"WITH THE MAORI ORGANISER IN MAORILAND"

White Ribbon, Volume 18, Issue 1, 1 February 1946, Page 7

"WITH THE MAORI ORGANISER IN MAORILAND"

Throu rhou! the pas in the Rotorua districl which I hid the pleasun visiting, tin- topic ol interest was the W C.T.I Maori Girls' Hostel in I neil Sitting among the Maori women of the Health Leagues, I talked them, showed a picture of the Hi answered questioi s, and invited them to come and ici I * thetnselvei Ihe mot | irh are deeply grateful to made the wious ■ r tli -ir prls, and the assurance that when they them selves come to the city there will 1"' ■ comfortable home and i warm wel< for them among their own folk.

Sitting in the sunshine in the outer cour i • i Maori meeting-house at one .. ue meetings, 1 was U Iling [ the Hostel Movement, when an old lady joined us, 1 1 knowledge of English not en< » er tO follow without nn inter the l i agw 5t cretar) acted in this capacity. Now and th n. the old l ;i ,!v I, touched my kn e and med "Kapai' Kapaif (Go id). She tremendously excited by what ■ i it was i asy to i pen out b< i women ■ vision of the great Id-wide work for God, Home and Humanity for which the W.C.T.U stands, and is doing, The chief object ' c Health League is to protect the child and the home, and in every way to promote the well-being of the V So, we arc at one in our \ims and Objects.

We have long since recognised and ! war "ii tlit- greatest known t 1 i I Ihild, the Home and the and these women are awakened now, too. Bui they are handicapped. To l extent, they are voiceless They have no vote on this great qttes tion, ami their little ones, now very numerous, are quickly growing up to be an easy prey of the accursed Liquor Traffic we must help them: by Prayer. Do make special prayer f<>r our Maori sisters and the children By Education. Petition the Education Department to enforce the teaching ol Scientific Temperance in all Native Schools By Christian friendship. Visit neighbouring pas; hold home meetings, distribute literature; speak kindly to all Maori people.

The Fuh Car

During the progress of a meeting a > ar bumped up the hill on t<> the i< A man descended, atid asked if anyone could pive him change for a half note Little did he think he was interrupting a Temperance meeting! \ an produced a box and gave him change. "Do you want any have some in the car." The woman looked at me and glanced longingly at the car. 1 smiled, and said I would wait, and the meeting quietly melted sway "Fish" was irresistible in that

far-away pa. The fish were "parked" on the grass in the Aade of the t: was resumed Th< "timeh sad one enjoyed the feeling thai filled, and the met I one was in | hurry; no trainn; no hungn husbands awaiting dinner that \s.i because of the W.C.T U.-il | "1 their WtV< Two mothers had walked one and a halt miles in rain, i mil: a four-months-old baby in a blanket, the other had met her husband on the 1, and had transferred the two-months-old baby to him to take home and ran for. Well, it was League day. the women's day out.

Literature was distributed and iroused much interest, lome pi< in Maori Several of The White Ribbon," "Y.P. Supplement," and the "Challenge" were left in I pa, and eagerly received.

The Children

Children's gatherings wen arrani for me to address and quite la numbers were contacted. What lovely, healthy, well-dressed children the majority wire They give Mich wonderful 1 ron a virile, clever rac< inherit citizens in the next decade. rising in their young manhood and womanhood t" fill the eap left by the manj young heroes of the Maori Battalion.

One experiences a sense of heartsche while talking to them Will mat y them < clutch of tl e Brewer and the Man-trap of the Hotel Bar? They listened so eairerly to talks on "Physical Fitness," "( Citizenship." "The King of the Castle," etc. and the \er\ definite warnings •Ist alcohol. The power of Cod in their hearts, and the Wisdom which is from shove encircling them, i c onr heart's desire f<T the children of the Maori race.

Mission Workers

Main Mission workers in settlements which { conl.: not visit owing to lack transport or petrol were contacted by letter, and supplies of literature sent. All workers tell the same story. The Liquor Traffic is one of the gn est evils among the Maoris, and the .'est hindrance to effective Christian work. One thousand *h hundred leaflets from onr own literature department, supplies of "Y.P." Supplements, 1.500 leaflets, half in Maori, and a supply of very fine posters from the Auckland Council of Temperance Education have been sent out to a worker in the Bay ~i Plenty for widespread distribtition. I have distributed about 700 pieces of Temperance literature and oyer fifty copies of the "Challenge." Will every l T nio.i please consider ways in which they can help the Maori work } CATHERINE M McLAY, Maori Organiser