The story of Māori missions : being five studies

Budd, George, Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union, Auckland, N.Z., 1939

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Title: The story of Māori missions : being five studies

Author: Budd, George

Published: Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union, Auckland, N.Z., 1939

FOREWORD.

'aori Miss P.W.M.I that need.

i the PW.M.I eph His con i knowledge of the subject. . st in the work repi or tinis carried on, and his ability to ill eminently fitted him f<

l/V a rc that as these chapt, the pasi and the challenge of the will grip the hearts of those who read harge m to our neigh ,icc.

J. G. Laughton,

Maori Mission Superintendent.

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MAORI MISSIONS.

Study 1 "The Days Before Waitangi"

Study 2 "Much Resolved —Little Done"

Study 3 "Breaking New Ground"

Study 4 "Boring-in Farther"

Study 5 "Love Fulfils Itself In Many Ways"

SOME NOTES ON MAORI RELIGIONS.

MAORI MISSIONS.

CHAPTER 1.

THE DAYS BEFORE WAITANGI.

ces: Matt 28 16 to 20; Mark li 9; Luke 13 29; 1 Cor. 1 12, 13; John's Third Epistle, verses 8 to 10.

The authentic New Zealand is short, so ar as are concerned. about 1630, a Dutch atlas an indistinct coast-line, named Zealandta old English maps label Cook's Strait as the Gulf ol the I ortuThe intrepid navigators of that country had penetrated to these , r „ latitude - sman records that he sighted New Zealand r 13th, 1642. Some of his Dutch sailors were killed in a quarrel and it seems uncertain whether Tasman himself landed or not.

in James , , Poverty Bay on October 6th, 1769, ailed round both the North and the South [si typical tactfulness, managed to win the conn* nath hom he found in residence in large numbers up and down where he called.

m whence had come this people? Ethnologists have laboured hard to discover the answer to that question. All we need to say is that t] ■ these islands are closely related in type and custom , 0 ~,; , n the Pacific Islands. These in turn may be linked with ~ cient civilisations such as those oi India and wa had great delight when visiting New Zealand a . . between the Mann and the d in turn in tracing both back to the Egyptian. , lines are interesting and serve t atic; and that it" we go back far em i tend common.

ty'l • . 'Tis certain „ wa < enturies earlier than when the European urn ually certain that the Maori came to a lam! iow have practically disappeared. ~,.. und that the Mann was superior in ma , other Islam ly placed him high in tl ife. Without doubt, further, the many wa His priests and

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tohui 'I in ali kinds of ceremonies and magic. There are plenty of sour, i information can be gathered. "The Mann Race" has a great deal of ases oi Maori life, including Religion. Popular • like Mr. \Y. Satchell's "Greenst* i nd Judge F. O. V. Acheson's "Plume of the Arawas/' give vivid pictures of the way eld the heart.- oi" the people. And from what we know of rn Missionary methods, ii had perhaps been better tor tin- Maori sought to grasp his viewpoint a little and possibly not a little tragedy had had /eal been tempered with knowledge. ! lad tin- methods of Miss Shaw, as described in Candlelights, 1 been put into practi early Missionaries, would the appreciation ; eener and more

EARLY CONTACTS.

.II the white people that made contact with the Maori in the rly part oi' the lfth centuries been of the type of James the story of settlement and Missionary enterpri Zealand had been very different. (Study the progress of the G its influence upon, say the peoples of Livingstonia and I where the main and first white influence was the Missionary, in trast with mission work in the Pacific Islands and New Zealand..) The first people who followed Cook ware some from New Wales and further afield. Some of these came for the kauri tn< made such excellent masts for the sailing vessels of those times, and the who found at certain sea numbers of the valued mammal in the waters off the coasts of New Zealand. of the carpenters needed for the kauri work and some of the sailors chose for one reason and another to stay in the islands. Runaway convicts from Sydney sometimes managed to reach tl s. The results were not for the good of the Maori. Ile found in Pakehas (strangers) much that was to his detriment, and ph; and moral consequences of an unhealthy character quickly showed themselves. Loose-living, quarrels, murders and such like became common in certain parts. Firearms were introduced and helped 1" accentuate tribal differences. Then the Maoris themselves beg lake trips abroad. Generally they went voluntarily; hut once committed to an unscrupulous captain and once away from their own shores, these adventurers found it not always easy to get back. Distrusl and suspicion grew, and not a few tragedies followed. Tl for th gospel that was brought to New Zealand early in the I9th century was not virgin soil, nor was it free from some of the worst weeih of civilisation.

MARSDEN AND THE GOSPEL.

Yorkshire has the honour oi being the native county oi two men who. in the providence of God, did great things for New Zealand. The firsl of these was Captain James Cook, and d was Samuel Marsden, Born June 25th, 1765, Marsden grew u]

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surroundings and on homely fare. (See the opening chapters of Dr. Elder's "Letters and Journals of Samuel Marsden" for useful and interesting data about Marsden's early life.) He was a man of sincere and deeply devout evangelical type. Withal he was intensely practical and pious. He was large-hearted and broad-minded. "He was like the Apostle to the Gentiles, a craftsman as well as teacher and preacher, one whose life was an outstanding example of the value t.i a young community of the man who could be a leader in practical affairs as well as in religion and education."

Marsden was ordained to the ministry on May 26th, 1793, and was sent thereafter to Botany Bay, Sydney, N.S.W., as Chaplain to the settlement. He was not the man to keep his eyes or his ears closed to possible openings for the spread of the Gospel. The narrative of Marsden's contact with New Zealand's people is as romantic as anything in Mission history. The story would make an excellent series of studies for Missionary organisations. During the period 1814-1837 Marsden made seven visits to New Zealand. He was 50 years of age when he made the first, and the last was made in his 72nd year. The story of his meeting with the stray Maoris who came to Sydney, and of his meeting with Ruatara are well known. There is some reference to it in a booklet. "How Shall They Hear?" and other publications, such as Dr. Elder's book.

In the light of subsequent experience, Marsden's policy of establishing an Industrial Mission rather than a definitely evangelistic one hindered not a little the progress of the Gospel. He was not the first to conceive the idea of introducing the Gospel by a process of education and training bv the artisan rather than the evangelist. The earlv efTorts of the Moravians in Greenland were in the direction of preparing the ground first by establishing some knowledge of rules and laws for better living. But in 1740 a change of policy was adopted. Then they determined in the literal sense of the word to preach Christ and Him crucified. The change of policy had striking results. CSee "History of Missions," bv Robinson, page 52.)

THE FIRST MISSIONARIES

The first group of men engaged for Mission work- in New Zealand left England in the "Ann" on August 25th, 1809. They were William Hall and John King-. Both were men trained as artisans. And it was as artisans they were expected to do their work. On the same ship were Marsden himself, and among the crew was discovered Ruatara, a Maori whom Marsden had previously met, and who was to play a not unimportant part in the work of introducing the gospel among his own people. Arrived in Sydney, the mission party found the door to Xew Zealand not yet open. It was not until 1814 that the longcherished dream of Marsden became a reality. In 1813 another man and his family arrived in Port Jackson, sent out by the Church Missionary Society for the enterprise in Xew Zealand. This was Thomas Kendal!. On March 14th. 1814. a ship called the "Active." which Marsden had purchased for the work of the Mission, set sail for Xew Zealand. "Marsden stayed in Xew South Wales to hope

[ Page Fi < I

and pray that the loti daj had at last dawaied and that the I on! was about to prosper /ion.' " This trip was exploratory in its character, and the traveller- returned to Port Jackson on August 22nd. r a further tnp was organised to begin the Mission. Mar-den th him the three men who had been waiting for this purp< 'i King, wife and child; William Hall, wife and -on: Kendall, wife and three sons. Kendall left his two daughters in 1' sot The opening of the Mission was on Christmas Day. 1814. 1 Mar-den been able to stay the early chapters of the Mission had made happier reading. Kendall proved a pool- team man, and in the nmercial work in which the missionaries had to engage trouble arose. It is a long, tedious and unpleasant story that can he read in Dr. Elder's hook. -Mar-den's Lieutenants," and Ramsden's "Marsden and the Missions," and other volumes. By his visits Marsden did what he could to keep his team together, hut the differences grew", anil grave troubles interfered with the work. King proved the most stable man. The bloodthirsty Hongi and like warriors made terrible troubles. Marsden. by extensive journeys, traversed great tracts of the northern half of the North Island. Wherever he went, he won the confidence of the Maoris, and prepared the way for the work that was done lat by a hand of men headed by the Rev. Henry Williams, who was brought oxer by Marsden in 1823. "Seek first the kingd said Williams, and he set himself to master the language and to take the necessary steps for others who accompanied and followed him do the same, i Study a hook like Smith's "Shrine of a People's to appreciate the importance of a knowledge of the native langi; to Missionaries. Think of the stress our Missions abroad lay upon - importance of Language study. Are we justified in asking our recruits to study hard for two years after their arrival in China or India? I

Williams showed marked qualitii rship, and his genius for organisation and sound Christian purpose did much I the somewhat dismembered work that existed after the rirst few years. The passing of the bloodthirsty Hongi in 1828 was more than an event: it was the closing of an epoch. Henceforth though strife and, bloodshed did not cease, there was a change of attitude on the part of the people to the tribal disputes, and the spirit that fostered war began to turn towards the way of peace. Waitangi loomed u| possibility, and 26 years after Marsden's Christmas sermon the great treaty was signed. The Church of England Mission had broken ground throughout a great part of the' eastern side of the North [slani had notable mission stations established in several centres a- far a- Tauranga.

