METHODIST CHURCH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 September 1940, Page 8

METHODIST CHURCH

WOMEN’S AUXILIARY. ADDRESS ON MAORI RACE. The monthly meeting of the Mastertoil Methodist Missionary Auxiliary was held in the Methodist Church Schoolroom when Mrs H. S. Kings presided over a large attendance. The members of the Salvation Army Mother’s League and Major Armstrong, of Wellington, were the guests of the Auxiliary. The room had been tastefully decorated with bowls of arum lilies and pink camelias by Mrs J. Andrew. A short devotional period was led by Mrs L. Jansen followed by a solo “The Stranger of Galilee,” sung by Miss R. Kings. Mrs Kings then welcomed the visitors and expressed the sympathy of the Auxiliary with the friends and relatives of the late Mrs Addison. Several letters were read concerning missionary affairs at Home and overseas. Afternoon tea was served by Mesdames Daysh, Speight and Shoosmith. Major Armstrong gave an interesting address on the early history .of the Maoris, illustrating his talk with many amusing anecdotes of personal experiences while working among the Maoris during the course of his career as a Salvation Army officer. “We hear much about the cannibal Maoris,” said the speaker, “but they were not always so. The old Maoris were a friendly, peace-loving people who only sought to defend their land and themselves from the unscrupulous traders who invaded New Zealand before the missionaries arrived. Captain Cook found the natives a healthy, virile people, but with the coming of the pakeha all kinds of disease and bad habits had been introduced into the country as well as strong drink. Though a law had been made prohibiting the sale of drink to Maoris, the practice still goes on. The Maoris had a code of ethics which is as morally strict as any white man’s and this was often violated by the pakehas who exploited the Maoris.” The law of tapu was fully explained by the speaker. The tapu was regarded as the eye of God or Eru, and whoever transgressed against the tapu disobeyed God and not the persons concerned, and were punished by the Tipo or devil. Maori women are esteemed and treated with great respect as coming from God, and often rule the tribe. The Maori language was not written until the missionaries came as it was the custom to record the history of the people in the ancient wishes of the tribe. The missionaries arrived 46 years after New Zealand had been discovered and worked for 28 years, the Church of England taking the East Coast and the Methodist the West Coast.

At the close of his address Major Armstrong was accorded a vote of thanks on the motion of Mrs Kings, seconded by Miss M. Burton.