers, and the competitors were led away by their friends. It is only fair to the gentler sex of Sy’dney to say that only’ about a dozen of them participated in the “enjoyment” of this exhibition ; but amongst the crowd, might be observed members of Parliament, who are invariably’ loud in their declamations of unfair play’, and numbers of citizens whose names figure conspicuously in lists of donations to charitable objects. There is no accounting - for taste. This, however, is the first tournament of tho kind that has ever transpired in Sydney ; and for the sake of the fair fame of the city it is to be hoped that it will be the last, for anything more likely to humiliate womankind in the mind of man could scarcely be called into reqnisiton. Nominations for the Waverley-Waito-tara Guineas close on Tuesday next, the 10th instant.

The Taranaki Herald's Ilawera correspondent says “ Tito Kowaru is reported to have gone to Parihaka. He must have some important reason for the visit, as there is no meeting called, and the fact of his going now, after an absence of some months, is pregnant with significance.” The Hon Mr Bryce arrived at Hawera on Wedneseday evening last, and is still in the district.

We understand that the Inspector of Slaughter Houses intends to lay informations against all persons engaged in the slaughtering business, who have not complied with the Act, for neglecting to send in weekly’ returns of stock slaughtered.

William Hudson, mention of whom is made in Council report, has agreed to take advantage of Government offer, and go to England. \ Mr George Newland lias been elected to the vacant seat in the Harbor Board, for the VVaverley Riding.