CHAPTER XVIII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2009, 23 May 1885, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XVIII.

Soronoly calm life glides away Without a break from day to day, Hut feathering in its silent course Tim elements of fire and foree — Volranic-hke to burst some hour, And rhango the icono with potont power. For Home time after the arrival of the strangers iv the island, life glided on like a gentle stream, without break, yet without monotony. The strangers bad to see so much that waa new to them ; thej were introduced to a life that was ho utterly novel that they were precluded from dwelling upon the terrible reality that they were in a prison from whioh there was no escape. When it did prcHent itself they never accepted the fate facts seemed to point out ; they wore young and hopeful, and they did not lose a wort of confidence that escape was possible. On the other hand, the islanders found equal novelty in the appearance, manners, and converts tion of the strangers. To the natives, gonerally, they were an unceasing object of curiosity, mingled, of course, with the dread arid reverence Aranoah made them feel for ■ white men, known to them as people of the other land, or spirits of the hereafter. Ah in larger societies, the different peraonn soon drew to themselves those for which they had an uttraction, and though apparently one, tho group on tho Happy Idle watt really broken up into several sections. ( Aranoab delighted in the compaay of Herbert and Ebby. He was never weary of eliciting from Herbert the history of the world Mince he had quitted it, and he found the young man wan capable of imparting to him the social and literary progress. He hoard with avidity Herbert's graph io sketohes of the changes in fashions and manners, and the triumphs in literature of Diokens, Thackery, Tennyson, George Eliot, and other great writers; the ri«o of the sohools of Mius Braddon and Ouida ; the now agnostio philocophy ; the advent of Hpiritualism ; the wonderful progreHH of tho United States and Australia ; the growth of Mormonism ; the deaths of great men whose names he had known ; tho creation of a new school of literature in America, of which tho originators were Bret Harte and Mark Twain, and specimens of which Horbert was able to give, the pathos of Harto, and the quaint humor of Twain pleasing the old man ; tho rise of Bismarck and Gladstone ;tbe mighty cataclysm of the War of Secession in America; the triumphs of the lyric stage, the appearance of Gounod ana Offenbach ; and a hundred hucli subjects, of whioh Arauoah was never tired. Herbert was greatly struck with his marvellous intuition and the easy manner in which he understood everything, fhe fact was that having so much leisure on his hands, Aranoah had become a deep student. He had every opportunity to pursue his studies, for not only did the nhip carry a large number of books for sale, but the poor young owner, Mr. Blake had brought with him qnite & library of Htandard classics to study on the voyage, and through this Aranoah was able to study in tho original, the works of the great authors of Greece, Home, France, and Germany. By laborious work he qualified himself to road ancient and modern tongues, and Herbert, somewhat to his confusion found that he was a mere babe in the study of Homer, whioh was Aranoah'H daily relaxation. So well had he (studied the first of writers, that he had written a long and interesting commentary on the Iliad, and waa when Herbert arrived on the island engaged on the OdyHaoy. To Herbert's xurprise Aranoah had anticipated many of the upeoulationß of European scholars on the great epio. He held firmly that from internal evidence, Homer waa the writer of the Iliad and Odyssey, componed at different periods of life, nor was it in thin alone that Aranoah had marched ahead with modern thought. In almost every department he was fully in advance, showing a mind of singular fertility and originality in every walk of thought. Herbert could not but think what a wonderful career would have been this man's had ho been able to hold his position in Australia Euby wan as great a source of pleasure to Arunoah at Herbert, though in a different way. Ebby had, since joining the magician, given conniderable attention to science, especially electricity and chemistry, which were essential to him in his vocation. Aranoah's thirst for knowledge in thia direction was insatiable ; and tho pro^eas ha had made aetonisbing. Ho had a laboratory in a small grove a little way from the house, where he had raised a tower, and hero he worked the mtraolea that kept the inlanders in awe. Soon Ebby and himself spent the aftomoons there. Ebby teaching him what wua new, so far as he understood. Aranoah had a workshop on one of the islands, and Ebby and himself often went over there for experiments. It was here that Ebby began to study the problem of how an escape from tho prison could be made, and often when the othera were wandoring over the island he remained there alone experimenting and