THE WESLEYAN MISSION.

The Wesleyan, or Methodist Church, as il is now called, has had a long and honourable record of Mission work in the Smith Sea-, and not the Uast of its enterprises was that which gave it a definite part in evangelising the Maoris. Their entrance to this work came about in tin interesting way. A young man who was horn in 178-. in Staffordshire, England, grew up in a line religious atmosphere, and

Six I

early sought to do some missionarj work for his Master. He was to go to Canada, but the disturbed condition of that country in 1814 led to hi- being sent instead as a chaplain to the people of his'church who'had compulsorily or voluntarily gone to Australia. So it came ss that the Rev. Samuel Leigh found himself in Sydnej on August 10th, 1815. There lie soon came to know the other Samuel who had established himself long ere that time in the community. These two men proved to be kindred spirits. Leigh's health failed him, and it was suggested that he take a trip to New Zealand for the purpose of gathering strength. He went in Marsden's own vessel. and at Marsden's invitation. The Church of England leader ashed I eigh to look into the Mission in the Bay of Islands, and to report. Leigh took stock, made valuable suggestions to the Anglican brethren, and' returned to Sydney with a deep passion in his heart to do something for the Maori people. His health was such that he had to take a further sea voyage, and he set out for England. Once there his advocacy of the need of the Maoris resulted in an agreement heme made to'open a mission, lint funds! How could they raise the funds: With the senilis of faith. Leigh appealed for permission to ask for gifts in kind, and got it. He at once set to work, and soon had a vast collection of pots and pans, kettles and saws, axes and spades, knives and tools cotton, calico, prints, and so on. These were sent in eases and packages to the Head Office of the Mission, which became crowded from floor to ceiling. These poods were taken out and sold or bartered to such advantage that the Mission was maintained by them for five war- He came to begin his Mission on February 22nd, 1822, eight years alter Marsden had begun his. The work was to open in Mercurv T,av hut Hongi had been South and practicallv extinguished the tribe of his friend Hinaki at the Thames. The site finally agreed upon was Whangaroa, famed as the scene of the massacre in 1809 of the crew of the "Boyd." The station was called \\ eslevdale, and for two years Leigh struggled on. Two recruits arrived on October 6th, IS'J- Nathaniel Turner and John Hobbs, and Leigh left on thenarrival Maori treacherv led to the breaking up of this station m 1827 and with the aid of a friendlv chief, Patuone, the Mission was set up on the Hokianga, on the west side of the Island. Leigh passed out of the Mission that he had done so much to found, and died in England in 1852, retaining to the last his passion for the Maori peon e. ■ Turner and Hobbs established themselves at Mangungu. Ihe work made slow progress, but the staff was reinforced, and as time pas-ed it extended further down the coast. The Mission had real ss in several districts, especially in the Kawlna and Raglan region But there came a rift in the lute Another denomination seemed to find cause for conflict and the Wesleyans decided to with draw from this most promising field. Their missionaries did much in Taranaki, and in later years extended to the South Island as far south a- Waikouaiti and the Otago Heads and even to Stewart Island.

[Ction of ecclesiastics has on more than one occasion stained the fla« oi the Cross, and left the impression that only one church has the of way. The advance of the Kingdom seemed to be not so important as" the advance of a denomination.

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Space does not allow of a more detailed story of the early Missions. 'l'he activities of Marsden, Williams and Selwyn seem to be better known than is the Mission of the Wesleyans. But the known work was not one whit behind that of the better known. 'M like Leigh, Turner. Hobbs, Woon, Whiteley, Buller, Watkin. Iron-: (/reed and many others are worthy of all honour and respect as we think of the past and the great Foreign Mission enterprise of evanthe Maoris. Tf the Anglicans had their martyr in Volkner, the Wesleyans had their in Whiteley. The Church of lestis Christ has just cause to be proud of the witness given by her apostles and evangelists and their women folk', who endured hardness and suffered man)- things that the missionary command of her Master might be fulfilled. The results were abundant, and Waitangi and its treaty ante possible only because they had laboured faithfully and given effective testimony to the saving power of the Crucified Saviour. .Mas! that the greed and vice of our people who came after Missionary, produced distrust, suspicion and finally revolt. The warthat broke out in the 'sixties resulted in many thing-, not the li of which was the revival of some of the old heathenism under the name of I lauhauism. The devastating effects of those sad days ha not yet been fully blotted out. May we do what we can to efface the effects.

ASSIGNMENTS—

1. Providence sent Capt. Cook to New Zealand. Does that fact place any obligation on us. as a people, in relation to the Maori ?

2. What do you think of Miss Shaw's methods, as illustrated in "God's Candlelights." as compared with earlier missionary methods among the Maoris?

3. Was Marsden's approach to the Maori by means of the Artis rather than by the Evangelist, the soundest missionary strategy ?

4. Compare Marsden's attitude to the Wesleyan's with that <\ some of the later Anglicans. Which was the right attitude?

5. Should tile Methodist Church have a reasonable and prominent share in the proposed Centennial celebrations that are being planned to recall the early Mission work?

I I'nRC Riglit 1

CHAPTER 2.

MUCH RESOLVED AND LITTLE DONE.

Scripture: Joshua 1/1 to 9; Matt 25 '■ 13/1 to 5; Acts 8/3, 4.

Waitangi, the work of evangelising the Maoris had I left mainly to the Anglican and VVesleyan Churches. For was not this a Foreign .Mission enterprise: None of the other churches had entered the field except the Roman Catholic, in whose name i Pompalicr had come in 18.58. Alter Waitangi the stream of immigration began to flow this way. With the newcomers were Presbyterians ttlements. And with one of the earliest of these there came the first Minister sent out by any Church to minister particularly pakehas. The minister was the Rev. John Macfarlane, who on March Bth. 18-1(1, held his first service on the beach at Petone. Maori people were in the neighbourhood, and their presence gave to the newcomers little anxiety. However, it was not long before Maori and welt side by side in peace.

the Maoris were not all Christians, and both in the North South there was concern on the part of the early church Maori neighl

THE PRESBYTERY OF OTAGO.

■rii for tin- Maori people was i die Presbytery the 19th of December, 1854, when a committee was set up. with the Rev. W. Will as convener. This committee was charged with the duty of "inquiring into the state of the natives within the and to report to a future meeting any measure desirable for their moral and social elevation." Six months later a verbal report übmitted that the committee had found it difficult to do anything, and a new committee was set up and ''enjoined maturely to consider the whole matter and report to next meeting." At the December meeting Mr. Will stated that the committee wished to confer with the Provincial Council, so the matter was deferred. June 17, 1856, rnest hope was expressed that some plan would be devised to enable the congregations to manifest an interest in the spiritual welfare of the Maoris. The report in December indicated that a memorial was to be sent to the Provincial Council representing the destitute state of the Maori population and the necessity there was for something in the nature of an Industrial School for native and half-caste children: and for the adoption of more stringent regulations for preventing access to the use of ardent spirits on the part of the native

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population : the IT. sbyterj i i rate with ment in promoting thi Presbyterj and Council continued thn innard and the committee. Mr. Si lames Watkin, C. Creed and W. Ived : i 1 i i.i obtain a teacher from Three I- leyan Training [nstituti . him in tin- various Nativ. to establish a Central Industrial School in oi Dunedin; (3) to ascertain the cost of doing this and to pi I iment to take the i4> to make it the committee's main business to push the G into action at the earliest i ible date. and. once the work is thai the Government provided for it. All tl resulted in i while drunkenness and their deadlj work, and the Maori pi being beaten by d and death. A step was taken in 1859 to form a i r the amelioration of the condition of the Maoris, and the P passively to demit its labours to this society.

This society fui more than nine y but it did d ! the services of a Mi Mrs. : work at th there for three years. It was estimated that the number of M and half-castes between Moeraki ami Jacobs River (Southlai the year 1859 was about 500. Things were n it fell to the l"t of Mr. Baker to build a for himsel left after three years to go to Wellington. Unfortunately, th he travelled by v & and he was dr..wind. The next i. F. R< a.. Mr. Reimenschneider was at tins post from 1862 to the timt death .in 25th August, 1866. Hi' was buried at Port I

THE BREMEN SOCIETY, OR THE N. GERMAN MISSION SOCIETY.

