WAR AND WORSHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1921, Page 9

WAR AND WORSHIP.

SIDELIGHTS OF THE MAORIS. An interesting sidelight on the disloyalty of a section of the Maori people during the Boer war and the last great war was thrown by Archdeacon Hawkins (superintendent of the Maori Mission in the Auckland Diocese) in the course of a highly-interesting address at St. Peter's Church, Takapuna, on Sunday evening. He recalled the fact that after the Maori war, instead of, as he said, shaking hands with our dusky brethren and wiping the slate, we confiscated mil-lions-of acres of their land in W aikato and Taranaki. The Maoris still resented this. One result was that a large section of the 1 native race renounced Christianity, and reverted to their ' ancient methods of worship and superstition, and when Great Britain was at war these same Maoris refused to fight for the Motherland. Even when conscription was enforced in the AVaikato they still refused, and none of them got any further than Mount Eden gaol. For the ' rest, mainly in North Auckland, the Maoris proved their loyalty by sendftig to activlf service a 'battalion ok. one thousand men, and keeping the battalion up to its full strength throughout the whole period of the war. The Archdeacon urged that we should* be careful not to draw the “color line” in thinking of or dealing with the Maoris, and he proceeded to explain how highly “civilised” had become those natives who had had the opportunity of acquiring education and association with, scholarly They had in the Church, he went on to say, young Maori ministers, Who could speak in English to European congregations as well as to Maoris, and could speak as well, or better, than sojoc of the clergy. The address generally. was designed to explain the responsibility of the Auckland Diocese for the walfare of the Maori Mission, and much interesting information was imparted as to its scope and scheme work. One of, its greatest drawbacks, he said, was drink since the men returned from the war, another was difficulty in obtaining teachers to impart Christianity to the Maori children, and a third was thp “color line.” He expressed himself as very hopeful that efforts now being made through the medium of Maori student .Teachers would overcome this last great; i'pbstacle, and he asked all members of the I tliocese to pray for unity of the Maori in religious work