MAORI MISSION VISITS SHANNON.

Shannon News, 15 August 1924, Page 2

MAORI MISSION VISITS SHANNON.

At the Methodiot Church on' Wed-&diG.aaffi#ss<-'On nusHon ary want uutcL.gh; tne Maoris was dud vm&fiQiy‘toChllox.' general superinieuueM, ox the Me Orudis t juoine iViisMimT '"■‘ritL'toe iSitSSG Mr oeunici; wag accompanied ny a party oi. Maoris' who uuimg tne evening OUliniOUlOU WaiUU.o, lUJuUIS due a yot dance wmen were Keenly appreoiuieu a large congregation. .Mr no.peris prcsidcu, over tne meeting. . Tim proceedings, openeu witn prayer leu by tne wev. l.um, ionuwrug' . \vnien uie erndrinan welcomed xne ivev. Mr the . Maori memners oi uie 'peurtyxne ue.Vu Mr reamer, in tlianking die .assemblage ior tneir Welcome, biated mat tne leader of the Maou party, cmei 'ije-mno-o-te-Rnngi, ■' nad nad ,t.o .leave the party -at Pannerston NSoftn and retufu 'hdr-tii on urgeai business. He then introduced eacn member of tne Maori, party, mentioning widen tribe mey represented and lure salient features of theii* ancestois. openmg :his auuress he reierrea to the early nistory oi missionary work among - tne Maoiis- wmen dated back over 100 years, ;.u wnicn time it was iirst” taken up by the Anglican enuren in. tiie north, an u they ware cioseiy followed in the work by tne Metnodists. He dealt witn the evils wmen were inuouaced by the pakeiia in the days of early sc tuement, these making it hard to neat with the .Maoris, w.no became suspicious of the pakeha, tney knowing tdiese 'evils were, doing tnem no' good. He then proceeded to allude to the acceptance of Christianny ny several leading Maori cnieis. , He stated that some of the Maoris Witn whom he had been working had offeied to go ahi-bad on mission work, but tne home mission authorities ihba objected. Recently one nad been sent to ‘ tlie' Solomon Islands, ..where there were two small islands ..inhabited by two different types of people who. were Polynesians, similar to our own Maoa-is. He said much had been done in the Waikato and King Country to bring about a more friendly -feeling on tne part of the natives towards > missionaries. He stressed, the need, for a better system for educating the Maoris ’ in s farming; and in teaching them tlie higher features of our civilisation and pointed out thdt the Maori was the best type of Polynesian and those whp had had. the opportunity had made good, quoting the names pi Sir Maui Pomace, Sir James Carroll and the Hon. A. T. Ngata. He said the Maori race had made gbod progress, in modern ways considering Uieir sriiall opportunities. He deplored 1 the lack of Government interest m tiie Maori in respect to instilling -them with Cliristian ideals. Practically nothing had been done on these lines since tne days when the Dominion waS under British, administi-ation, and (he contended fhey should receive Goveminent instructiooa.' both morally and religiously. In spite of their handicap in several districts , they had equaL led the pakeha from an industrial and agricultural point of yiew.- He said Ilie Maori Was tlie noblest brown race under the sun and Was now on the increase, the birth rate during the past 120 years being in excess of the death ,rate, showing a higher percentage tlian in tlie European, section of the community. Were toe mission was now operating there were fine healthy families, and the position was all toe more surprising when it was remembered that ,up to 25 years ago tiie Native race was on toe decline. In conclusion toe speaker stated at the present, time there were 20,000 Maori children under 15 years of age in New Zealand, who were < entitled to Religious instructiuu and he nnvde an eloquent 1 appeal for assistance in the development of the mission, both personaiij aud financially. At his request a committee was set up to further toe movement. During toe proceedings an idea was given tne congregation of a Maori service, Mr Seamer leading a Psalm in Maori, loliOwed by members of tne party, the congregation also being shown a Maori welcome. ; A collection was taken, up which was liberally responded to..