The Rev. I. F. H. Wohlers and .1. F. Reimenschneider ■■ along with two helpers, sent out by the N.G.M.S. to work s in the Nelson district. Thej arrived in June. L 843, but that the 300 families of Maoris were well catered for I missionaries. Mr. Reimenschneider went to Taranaki in' ntmenl to Otago. Mr. Wohlers moved to the South. H thought was to try Hanks Peninsula but alter an exploratory • in winch he nearly lost his life, he moved further and finally settled on Ruapuke, where in May, 1844, he beg labours among some 200 people. The island is only about eight miles ur and is not far from the mainland, between the mouth Mataura and Stewart Island. There this noble soul, and one finest ol missionaries, laboured until 1885, when he moved over to Stewart Maud, to spend his few remaining days with his dau

[ P:it;c Ten ]

Mr-. Arthur Traill. He died that year, on the 7th of Max, at the age oi 73. Few men have left a nobler record, and bis story as told in his reminiscences, translated by John Houghton, is an inspiring piece of reading. Wohlers often travelled by boat to the mainland, and did ■ a little work oxer the southern and western end of Southland. gives a good deal of information that i- of value about tin,' Maori of those days. He lived unsupported by his or any society, and without money, for years. In response to the appeal of Wohlers for help, the Society sent him assistance in the person of Mr. Abraham Honore, who arrived at the end of 1848. "When 1 asked bint why had be come without any money, be said that in Hamburg they thought the New Zealand Mission did not cost any money. . . . That was too much for me." So the brave and lonely soul went on. hater be took a run to Nelson and Wellington, and in Wellington was entertained by the Rev. lames Watkin, formerly of Waikouaiti, and earlier of Fiji. The two men were having a yarn one evening, when Watkin asked his friend xvhat had led him into the Mission field, and to bis great stirprise- Wohlers said that it was the reading of a tract. "It was translated from the English, and the subject was the heathen in Fiji." And the author of that tract was Watkin. While in Wellington I d man decided to lake to himself a wife, and the story of the romance is one worth reading. But we must hasten on. and see how all this links up with our own Church.

THE SYNOD OF OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND.

We have seen how the death of Reimenschneider had left a gap in the field at the Heads. The Synod was formed on January 16th, ■!n»' the Court instructed its Foreign Mission Committee to communicate with Mr. Wohlers for the purpose of ascertaining the intention of the N.G.M.S. or Bremen Society as to the appointment of a successor to Mr. Reimenschneider. News came in s that the firemen Society wished the Synod to take over the rk. Action was taken, and as a result of an appeal to Scotland, and on the recommendation of Dr. Duff, an invalided missionary from India. Rev. Alexander Blake, M. V. was appointed, arrived, and was inducted on -'3rd March, 1869. Mr, Blake's work was hindered a ! by the ill-health of his wife. He was assisted in his labours at the Heads by a Maori helper called Patoromo (Bartholomew), who worked on among hi, people for 15 years and earned to himself a od degree. The Synod agreed to assist this faithful man to the extent of £lO per annum, provided the Maoris did as much. The Maoris e their quota. In 1X72 the health of Mrs. Blake was -uch that the Synod released Mr. Blake front his engagement, an( j ne ~ orai. From there he did a little to help things a t the I! seven years later Mr. Blake left tor the North. Patoromo died in IX7B. attd the Anglicans stepped in about that time and claimed the field, so no more was done by our Church.

Meanwhile Mr. Honore was working in the South. On the 28th tober, 1867, a letter was sent from the Bremen Society asking the Synod to ordain Honore. The letter remarks upon the differences

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ii the Lutheran and the Presbyterian Churches, hut commends Mr. Ilonore and asks that he he ordained and his work taken over by tin Synod. "We are -ure the Maoris would he ill good hands if your Church would taki if them." This request was given to, and Mr. Honore was ordained by the Presbytery of Southland on February 24th, 1869, Mr. Wohlers being present. In 1871 Mr. re moved to the North and bei i.ated with Mr. Duncan. From now on the work done for the Maoris m the South by our i hiirch gradually dwindled. In 11-W4 a grant of £25 was given Church's pakeha id. and £5O was Northern Church. In 1886 the work of Mr. Traill was refer: with .approval in Synod reports, and the grant was continued. The Rev. C Connor, Mr. von Tunztetnan and later Mr. Thomson (probably later the Rev. Lawrence Thompson) are all mentioned in turn .as doing something for the Maori- mi Stewart Island. And the South continued to -end a grant to the North.

THE NORTH ISLAND.

Our first missionary to the Maoris was the Rev. James Duncan. He was sent out from Scotland by the Reformed Presbyterian Church oi Scotland. He and Mrs. Duncan arrived in Wellington per the "Phoebe" 18th April, 1843. At once alter arrival the language tackled and every contact possible was made with Maori people. For 15 months Mr. Duncan ministered to a group of Presbyterian Wellington, and it was some time in 1844 before he moved out i town. lie went to Te Maire, near Shannon, in companj ,: [ohn Inglis. Mr. Inglis shortly afterwards left tor the New Hebrides. The main thoroughfare of the district was the Mana River, and the missionary travelled in native c; Mi-- Douli records in a letter as follows: "It was not alone in spiritual matters that he came a- a blessing to the brown people of Manawatu, lor he was the first man in the Wellington Province to teach the Maori the use of figures .and of weights and measures." After many vicissitudes and pioneer experiences Mr. Duncan finally ream! settled there. As the Maori population decreased the pakeha population increased, and the Maori work took on a dual When the Church in the North became organised, th< first Assembly was held, and tit its meeting on November -'sth. 1862, Mr. Duncan was appointed convener of a Committee tl led "The Fi i and Maori Mis-ion Committee." This committee reported the day as follows: "Regarding the Natives of New Zealand, your i mittee earnestly recommends that till possible eni t he given to the Church's agencies .already in operation for their education and spiritual instruction, .and to the collection already recommended donations he solicited in aid of the object." So began the organisatii tile Maori Mission. The first standing committee was Set up al Assembly, and while Mr. Duncan was continued a- convener of the Foreign Committee, the Rev. T. Norrie was appointed the first of a long line of Maori Conveners. Stress was laid at that time upi necessity of educating the Maori youth in English, ami gem reference was made to Mr. Duncan- work. In 1863, reference i-

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made in the records "to the excitement caused by the insurrectionary spirit prevailing amongst the Native tribes," and for thai reason a policy of marking time was recommended. The first large gift for Maori work was reported to the Vssembly that year, a Mr. Ralph Turner, of Nelson, giving £lOO, with promise of another when new work was undertaken. The same donor gave more later on, and died leaving £4OO to be used for the work, in 1864 a young man is referred to as offering for the work. But his name is not given and he is not brought into the picture in any way again. Things drilled along through the "Trouble." as the} would call it in Ireland. Nothing new wa> attempted, and even Mr. Duncan seemed to have but a little to *\<k The Committee reported in December, 1873, on the good work being done by "one Pastor Honore" (our friend from the South) near "Whanganui," and the next year Mr. Honore was linked up with our Church. Honore extended his activities as far North as Taranaki. and succeeded among other things in building a church at Turakina. In 1876 Mr. George Milson is reported as doing some work in a voluntary capacity. There is reference to the baneful influence of had Europeans and "a public house near Awahuri (near Feilding) pa, had a most demoralising effect on the Maoris." Mr. Milson came to be definitely associated with the work, and he and Mr. Honore. along with Mr. Duncan, covered the western area from Shannon right up to Hiruharama (Jerusalem), on the Wanganui River. But little permanent came out of it all. and by 1889 our Church »ing practically nothing for the Maori people.

Mr. Duncan lived to 191(7. and was one month from 96 when he died. Abraham Honore passed away in 1894, and Mr. George Milson in 1916.

So in the North as well as in the South our Church had very in hand for the Maori people when the Rev. 11. J. Fletcher took up the work in 1889. and with his coming the new era began.

ASSIGNMENTS—

1. Explain "For was not this a Foreign Mission enterprise?" i See first few lines of this chapter.)

2. Was the policy adopted in 1858, in Otago, viz., "To make it the Committee's main business to push the Government into action." a sound policy?

3. Show that it is worth while circulating missionary literature, in the form of booklets, leaflets, and so on.

4. Note cart-fully the attitudes adopted by Wesleyans, Lutherans, and Anglicans to the Presbyterians in their efforts to help the Maori.

5. In view of the insurrectionary spirit prevailing in 1863, was the policy of marking time the only one to be followed?

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CHAPTER 3.

BREAKING NEW GROUND.

Scripturi : Hebrews 6 4 to 6, and 12/17; Luke 8/1 to 15; Isaiah -S5.

