THE DEATH OF TE WHITI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 3 December 1907, Page 2

THE DEATH OF TE WHITI.

REFliiUiNCli liY IiKV. T. 0. 11ROOKE,

llev. I. U. 13r>oke made reference on .Sunday night to the dentil of l'e liiti. lie look Ins text from i'liilippians, 2-10, "I'liat ill the mime of Jesus every knee should bow, of tilings in" lleaven, und tilings ill eurtli, and tilings under tlie enrui; and tliat every tongue should conless tlmt Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Clod, the h iitlier." llie most notable Jiaori of the last quarter of u century or more was dead. There were some facts that ought to be touched upon now, and enipnasised, for iliey would be helpful to the living. Une of the strangest things about this Jiaori —and yet it was not strange—was that of late years he had been losing the i sympathy and support of his own people. Reference was made to 'the fact that as the years went by the crowded monthly gatherings dwindled away until a fortnight ago, on his meeting-day, there was not a single outsider in the village of Parihaka on meeting-day. It was very questionable 11 that had not meant to : fo Wliiti that his mana had passed away. And, if so, one would not be surprised to hear of the old man going home and sitting down, pondering whether or not, alter all his strenuous life, lie had missed the murk, outlived his usefulness. For his had been a strenuous life, lie was not a warrior upon a tented field, and was a quiet man in comparison with some of his Jiaori brethren. But not upon the battlefield were the most important of life's battles fought and won. In the privacy of the young mail's room, or in the workshop, when he came face to face with a new temptation, and decided whether or not to resist at the expense of the jeering of his companions, that young

man fought the strenuous battle of his career, transforming him into one of the noblest examples of mankind, or otherwise. Whatever view might be taken of the life of the late Te Whiti, there was no doubt that he hud impressed himself upon his people. But Jiis maun had faded away, and it wad

yoscuuie uiai ne iiaa exerciseu uuil strange power with whicli the Maoris seemed gifted, ami had resigned himself tu dentU —and died. Those who had lived and worked amount the native lace bore testimony to this remarkable phase of the -Maori life, the power practically to die when they willed. What was the character of this man? The speaker, from personal experience, could state that lie was most hospitable and gentlemanly, lie had visited Tc Whiti about eighteen months ago, and conversed with him; and had come away with the opinion that there was nmui of the native gentleman about him, that suavity of manner and at tractiveness of personality that was found sometimes. He was one of -Nature's noblemen. They had been told that the late Te Whiti had been a deep student of the Bible, and more particularly tlie Old Testament. Would to (Jou that the young men of to-day would pay more attention to their Bibles! The preacher mentioned that a candidate feline .Methodist ministry in his examination attributed to St. I'aul some words taken from Solomon. What, then, must be the extent of scriptural knowledge 01 the average young man? They did not know if Tc Whiti had made a close friend of the New Testament. Their to-night's text was an outstanding featuie. le Whiti had gone. Hid niana was 110 more. They were told there would be no more monthly meetings, that there was even a prospect of the township itself ceasing to be. Even it it lennuned, the mantle of the prophet

u ...U on, noouuy, tor xe Whiti's teaching hud been round out. 'Die rev. gentleman would nut say that ho had wilfully misled his people. Perhaps lie had been misled himself. 'fhey could all'ord to laugh at the prophecy that the pakelia would be driven into iU ' a tl«it he, Xe Whiti, would lead. Aow he was gone, and he would ue forgotten, like any oilier ordinary man. When ttuil J,ad preached this text, Ihere seemed no chance ul' his teachings being fulfilled. Had not his -Master been crucified almost as a criminal? if there was anything apparently unlikely, then it was that Christ would ever i« a loading power in the world. lc Whiti had been found out, and even if lie had not been found out before liis death he would have been found out aoon aitenvards, and no power 011 earth could have kept his teaching alive. No one had ever been able to say that Christ had been found out, and his personality, the magic sweetness and attractiveiu ..is teaching, was growing in power. Keferenee was then made to that remarkable oration by Dr. J.V mare over the grave. Kirst came a julogy ut the dead, and then in that lieturesijue language no common in the Maoris he quoted from the prophecies >f the fathers of his own race coneernng the coming of the white man. Ue lad touched upon the one origin of both lie white and the ilaori race, and how me section went oil' to the west and 1 ouclicd higher civilisation. iiut it I J wasn't civilisation or the use of metals * r the arts and tlmi- n»...i,. n... I a

dill'erence between the Maori and tin Englishman. Por were lliere not pakelia .AJaoridV—men who lust all the virtue.ot the race and retained only its vice* ialJing lower than any Maori'i Take away the virtues of the white man, and he wi\& as savage as any brown man. Civilisation, he said, did not depend in the arts and acieiiees, but on Christianity. Take that out of our life, and what was left? Think of the selfishness and the thoughtlessness for one | another. We prided ourselves on our civilisation. JSut would it make men help one another, but for Christianity? Tc Whiti was dead. His mana, or jnlluence, was dead. But Jesus Christ, though dead, still moved on earth amongst hi* people, a moving force in transforming society. J)r. Tomare's text for the salvation of the -Maori was "work/' allied to the consecration of the people to (!od was alone powerful, for submission to Him was the dominating factor of all true life and all true happiness.

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