ARTICLE BY A MAORI

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 75, 19 September 1911, Page 3

ARTICLE BY A MAORI

IJOW THEY HANK ADOPTED 2 CIVILISATION. ] TliriJ.ST FOI! KDt/CATrOX. An arlic!e liv a Maori, the Rev. Iloani P.iral.i, in ••'i'ho Ka4 mid (lie West.'" tells ii- lmw tin.' .Maori, have profited by till' |.1." 11. e Of till' Ellglisll people in New /.a'.'Hid. "Uh n ill.' pak.-!ei ciinii. to N'eiv Zealaml to r-li.-.l over tin' darkened had of tlic Maori the light of civilisation," wvitrs Mr I'arat.i, 'he came into contact with a |ii'"|.l« who had pi-i-uliar cii-toms and habits -some noble and clc\ ating. others inhuman and dcgeneraliug; -ome compatible with civilisation. others not. The comiilir of the pakelia and his civilisation »;h a time* both moiiriiTul and glorious to the Maori. Mournful heeause it i meant the giving ii|i of many customs wliicli were near am! dear to him, and heeause he was so soon to learn the many vices of the pakelia, which were, and are, and always will he the means of wrecking many noble souls. (Ilorioiis heeause it brought the means whereby file Maori might aspire to high ideals and worthy manhood. THE UNWORTHY EXdUSITMAN.

lint civilisation came and came, to stay. How to infuse it into the Maori was the probl. in which presented itself to the pakelia. To do thi.; Ihe pakelia set, about converting the Ma'iri to ( hri-tainily as the llio,-! oll'eetiial means of attaining the desired end. History relates how readily and carni-Lly the Maori embraced and practise:! Cliristainily: a reaction, however, was soon to m-I, in. As the coming of the worthy pakcha, with his virtus and high ideals, was the mean/ of lifting the Maori out of his state of cannibalism to a higher plane, so the coming of the pakelia, with his vice and degraded moials. was the means whereby those higher ideals were shattered. To the untrained, uneducated mind of the Maori the d<ri-i<oi .between the virtue and vice of the pakeha became a dililcult problem In solvV. But sohed it has been, and although the Maori race has suli'ered to a great extent in the procc-s, and men have prophesied the extinction of (lie race, yet it is pleasing to know thai ilu -v prophecies havej been false, and that the Maori people are not (at lea-t in my opinion) doomed to extinction; but, on the contrary, are progressing with well-nn a-mred strides along the path which leads to ideal civilisation and honored citizenship.

THE MAORIS AS WORKERS. "The ~\!iiovi has been accused of many faults which are >o lonimon to all mankiml. It is my duly then, us a modern Maori to try to adjust the balance between erroneous and lonicl impressions which are held regarding the .Maori people.

''The persistence of the Maori as a | race through many «,; ner.ili.riis of severe life is proof positive thai he responded adequately to the demands made upon his faculties—in oilier words, where occasion demanded it lie iwe and wurkedj and in censequence ha> ii\td mi. From the social aspect of the situation, then, our author has no authority for his statement, ft is true that the Maori docs not work to the unncce.-san extent that the pakcha docs. This is not to be wondered at. Their ends to work are entirely diirerent. The Maori works to supply his needs, plus to obliin luxury. Let the Maori work ever so little he lias answered the unctuous criticism of the erratic observer. Hut we do not accept the. dictum that the Maori works but little;on the (ontrlry, he works as well as his white brother and for a lie tier motive. MAORI lIUMAN XA'LTRF,

"Think of the great pahs which stand as monuments of very fair engineering enterprise. The mountains and valleys of our land contain many thousands of these. Who built them if not the people who have been stigmatised as 'eonstitutinn.illy indisposed to work"; I admit that the Maori is a trifle irregular in his industrial methods; but, given the necessary stress, our people will he found able to adapt themselves to the changing order. The best plane to view the position is to recognise that the Maori is a human being, with a strange nature. It is important, also, to acknowledge that the main factor in all social questions is human nature. And wherever that human nature is found, the ordinary process for stimulating and Improving it are applicable. Apply lliem to the human nature under cover of the Maori skin, and good results will soon follow, as current facts have proved. WHAT 11A0I11S AliK nOIXC. ''Just a word as to what education has done fur the Maori, yv,. „ mv ),. m , young Maori men ofcn;>yin'.: position.-, in almost all the profusion U walk- of life. Doctor-, lawyers, clergymen, engineeis. etc.. all working side by side with their while brothers. The humbler avocations are not neglected. From various parts of the Doniinion we hear of farmer-, artisans, clerks, dairy farmers, and tradesmen all pursuing their 'husiuc—.e.. with energy and skill. We have cca-ed to hear of' the lazy Maori whose onl; home was the minds of eerttin i-i.ic. ::.. !;■ observers. The work in th? 'Maori icksion field is carried on almost t-■ i!.Ti (I • by the young Maori /-lergynien and lay readers, and the work lias so far advanced in certain parts that the di.-l"ie! • are worked on almost the same paro.iiial sy-dem as that which prevails where pakeha clergy are working. "The thirst of the modern Maori for education is an i ucouivgiug -igu of the limes. From many a kainga (Maori vill;ioi>> j-nmci lie .■•■, I'm ;.\ \v schools and for places ,;,t the vi.ih,;..; .Maori colleges,

while the doors of tin 1 u-'\.. .■.-iiy colleges arc invii'lpd by the How. i ni' our youths. We look to cduca! i:'!i In bie.ik down overv ob-hu-le ('"• :'■ m' \::m\.< the entrance 01 i'uc lijjil I" the Maori soul. We cneet great tiling- from the ri<?lit nppliiaiinn of education. We are aware of the 'danger that may eome with education, but that will not (liter us in our quest 'for the (ruth; on the contrary, it will only urge ns on to seek a better way. '■The modern Maori, then, though divested of the glory and dignity of his warlike ancestors, has before him a pleasant heritage. His opportunities are great, and where he h:is had the 'proper condi- ( tion.s and advice he lias progressed well.".