We have to remember the conditions that obtained throughout the Maori world alter the struggles of the wars and the fierce end ment made upon the Church of Jesus Christ by the fanatic- who had risen up against her. The power of the Tohunga was considerable. When in addition to his own powers he had the argument of the failure of the pakeha to keep his word, and the evidence of the vulnerability of the white man's religion at points where selfishness led the supposed Christians ft deeds that were unchristian, his mana was strengthened. Many of his people were bewildered and their faith in the pakeha was shaken to the depths. A fire had been tl forest, and the scorched and blackened timber would take a long time to recover. And even though it might recover, it would not be as it had been before the tire. The Maori had lost bis land-. He had been driven from many of hi- favourite -pots. He was forced into the hinterland-. He was more or less regarded a- an outlaw. H suspected and in not a few- instances dreaded. In such circumst: the Church had to take up her task again after the war. Then I was the baneful influences of the soldiery in some parts. Bodies of men were quartered in distant outpost- and in the neighbour!] Maori pas. The effects were far from good. A mixed population was one result, and another a degraded people. Disease and drink did not a little to lower the physique of a formerly robust and stalwart people. They were a confused, stricken and embittered people.

Our previous study led us to the time when Mr. Fletcher cam tin scene. He volunteered Eor Mauri Mission work in April, 1889. Ili- home was in the Rangitikei district, and he knew something ol the work done by the group that had for many years been working up and down the coast. He set himself to learn the language and also to take a course of study that would qualify him for the Ministry. There was a suggestion thai a sphere of labour might be found in Hawke's Bay. Bui a letter came to the then Convener (Rev. ] DoulU from Mr. 1 . M. Grace, a resident of the Taupo region, appeali a missionary to be senl there, for the need was great. The resull was a visit I" Taupo bj Mr. Fletcher in ation the Committee sent him to Taupo at the latter end of 1894. Four vear- later he was ordained. The name of the Rev. 11. .1. Fletcher, tenare." t" give him his Maori name, w; ed with the Mission until his resignation on "March 31st, 1"-'?.

P fee Fourteen 1

Taupo in 1894 was an isolated part of the Dominion, hj is the inland part of Xew Zealand, and i> about 1,200 feet alio level. In Mr. Fletcher's early days there were a number ol was in a state of great activity, hew people can appreciate the loneliness in which the Taupo missionaries were placid. The pakeha population was small and not t welcome a Missionary. The Maori people wei idj to greet him with open arms. The Church behind the Missionary was far . its Maori work. We have seen something of the way her efforts had well-nigh petered out. The ) married missionary was sent into Taupo on a stipend oi £l2O per annum. There was no manse and no means ol transport, other than that provided for a man. by nature. The pa- to be worked were far apart and all round the lake, as well as inland from it. Horses were out of the question, for there was no glebe, and even had there been one the pumice would not grow grass. The cost of living was extremely high, for everything had to be carted into the village from remote Rotorua. Travel as he would, the missionary found it in sible to reach all his field on foot. A bicycle was hit upon, and the ; it. landed into Taupo. was £24. It proved a great boon and made it possible to do more. After a time a large section of land was secured, and the Missionary, mainly by his own hands, built the Manse. Seldom if ever did a minister of the Church come that way. And the cost of travel prohibited many visits to the outside world. To begin with, the missionary had his studies to keep up, and he was there four years ere he managed to pass all his exams., and received rdination that his Church gave. It was the writer's privilege -it the Station early in 1910. The journey in and out wi coach, with a steamer across the lake. The impression left has not with the lapse of the years. The Missionary was well versed in the Maori language, had a keen interest in many subjects, such as astronomy, ethnology, and hymnology. Hut first of all and always he was a missionary. That he had kept the flame of a deep enthusiasm burning in that district was a joy to discover. The report on that visit records that there were about 300 to 400 natives scattered over a wide district, and about 300 Europeans. Mr. Fletcher was the only Protestant agent regularly working there. But few of the people were definitely Christian, and the lack of fellowship was very marked.

Mr. Fletcher and his household were indeed like lights in a dark place.

He anticipated the day when Taupo would be a health and tourist resort. To his energy and foresight the Church owes the fine building in which folk from many parts of New Zealand and other lands worship at all times, but particularly at the holiday season. In the Church is a fine memorial in the shape of a Communion table and chairs that his fellow workers placed there in his memory. "Henare" was a missionary who served the Church with genuine devotion and unwearied patience and much hard work for 36 years. Yet one may search in vain in the Blue Books of the Church for any minute of appreciation at the time of his resignation. But in the church that he built, in the property we hold at Taupo. in the Maori Mission Birthday 1 i and in the Turakina Maori Girls' College there may be seen monu-

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ments to hi- foresight and zeal. It wa- not hi- blame that no Native was established at Taupo. Hut his witness hit it- mark im a life, and not a tew will yet rise up and call him bl this district, a native clergyman oi the Anglican Church reported that lie noticed, after an absence ol some year-, a marked improvement in the native- around Taupo. Whi what did he attribute tin- change, he -aid it was due to the pi minister. That minister was Mr. Fletcher.

TAUMARUNUI.

The King Country is now an open book. Motor cars run to and fro The Main Trunk train has made the former fastnesses known ( 0 most Bui it was not ever thus. In 1900, Mr. Fletcher . on foot from Tokaanu to Taumarumii. He found many people in 'total ignoranc. of the Gospel. At the Assembly in 1901, he addressed the House Resolve was made and the Committee was instructed t the necessarj steps to obtain another Missionary. The Committee had been in t. uch with one of the Home Mission staff, wh me Maori work. He bad a ledge of the language and seemed just the man for the task. 1 lis name was I. Egerton Ward. In 1902 he was appointed to the field, rhe wide district had had no service of any kind for over 30 years. equently there was a largo section oi the people in heathenism, which was coloured by the strange mixture of religion that had followed the war period. The held wa, a large one. It laj "within the watershed- -I the Upper Whanganm River, the Larii - motti. the Ongarue, and the Pungapunga streams, and over thi intry along what is now a portion of the Main J runk line between Mangapeehi and Raurimu, and wide of the track lor many miles There were no bridges or roads, apart from that portion which be of servic. lilway, and these were located and constructed where the rails are now." Taumarumii consisted oi a store, an unlined hall, and two decent houses, one of which was the Manse, which had been built for Mr. Ward. Two sawmills were in the district The work called for a strong man and one who was wit fear Mr Ward proved to be the man. He had the heart of ali and nothing could daunt him. No bush track ever frightened him, and he asked for a horse that was a strong swimmer, so that he could negotiate the large and often ll led stream-. Ihe missionary was doctor as well as preacher to native and pakeha alike. He had a lair knowledge of medicine, which lie turned to good account. His early experience in law court work had given him useful knowledge oi land law-, and he served hi- people faithfully in the complicati nutes that arose a- the pakeha increased in 'lie land. With eart purpose he fought the twin evil- that beset Maori life: I ohungaism and strong drink. And woe betide the proselytiser who came crying to subvert hi- people' Mr. Ward had a gift with hi- hands that enabled him on occasion to straighten out some oi die rascals who were eager to invade the Maori village for evil purpoi

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lie worked over kis parish with diligence Services were held portunity offered in any building that was available, oi building at ail. He entered with understanding into the Maori life and respected their customs and ceremonies, kike Christie oi Mau- . he appreciated tke importance of remembering tke native point and sought not to offend. Here as in Taupo tke Maori had the duty of fostering the pake h.i congregation thai grew with the increase of population in tke neighbourhood. A Church was erected and a congregation served by elder- ol the Native race has keen steadily fostered through the years. Mr. Ward, held the position of Councillor in the Maori interests, and served tke rising ugh in a most useful way. Surviving members of past Assemblies will recall the representative elders that Mr. Ward on occasion brought with him. These were men of line stature who were representative oi the Church in the best sense. The whole Church fell regret that eteran of Taumarunui had at last, on tke 31st oi May. 1934, to lay down kis burden. The whole community did him great honour ere he let tin town. The veteran now lives in Auckland.

Just then a young man who had grown up in the neighbourh Maori settlement on the East Coast was completing his divinity course, and lie was prevailed on to take up tke wairk that Mr. Ward wa- leaving. The Rev. Angus McKenzie had a good knowledge of Maori, and he has tke joy of carrying on and furthering the work.

SISTER ALISON.

To S n belongs the honour of being the pioneer oi the company of women which through the years lias served the Church in the Maori field. She began in 1907, and still continues in active service. Her work has keen done in and around Taumarunui. She early mastered the language, and through the years has keen a diligent missionary. "She conducted services, established Sunday Schools, eared for the sick, and brought muck kelp and brightness into the of the people." In many a koine she lias stood like the Lady the Lamp and brought light and help in times of anxiety and sorrow-, and in that way commended the Gospel of God our Saviour. Her appointment was regarded as an experiment. It was, but it fully justified itself, and gave the Maori Committees of later days good evidence in support of their police of using women in the Maori field.

Another phase of the Maori work (a Boys' Farm scheme) was tried out for a brief period in Taumarunui, but reference to that will be marie under another heading.