thinking. Certainly the chance seemml infinitesimal. If his guests were a daily feast to Aranoah, which seemed to make him a young man again, to them the people and the island, the new cuatoms and the civil polity Aranoah had established, wero an engrossing study and occupation. Not a day passed but they discovered something novel, some proof of the sagacity of tho ruler. Ilia sy»tom of government particularly engaged Herbert's attention, for the young man had an ambition to become a political leader, and to improve the position of the people. He found hnro oxporirnentH ready to his hand, and though they were tried upon an inferior race they were not without value. NeceHHarily tho Hyatem of government was not such as couli l bo granted to an intelligent, educated, and Helf governing people, the form being deapotio , but to a great extont tho lines were similar, only not so extended. Aranoah was the Hole depository of power and the final court of appeal, the law imperHoniliod, hut an far as possible ho delegated hii power, He told Herbert that when he oame to the island ho had been a thorough Tory, and believed in a doHpotism, but that as time progressed and he gained experience hebeoame lnipreasod with what ho looked upon as an unutterable truth, that to create a people it waa ncuossary for the powers of their minds to be evolved by self-government. A people who wero govorned by one man, who aoted and thought for them, might be a happy and pronporous puoplo wnile they had a pernon of virtue and ability ft« their head, but they never could be a greut and intelligent people. JDemooracv had its evils, but these were ooun terbalaticed by the enormous advance that was inevitable. Ho maintained that his exporionce fully proved the viewhe took. Hoackuowledgcd the want of complexity in the Hooioty of tho inland, such as oxistu in the civilized world, made his taak in many rospeots easier, bat M • ■•* 08 ne PUt i° tne Peculiar difti-

ctiHit") in dealing with a barbanouH and iriforior prople. The land was common property, vested in Aranoah, for the use of the whole community. By an ingenious Bystem which constituted every person a shareholder in the state, find which, perhaps Aranoah alone undorntood, for it rnunt have boon too complicated for the inlanders in their (hen intellectual capacity, the strictest jiintice wud (]{#ue, and tb.p exchanges effected without a ourrenoy. Eacli cultivator wan scoured in hie holding, but had to pay a mild tax according to the value of his land, for the purposes of government, which was looked upon as the share of thn«o who followed trado and manufacture, for such pursuits, though somewhat orude, existed on the island. If a perHon wished to change from being a trad"r or artizen, and become a cultivator, ho receiver] hin share of land. The legal system was founded on the family. Aranoah was head of the whole people, and under him were magistrates for eaoh district who administered a single sot of laws. Of fences against property were punished by the perpetrator being forced to return double the value of that stolen in oane of a first offence, and more for repeated thefts ; against the person by the payment of damages. At certain stages of cither crime, the criminal wan stripped of his property, then his privileges and finally condemned to become & slave of tho state for terms commensurate with his offence. When a certain stage had been reached, a nolemn court was hold, and if it was proved that the offender was Razanbona, that is of no value to the community, arid a danger and menace, he was condemned to be thrown into the whirlpool in the presence of the whole people of the island. This terrible doom had been several times pronounoed, but had been rare. Children were compelled to Hupport their parents when they became incapable of work, and parents were responsible for their children up to a certain ago. I a case of the destitute aged who had no claim upon anyone, they were kept by an appointed family, and the charge defrayed by the State. The people of eaoh community were allowed to eleot a committee with whom the magistrate could consult, and this committee once a year elected a representative to a Parliament that was held for a week, under the presidency of Aranoah. Up to this stage the committee was only able to advise the magistrate ; the Parliament only competent to advise Ara noah. The ruler bore evidence to the educating power of even the instalment of aelf-go-verning institutions. Aranoah'H moral oode was not very exacting, nor would it do to have been severe. However, the law compelled every man to marry at a certain age, in order to take off the State the task of supporting him when he beoame old. Aranoah had never been called upon to deal with the terrible problem of over population, for the people were not fertile, even under his rule, though they had increased ni nee more Bottled habits had been forced upon them. He maintained the theory that cannibalism was purely the outv como of over-population — a natural but terrible remedy. 1 (To bt Continued.)