NUHAKA.

lii the course of his journeys as Home Mission Superintendent, the Rev. I'. B. Fraser took notice of the township and district oi \"ukaka. in Hawke's Bay. He reported to the then Maori Convener that there was in that field a wide and open opportunity for si Xuhaka had prior to the Povertj I i re been a fine centre oi

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activity on the part of the Church Mission Society. The war passed, but the Church failed to lay hold of the changed situation, ar> Mormons came and established in Nuhaka their East Coast str hold. It happened that a young lady was jusl completing her course in the Training [nstitute in Dunedin. S for Maori work, and was accepted. She was soon to be well known as Sister ; Alexander, and her sphere at Nuhaka became as well known as herself. In its way the task was the hardest possible. Hut Sister Jessie shrank not. She went hreast -forward. Her enthusiasm and spiritual force, her bright manner and hopefulness, her faith and her zeal carried her That was in 1913. Since then the work has grown until there is a congregation with a living membership of good servants of Jesus Christ. The way opened as loving Christian women ministers the sick, cared for the children and by word and work- commended themselves to the people, both young and old.

At the commencement of the Mission the road services were far from good. Part of the field was the somewhat isolated Mahia Peninsula, it seemed to all thai something in the way of an hospital was needed. Sister Jessie was joined by her sister Lillian, a trained nurse. There was abundant work for such a worker. It was a,ur< to build an hospital. But the building of it brought an unexpected development. The contractor of the building won the heart of the Nurse. Efforts were made to secure other nurses, but the hospital seemed to have lost something, 11s sphere of usefulness shrank as roads became better. And the motor car made transport of the si to the neighbouring town of Wairoa a comparatively easy task. But for a time at least the hospital did valuable service. To-day the present staff at Nuhaka, with Sister May as the energetic head, is occupying the premise-. Near Nuhaka is Whakaki, and there and in the neighbouring pas the work begun by Sister Jessie and Sister Edith (1916) is being carried on. Some of the finest fruits of Mactivities are to he found in this section of the field. From Taupo to Nuhaka might be said to cover the first part of the modern period of our Mission.

ASSIGNMENTS—

1. Compare the problems faced by Revs. Fletcher and Ward with those faced by Revs. Marsden and Leigh, as representing 'die pioneers.

2. Outline some of the practical difficulties in the Taupo field in 1894 and for some years afterwards.

3. What is meant by the term "King Country"?

-4. Mr. Ward was careful to observe Maori etiquette and ceremonial. Was he right? Compare 1 Corinthians, 9/22.

5. Give some oi the main arguments in favour of our using such a large proportion of women in our Maori field.

6. Sister Jessie would say, "Mormonism is not enough." On what grounds would you support her contention?

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CHAPTER 4.

BORING-IN FARTHER.

Scripture: Isaiah 54/2; Isaiah 55/12, 13: Jeremiah 8/19 to 9/1; Acts Id'); Ephesians 4/1 to 16; 1 Cor. 10/9.

This booklet is far too small to give a full account of all the work and all the workers that have served and that are still serving die Maori Mission of our Church. Workers like Sister Jessie and lister May and Sister Edith should have a chapter each. And there are others. Some of them wall be mentioned now. For this chapter introduces us to the most important and largest piece of our work. The title chosen for it is taken from Dan Crawford's "Thinking Black." And it literally describes the way in which the new field was entered and opened, it was a case of opening a door just a little. Then the was pushed in: then the leg and finally the whole body. Or to put it another way. The missionary came to the door —the gatewaj - stayed there a wee while and then moved into the first room: then the next move was "far lien." And since he has, or should we say has." entered the whole house and even some of the cottages built near the main h<

The gateway is Te Whaiti. Said one of its chiefs when, a few years ago. the famed Dr. Moffatt reached Te Whaiti: "This is the In the olden time anyone passing to the Tuhoe had to pass this If wc accepted him, we then became responsible for his sale conduct through the hills and the gorges and the hush, until we came to Waikaremoana." And in his reply the great scholar and humble Christian said: "So this is the gate. 1 represent One who called Himself the Gate or the Door." And he went on to tell the story of the Saviour.

It was in December, 1916, that the then Convener, Rev. A. Doull, am! Mr. Fletcher went exploring. The purpose of their visit was to find a new sphere for the Mission. For there was one offerin service who would take no denial. Where should she go? Her name \nnie. and she had been ordained at the Assembly in March of that year. In their wanderings they came to Te Whaiti. There was a native school, but teachers were hard to secure or to keep once they reached Te Whaiti. Mere was an opportunity. If a teacher be found, would the Department accent her services and allow the Church some freedom with the buildings? An agreement was ed, and Mrs. Gorrie, a retired teacher, was appointed to the post. Miss lack went in with Mr- I i-.nary. The gate was occupied. And through the good offices of one worker after

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another it has remained open to this day. The district has grown and years bail; tin school passed from the Church to the Native Department; but the Church opened the door and kept it opened. Many workers have served at Te Whaiti, among them being Miss Johnstone (now Mrs. I'. G. Hughes), Miss Tweed. Sifter Dorothy, Mr. and Mrs. I. A. 1.. Carter. Mr. and Mrs. Currie, and at present Mr. and Mi--, Johnston.

But we must return to the Convener and Henare. They did not stop at the gate. Seventeen miles further on was Ruatahuna. This was in a vailey of no little fertility, and full of historic interest. Among the pas was Mataatua, where stood one of the finest of meeting houses. It had been erected for the notorious Te Kooti. The field was a in. .st promising one. But Missionaries were not particularly wanted. However, the suggestion of a school appealed to them. So it was agreed that a teacher would be sent. Fully fifty years had passed since Church and State had deserted them, and the old men sensed the approach of a new order. Their illiterate children would be in a sorry position.

Sister Annie agreed to take up the Mission station, and Miss Monfries (now Mrs. J. Currie) accepted the post of teacher, the Church, and not the State, engaging her. An old paling whare was provided as school, and the work began in February. 1917. The conditions were the crudest. Few of the children had ever been to a school. There were no desks or even seats. But undaunted the workers began. The roll leaped to 70. and the Missionary had to turn into assistant teacher. In May, 1918, Mr. Fletcher returned, and with him a young man called Laughton. Their objective was the erection of a bouse for the missionaries, and of a school for the pupils. There were no sawmills near, and it was not possible to bring much over the 17 miles of track between Te Whaiti and Ruatahuna. A pack-horse is not the best means for the transport of timber. The two nun set to work, and with some assistance from the Maoris, cut the slab's and the palings out of trees felled for the purpose. And after two months of heavy toil they had the satisfaction of seeing a tworoomed school and a three-roomed residence erected. It was a real achievement, and the school house stands to this day. It has been superseded by buildings that cost fully £3,000.

Religiously, Ruatahuna was in a state of darkness and superstition. Sister Annie gave herself more and more to the needs of the people. But let another tell the story.

"The care of the sick as in other places became a central feature of her work, but in Ruatahuna it meant long and dangerous journeys. No call failed to find response in her. . . . Back into the bush to the homes of the needy she went over the mountain ridges and tracks impassable to any but the bush pony upon which she rode. In fair weather and foul, she crossed murmuring streams and turbulent rivers. Nothing deterred this Mary Slessor of the Maori field in the doing of what she thought to be her duty. Her district was the Mecca of

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the superstition.- cult oi KiiigaUnsm, and this superstition was particularly active in the presence of sickness and death. She dare not. ample, heat a poultice over a cooking lire. Another fire had io h t - set, outside the bouse, no matter what the conditions were. And the work done might be undone five minute- later by an angry tohunga. Then there was the difficulty of the Ringatu worship. They observed Saturday as the day of rest and worship, and worked on the Lord's day."

But the work went on. and the Mission won it- way. And in the new world into which Ruatahuna has entered the Mission House am! Church are centres of light and worship. Cod i- now known and served by many oi the people. And no influence is stronger for righteousness than that of the brave and devoted Sister who ha- for 11 years given her witness.

Hut the boring-in was not yet dene. Once again the Convener made his way in with Mr. Fletcher. It was agreed to open a school at Waiohau, and Miss Elsie Webber came to the help of die Committee. Her work and that of those who assisted her was done for years, under conditions of the roughest kind. Each time they came out or in the troublesome Kangitaiki had to he crossed, and the risks were many. To traycl over the road that now links Waiohau with both the Kay ..f Plenty and the Tuhoe gives one no idea of the isolation that was experienced and borne in the interest- of the settlement of Waiohau. Hut the Convener and his party have moved en. Beyond Ruatahuna about two years earlier there bad come int.. great public prominence a place called Maungapohatu. It was the hiding oi Te Kooti, and therein the old chief bad stayed in security, to negotiate the long and difficult trail that led to the i the mountain, near which stood the pa that derived its name from the mountain itself. One Rua had conceived the idea that he was a prophet. He succeeded in gathering a great following, and rally was on the highway to notoriety. His illicit trading in g drink led him into conlliet with authority, and he was arrested and imprisoned. In his absence the Convener and his party travelled the 25 miles track from Ruatahuna. The result was that an agreement was entered into, to open a school. Mr. .1. G. Laughton bad been accepted for Maori work. The committee posted him to the Maungapohatu, where he began in July. l') 18.

A curious circular dance hall was placed at the disposal oi the new missionary that therein he might instruct the young. Few will ' now what was endured in the early days of the Mission in that remote field. But Mr. Laughton endured and rapidly learned the language oi the people. There was nothing else for it. English was practically unknown. Rua was released from gaol, and though not too friendly, at least did not oppose, and even later seemed to approve of the innovation. The people became friendly, and the Mi gradually won its way. Mr. Laughton was ordained by the Assembly in 1021.'and as time passed he became the recognised leader ol the Maori work, and is now its superintendent. His skill in the language

[ Page Twenty-one ]

gives hint a recognised place in Maori gatherings. His sincere, untig and courteous interest in the Maori people won him a ' mana akin to that of a chief. His aim has been single and his labours abundant The whole Maori Church of the Presbyterian order gives Inn. honour, and the Mission staff regards hint with affection and esteem: yea, with friendship and almost reverence. His lather shared with him the early days in Maungapohatu. And the place won by "Daddy" in the hearts of the Maoris was manifested at the tine- of his passing. The Maoris honoured him as though he were one ol themselves. Miss Horiana Tekauru. who had been trained in Turakina College, and subsequently had served the Mission, became Mrs. Laughton, and entered into the work of her husband with devotion and understanding. From the mountain Mr. Laughton and family were removed in 1926 to the lake, and at Taupo they carried on the work don, by Mr. Fletcher and Sister Jessie, tor she had been moved there to succeed Mr. Fletcher. The school at Maungapohatu. likethat at Waiohau. Te Whaiti and Ruatahuna, was taken over by the Department. None but enthusiasts would wish to go so far back. It is to the credit of our Church that one after another of our Presbyterian teachers volunteered for this field, and the Department has gladly availed itself of the services of these noble workers. They went in as teachers because they had the missionary heart, and through the years have done much to mould and fashion the young life o the community on sound lines and not a little in their spare tune, to backup the missionaries stationed with them in the wilds ol Maungapohatu. The place is -till remote and cannot be reached by any other means than the horse or Shanks' mare.

We entered the Kate and moved into the very centre of the Tuhoe, in- Crewera, country, it was natural for the work to spread < the circumference. A careful study of the map of the central part ol the North Island will enable the student to locate the points already referred to in the Tuhoe. Following the highway from Rotorua to Galatea or Murupara, the observer will note a branch road striking eastward. Down that road is Waiohau, which in the early da our Mission was cut off from the Fast Coast by the huge at the foot of which the road now runs. Returning to Galatea, follow the mad into the Tuhoe and note Te Whaiti; further on, about 1, utiles, is Ruatahuna. From Ruatahuna follow the main road to Papatotara (12 miles), and there turn sharp inland along the track tn Maungapohatu. It will be noted that the main mad continues from Papatotara to Waikaremoana. In the early days of the M this road was a mere bridle track and could be negotiated only with difficulty. It will be seen that from the high country round Papatotara, streams cut their way in all directions, for here is what might be called the roof of that part of the Island.

Xow watch the growth of the stations. It was natural that the workers in their going to and fro should notice that there were people at Waikaremoana, and inquiry showed that nothing was being done tor them. Here was a call, and response was made to it. Unpeople tin re had kinship with those further in. It '1 e Whaiti was

[ Page Twentj two I

the (late. Waikaremoana was the hack door. Or. if you like, the gate on the eastern side. Now can he seen the chain ol stations that laid keen established, right from Te Whaiti to Nuhaka. with some work being done in stray pas all along the wax. Going hack now to MaungapohatU, we discover that there was a track leading out to the east, and if we follow it we will find many of the relatives Maungapohatu friends scattered between Tawhana and Matahi, and on to Waimana. The converging streams from the hills and the valleys we have been descending grow into the Waimana River. When in following up of the people of the hills our missionaries came to these parts, bridges and toads were unknown. All honour to the pluckj little woman who first occupied Matahi. Nurse Doull had ahead'. proved herself in the Tuhoe, and she needed all her experience and resource in pioneering this new region. Somehow a hut was made and a school started. And the school and the station are being carried on to this day. Miss Miller, the worker at Matahi, or Sister Mill, -uid. he called, has a road now. and there are bridges, hut perhaps -he would say that the readier access has not been an unmixed blessing. Hut we cannot stay at Matahi, for further down m is Waimana. Here again there is the school as well a- the Mission station. And lure. too. are some of the office-bearers oi the Church -men who would do credit to the eldership in any community. Sister Aileen and others have done faithful work at Waimana. The conditions are easier in some ways than they are in '.lie more remote districts, but the work calls lor much patience and unwearied effort.

Coming out from Waimana to the main road, we may turn first ipotiki. This is one of our latest fields. Again Sister Jessie had the honour of starting the work, ft may lie wondered that in the town where tin- missionary, Carl Sylvius Volkner, was martyred on hj _'nd. 1865, it should he necessary for us to open a mission. Little of the kind of work being done by our noble women was being done there. Young people needed tile closer attention, and the kind of attention, that women can give. Proof of the wisdom of opening then ' 1, and a- Nuhaka furnished the staff with the Rev. 11. Ipotiki has given it the Rev. 11. Nikora. These men. the ■me now at Taupo and the other at Nuhaka, are making real contribution to the Church and its work.

But let us move from Opotiki and Sister Morgan's manse and return along the main road to. the North. We pass Waimana, and n we ar pted to turn aside to Whakatane, but keep straight on, we will lie moving to Te Teko. This station will lie found just after we cross the giant Rangitaiki River, which we left -"me tune ago al VVaiohau. Here we will find a neat Milieu house, and from that centre witness radiates to a population that has deep need of the lit ui such women a- Miss Tweed and Sister Mary I owerv For the demon drink has a greedy eye lor the Maori and to devour him and his. The shame of It. Christian brothers! long will this curse he allowed to kill and destroy? Hut as even in Sardis there were a few names of those that had not denied their

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garments, so there are in Te Teko. And the unselfish service of the Si-terhnod will not he thrown away. Just a few miles further on there is Kawerau. Once again we men rie. She gave the Church the Mission house and was the first teacher in the that Sister Hazel Bruce now carries on. It would do us good to meet the little children and hear their songs and recitations. And We would rejoice to shake hands with our elder and his wife. They are so sincerely and devoutly following the Master. Their bright facetestify more than their words, for they are still shy of tinthat we think i- the only one. And their happy bairns ! These Maori children! flow they capture the heart. Who can meet them when clad in their neat "gym." uniforms, they look so trim and brigl nut he captivated ? I low Jesus would have been drawn to them. And is He not drawn to them still, whether they be found in the fastnesses of the Tuhoe, in the open spaces around Xuhaka. in the valleys of the Matahi and Waimana, in the on the fringes of the great Rangitaiki Plains at Te Teko and Kawerau. or in towards the Lakes of Taupo and Waikaremoana? Our mission to the Maori has been belated, hut it is hearing fruit.

Can one grudge to them the service we are rendering? Is the cost of the ointment to give us concern? Are we not to remember that of such is the Kingdom of Heaven? They are beside us hj way: can we to men and women so near us. who share our country with us, can we to them benighted, the lamp of life deny?

ASSIGNMENTS—

1. When new fields opened workers seemed to be waiting to enter them. Could this be regarded as Guidance for the Church?

_'. What is the Ringatu religion? What were its fruits? Where does this religion differ from the Christian religion?

3. Think of some of the ways in which the drink- traffic has injured the Mauri, and is still injuring him.

A. What advantage has a missionary who knows language over one who does not know it?

5. The Ratana movement lias influenced large numbers of Mauris. What is it? Is it much in evidence in our part of the Maori Mission field ?

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CHAPTER 5.

LOVE FULFILS ITSELF IN MANY WAYS.

Scripture: Isaiah 28/9 to 11 ; Mark 2/1 to 5: Z Timothy 3 14 17; 1 Corinthians 13.

A Mission to a primitive people must work itself out in a variety ays. Merely to pass along the way I.earing witness in die Truth I enough, in the instruction of Hi> people of old the Divine Teacher lays down a great principle. "Precept must be upon pn hue upon line: here a little and there a little." If that were necessarj for Israel as late as Isaiah's time, surely we must have patience anil perseverance with the Maori people and expect that at the most any progress that will he made will be slow. Many people have a standard for missions, for missionaries, and for the converts from heathenism, that they do not have for themselves or for the members of the Church in our Christian countries. They seem to think that the whole standard should be higher and the results much more striking than they usually are at home. And not a few act and sometimes as though the Maori should be quickly and numerously responsive to the appeal of the Gospel. They complain of the cost of the work. ol tiie number of workers for the number of people being reached. They forget that the Maori has not left the dark heathen world more than a century, and that during that century he received, after the first 40 years, a shock that has left its mark deep and well nigh indelible. Patience and care and nurture and gentleness and example are all needed to win these folk. No cheap and easy way will solve the problem of Maori Missions. And the way that has opem us is in the main through the medium of women worker,. Great congregations of Maori people are not in the nature of things a bility. The pas are comparatively small and scattered. One worker cannot cover many pas effectively. The system of an itinerant missionary making a hurried call now and another again has proved ineffecmust he intensive, and it must concentrate on the children am That kind of work builds up slowly and in the old-fashioned way: line upon line. etc. The Maori M consist- oi many plots, where the work of planting, tending, cultivating is of necessity slow and expensive. If we cannot do it that way it will not be done. And can anyone say that we do not owe a debt, that we, along with other-, must discharge?

From the first we had vision of the need of education for the Maori people. And education means staffing and maintaining schools. And schools are expensive. The Rev. lames Duncan did not a little tional work. It is claimed for him that lie was the first man

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m the Wellington Province to teach the Maori i' figures and of weight- and measures. This was no easy task, tor while he could -how the natives that 1 ' filing, the n it the calculations into figures he was met with the query, "But where'- the shilling?" But hi- labours prevailed, and the Maoris were able to trade with the white colonists on equal terms. These innovations were not to the liking of those trader- who had worked so much upon the native's ignorance and not upon the value i goods; hut the old system gradually vanished before the arithmetical rule- taught by Mr. Duncan. No doubt there were those in the Manawatu who'had no time for Missions, ju-t a- there were opponents tn Dr. Grenfell in the Labrador when he broke up the "truck system" he introducing co-operative stores. Mr. G. Milson did quite a bit of ol work both up the Wanganui River and in the Rangitikei district. The first work of Mr. Fletcher was teaching work, and he received £65 per annum for hi- labours. And in the South teaching went with the other work of the missionary.

FOUNDING TURAKINA.

Tlie modern world knows something of the great dreams of the Rev. John Flynn in the work of the A.I.M. But we do not al remember that we had those who dreamed dreams and saw \ in our own little land. Some time before 1902 three people had been dreaming and conferring about their dreams. One was the wife of the Rev. I). Gordon (mother of Mrs. W. Mawson). Another McKellar (mother of Rev. D. M. Hercus. of Marlborough). and the arch-dreamer, the Rev. H. J. Fletcher. These three thought of a school for Maori girls. It was no sooner spoken over and prayed over, than action was taken. Miss McKellar wrote a letter to the Daily Times." The Convener thought it would be a thing to have this letter reproduced and circulated. That Convener was Mr. Gordon. Did Mrs. Gordon have anything to do with the venture? Five hundred copies of the letter were struck off at a cost of 10/-. and copies were sent to congregations and Christian Endeavour Societies. Bible elapses are not mentioned, for the movement had not gone far then. In fact, had it begun? And. says the report, with great caution. "If the monej was forthcoming it would give our Mission a great start for good. Mr. Fletcher quite approves of the -ehenie. and hopes the money will he forthcoming." That is all very naively put. And it doe- not suggest that the newly united Church was really very daring in its outlook for the Maoris. Next year the report says: "Many people thiol: that the best thing we cou would be to establish a boarding school for girls, where the mothers of the coming generation would he taught something of the laws of health, sick-nursing, anil cooking food, along with a knowledge .a" the Gospel of the lord Jesus Christ. It doe- not matter how much the men are influenced for good if the wives they marry are heathens and ignorant of the simple rule- of life and health. Infant mortality j- prevalent. If the home could he improved the spiritual life would he improved also. A number of our young people's guilds and branches of cui' P.W.M.U. have -el about raising monej for such a scl

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we have referred to, and we think would annually support it. If some ■! rub people would give us a few hundred pound- to start it there should he no trouble after that."

There was argument, venture and expectation. And. praise he. the school became a reality. The Blue Book of L 904 ha- a two-pi report on the negotiations and the purchase of the old manse at Turakina for the i" stablishing a school. The manse had been used by the Rev. John Ross as a school for girls. It now passed on to he a school for Maori girls. The Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, Prime Minister, opened the school on April Li. 1905, and it wa- opened free of debt, with money in hand for equipment and furnishing-. So a great dream had come true. We do well to remember these things as we face new tasks and undertake new venture-. "A- I was with Moses, will he with thee: 1 will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

The school was particularly fortunate in its choice of staff. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton and Miss Hamilton, of the Native School Department at Tokaanu, were given the duty of laying the foundations and establishing the traditions of a work that was to he an enduring tribute to their memory. Mr. Hamilton was the son of an Anglican vicar, and had a deep religious life. He did his work for our Church with sincere loyalty, and to the end of the period of service, he and his. gave complete satisfaction to all who had to do with them. Mrs. and Mi-- Hamilton, like himself, had a keen and affectionate interest in the Maori. They were not time servers, but real missionaries who went the second mile. Some day there should he written an adequate of this school, and the work of the founders will have ample justice done. Miss Kinross and the present staff carry on the fine tradition. They work in a substantial and roomy modern school at Marton. hut the school i- -till called "Turakina," and the pupils of to-day are as keen as were their sisters of an earlier day to maintain the fair name of the school and to gather from it all that they can for the sake of their people. Some of the girls in recent years are (laughters and possibly granddaughters of former pupil-.

Other ventures in education have keen already referred to. The hools that we opened at 'he Whaiti, Ruatahuna, Maungapohatu, and Waiohau have long since been passed on to the Native Department. It is '. il that we broke the ground that had been neglected by Church and State for nigh 50 years. Attempts by another Church n made recently to enter the Tuhoe. It is not a very nice thing to happen after we have done the pioneering work with devotion no little success. The same spirit that caused friction in both the North and South Islands still survives.

The schools we established in Matahi. Waimana and Kawerau are on a different footing from that of the others mentioned above. In these three the land was given and the school asked for by the natives, on the condition that we would keep the schools. The older pled with us not to part with them. They wished the children taught religion as we had taught it in the other schools until the

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State took them over. So the bargain was made and the schools established. They are maintained as Mission Schools. The Department passes them under review, hut it has no control in the usual sense of that term. The witness given through the school is daily and lor the benefit of parent as well as child. The children learn the great passages of Old and New Testament by heart. A hoy or tor' will stand up and recite a long excerpt from either Testament with ease; for thej have good verbal memories. In this way thi is sown.

For vears it lias been the desire of the staff to see a training school to," boys on lines like the one at Marton, for girls. An attempt was made in 1913 to set up a farm school at Mananui, near Taumarunui. During the term of the Rev. B. Hutson as acting-convener, a block of land was bought. The Rev. J. 1. Monfries, who was then in the Mission at Mananui, had a practical knowledge of farming. The venture was pursued in all good faith, hut the time seemed to he inopportune, for after what was regarded as a favourable beginning the scheme had to be abandoned and the property sold. It had been a disappointment; but the sale of the property was effected without any loss to the Church. The idea remained alive. A fresh attempt ined on the verge of completion a little while later. Tin themselves came forward with a promise of a suitable piece of land, and money was raised to put the scheme into effect. Alas! the Church was attain to suffer disappointment, and the long deferred ho] the worker- was again unrealised. It was found that no title could he secured for the promised property. In fact, the main pre had no title to the property at all. But the money was held in General Treasurer's hands, and a few years ago, in 1934 to he exact, the General Assembly authorised the purchase of a block of land in the vicinity of the Te Whaiti station. This was secured and on the property suitable buildings haw been erected. On Septembei 1937, tlte farm was opened, and Mr. Ross Murray, B.Agr., of Massej e, was dedicated as Master. The Maoris took a practical intcrest in the scheme, and at present (1939) there arc some ten boys in residence. It will take time to work out the best system of training for the boys, hut so far the response i- good. Near at hand a Developmental Scheme is at work, and the farm scheme promises to supplement thi- effort. Naturally close attention is being paid to the development of character and the religious life of our pupils.

THE PRINTERY.

It has been proved throughout history that a Mission cannot endure without education and literature. The importance of gii to a people a training that will enable them to read and at the same time giving them suitable literature in their mother tongue, cannot over-estimated. There was little available literature in Maori, and practically nothing in the way of a regular publication. The workers ■ into being a printing project. With tin help ol pome money that had been given by legacy, a Maori Service hook with a collecof hymns and psalms had been prepared anil produced by

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Laughton. This work fills a much needed want. It enables the people to have worship in their own homes. It makes the worship in the services a Common Worship. The Printery was set up to extend the usefulness of the Service book. Its first effort was to produce a monthly paper. Now it is possible to have type and machinery, but without a printer, what can be done? The Mission had on its stafl a first-class compositor and general printer, in the person of Mr. John Moffatt. He entered into the new scheme with enthusiasm, and erected the plant and produced the first issue of the Magazine, which is now so eagerly looked forward to month by month in hundreds of Maori homes. The "AYaka Karaitiana," or the "Christian Canoe," goes on its way as one of the most effectiv* missionaries in the field. The printery produces a number of useful pamphlets and booklets. It has made available the "Pilgrim's Progress," the "Shorter Catechism," and numbers of other things. Each month there is published a new translation of a hymn. The versatile superintendent, assisted by his musical and cultured wife, has proved quite an adept at translating hymns, and, on occasion, a little original production appears. The printery is really the property of the staff, and it is the responsibility of the staff, except for the printer's stipend. Xot a lew, from time to time, show their practical interest in this piece oi work by sending donations to the Editor, Mr. Laughton. Behind the printery, as behind all the Maori work, is a great body ci prayer. No one can forget the thing that happened to "Daddy" Laughton (the Rev. J. G. Laughton's father) in connection with the printery. One night lie Had a dream. He seemed to be told to go to an old jacket that was hanging in the old clothes room in an outbuilding. In the sleeve he would find a parcel with money in it. Next morning while feeding the poultry he suddenly remembered the dream, and went off to the room. There was the old coat that had been hung up as useless, though it bad come in a gift parcel. He put bis band up the sleeve and pulled out a packet that had been pinned therein. Opening it up, the good man saw a roll of notes, £36 in all. He fell on his knees and said, "Lord, what am I to do with tin- ?" And plainly be seemed to hear, "Give it to the printery." So in he came and banded over the money. He did not know that the day before an account had come for the printer)- that was causing the Manager-Editor no little concern. Happenings of that sort fill us with a sense of the mystery of life: and give us a deep realisation of the truth. "That more tilings are wrought bv prayer than this world dreams of." The writer was at the Taupo Manse that morning and will never forget the sense of awe that fell upon us all as we came into touch with this striking manifestation of the reality of the Upon the Maori mind the narration of that story made a profound impression. How does it affect you?

THE BIRTHDAY LEAGUE AND OTHER THINGS.

Meetings of ladies are always opportunities for the unexpected. Once after an address the writer was asked to come along soon and tiiere would be a cheque i>>r £lOO ready. Another time one wrote him, after a meeting, and the result was the founding of the generous

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Fund for Tired Missionary Ladies. So it was that Mr. Hetcher met the unexpected when on deputation in Christchurch. It was a snowy daj Mr Fletcher did not feel elated as Benaiah did on the snowy day that gave him a place in the chapters of the Bible. A stal was mad.' that if the members of the Church would subscril shilling each per annum it would provide enough to meet the Maori Mission expenditure of that time. The remark tell lib into tlie good ground in the mind of the late Mr-. Venables, and she prayed about it and conferred with other-. And there came into being "The Maori Mission Birthday League." How many thousands of pound- have erne into the Maori funds through that League, that began in that simple way. hack in 1904? Perhaps a mathematically minded lady will tell us.

JI ii I u it, ti iau; w m lw. u^. The work of the Y.W.B.C.U. for the Maori Mission has hern manifold Other organisations have done splendid service, ■ least being that service rendered through the collection of old clot: It has only occurred once that the sleeve of a discarded garment was found to lie lined with 15 notes; but the old clothes have brought in hundreds and hundreds of pound- for the Mission. And th< paved the way for contacts and have opened many a heart I message of the evangel. . . . . • ~ . ... m. ..: v: . „ T1...

Such in a sketchy form is the story oi our Maori Mission, inr half has not been told. Only a few of the noble army of v have heen mentioned. But a tithe of the story can be told in a booklet of this type. We have not mentioned the great respoi the Church to the Kuemete appeal; or the great gut made lor the new Turakina College; or the growing response of the ( through the years. How wonderfully the staff has heen maintained.: What things hath God wrought. Some day readers may gel Maori Workers' Conference and have fellowship with our mi aries Ami perhaps more precious still he served at the Table oi die Lord during the Communion service by one of the elder- of the Maori ons. Then the heart will rejoice and give thanks.

God hath done great tilings for us. Well may we lie glad and give thanks thai the reproaches that rested upon us in past times have been removed. We are doing something worth while lor our Lord in Maoridom.

ASSIGNMENTS—

1. Is our standard for converts in the Maori Mis-ion Field a fair one?

J, Mow would you defend intensive work as against extensive work in our Maori field?

3. Why is it easier to gather M an it is to gather Maori boys?

4. Is our Church doing too much or too little towards charging her debt to the Maori people:

5. Slate the grounds there are for thanksgiving and for rem effort, in connection with our Maori Mission.

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SOME NOTES ON MAORI RELIGIONS.

i By Rev. j. G. Laughton )

HAUHAUISM.

Hauhauism, which is practically non-existent to-day, arose in Taranaki and was undoubtedly a direct outcome of the troubles which sprang up there over land transactions. The cult was founded by .me ! I.oropapera Te I'a. and was named "Goodness and Quietness." Hilton reveals how untrue the movement was to its name, lor it became tlie source of the worst atrocities ever perpetrated by the Maori in his relationship with the pakeha. Hauhauism did not. as might have been anticipated, revert to the worship of the ancient gods of the Maori, hut sought to "propitiate" Jehovah with a ritual which was a meaningless jargon made up partly of the transliteration of European military commands. This was recited dancing round a maypole. and as might be expected, the devotees worked themselves up into a wild frenzy. The name Hau Hau was given the movement because those words were repeated in the incantations, in a peculiar manner similar to the barking of a dog. These incantations were supposed to render the faithful proof against bullets.

Hauhauism was probably the most powerful agency in retarding the spread and full conquest of the Gospel among the Maori people.

RINGATUISM.

Ringatuism is in a sense the child of Hauhauism, though its founder, Te Kooti Rikirangi, was never a Hauhau. He was deported from Poverty Bay to the Chathams with a company of Hauhaus, although he was not one of them. Ringatuism was born in that exile. and became the religion of Te Kooti's followers in the troublous days which succeeded his escape in the schooner "Rifleman."

Ringatuism is much superior to Hauhauism. All its ritual is culled from the Bible, learned by heart and recited. Its weaknesses lie not in the forms of worship, but in its imperfect knowledge of God, and in the fact that it has woven together the ancient superstitions of the race, and something of the concepts of scriptural religion, particularly of the Old Testament, and in its lack of the spiritual dynamic of Christianity, and of the joy of the Christian hope of immortality.

Ringatuism derives its name from the fact that at a certain section of every prayer all the followers raise the right hand. Ringa means hand, and tu means stand, so Ringatu is the Church of the standing or upraised hand.

RATANAISM.

Ratanaism, which is the youngest of the indigenous Maori cults, is also much the largest. Ratanaism commenced in 1918 in a faith healing .campaign of the founder. Wiremu Ratana. The movement caught the Maori imagination and spread like wild fire, and there were some remarkable cures from physical infirmity. From the

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outset however, the movement had a nationalist basis as well nl]un ~ . oi Waitangi being part rogramme.

\t first the organisation was inter-denominational, but afti time a separate Church was founded, witl he was designated "The Moutl Man" In other words, he is the intermediary between God and man. The Maori nationalism of the movemenl took an increa place in its affairs. For a numbi Saviour has been dropped out of Ratana ritual. Ihe ascription. Deitj contain also the names of the "Holy Angels, and all the prayers end thus: "For the Mouthpieci is our ' ever and ever. Amen."

ttana died in September, 1939, i, Mr. H. T. Rati M.P., has since been chosen head of the Church and the movement. I

MORMONISM.

( An added note, not bj J.( id.. I

Mormonism is an American sect, founded by one Joseph Smith, in 1830 and developed by Brigham Young. The sect is call. Church of lesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. Its peculiarities are - (1) \ belief that revelation is continuous throuf medium of th( prophet at the head of their church; power in government, spiritual and temporal, is in the President, i works miracles and receives revelations; (3) the Be* Mormon has the same authority as the Bible. This book is a to be based on the translation of a series oi writings wl was made known to Smith by an angel. They were on golden pi I and were written in a strange language to which Smith was given the interpretation, also by an angel. Then the plates disappeared or were hack to the angel. The phras their doctrine is like the Christian doctrine in words, but the interpretations generally are very different from the Christian. The polygamy originally practi: by the sect is not now indulged in.

MAORI MISSION STATISTICS.

ntlj compiled statistics of our Maori Mis idea of tin scop, of the operations. Services arc conducted in 1-41 different places, 2,813 persons receive Christian instruction, while other receivi through th< agency of our Missionaries, some ' ing. After severe purging of the rolls, there are 1,270 baptised Christ,an- in our Maori Church; 146 baptisms were administered last This is a record for any one year. Local revi Maori Station- last year was £1,475.

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