Books In Review THE STORY OF NIUA-FOOU

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 129, 3 June 1939, Page 12 (Supplement)

Books In Review THE STORY OF NIUA-FOOU

Isle Of Beauty And Wonder

UNDF.R thr unplrasing alias of lin Clan Nland. which came* thr nußßrstion of a rattling Hilly tier! to thr tail of thr dot; next door, thr strangr charm of Niua-foou, wildrst in icrnrry and fnont difficult of accrss of all the island* in thr Tonga archiprlago, in drscribrd in a capital nrw book which comrs from Hurst and Blaclcrtt. Thr> joint ii'ilhur' .ire Oniric., f 11.1 - t Ram-ay .1 ml 1 I!. I-1.1 Ir>, -11... nthlrt|f \ r#4<li»r '»nt !»*• \s ho u-.n u rru" for hi* flaring [,r«' 11 of /■hiih minx off fhr>.ii;{h -imrk in F<--N-<| mp.i« vi'li tho mail for tli*- im.'illilv ht<>aiii'" on hiT w.iy I * "(n 1., Ki| i. *1 If Mllfll UK- .11,.1 I- II V l.cfll 11'1,.-roa-t, ju mo r'„kv n, I -111 I i ,I'it tp 11 lji.it it. it -I'M'.ni |, r.»• ' i»-ii I, !«• i,. 11-1. ji 1..,,11. Ram-ay, tin' -'rr.ni/ 1,11111 <• r. 1 a -11 >111 . mi''imi|,(in,i'r| l,\ .1 n.itiw fm I, i., s i ri l' iin eitfht. liylit 11 ml l,uo\,inl po| • for -upport. I |,i. 1- hi rul ,n.III u,,- m,ir|.. lip 111 t.wo «,.|| a r.i | I |, t |f(| to t 111. .Mill ',1 II lijfht -t 1.-k II 1.',11' .1 vurrl in Unit tin■ pa<-k<•' - poiiUl tiii ho|,| r'lfiir of t iio wati-r. Th» ■ Imiriifr ii-millv -tup- half 11 1,,, 1.. ~fy »hnrp. 11ml tli" rniiil 1- i|ioppp<| into a Wknt. lowimwl fn.in tin. hrxlm.. Tim mini for Hi" -h-.i «• m put 111, in ~ toil, hl-r-llit, till. Til il' 11' «llt IM t l,v till. • Hip* Ml l|,i-||t IT .mil tliloun I,\.ifril Knmn pii-.nnyiT, tin, clon-, chri«t cni-rl Nina f• >11 nut urn II v lm cotiMn t. pr'niniimc ii "Tin Can j»lnrnl," ■ml tlii! narnn h* 11<-k. Tho wm nrc fi'iirfully hiyh ami pouml "t./'op I'umt. witli t<■rr 1 f i • • f nr«-«-. and it, in only »U|,i'nn'.|i in mu-,-|i. 11ml plurk who can rairv on tin- mail Ram h a y took it on IM tin. |ir-t. |,l,i,i. for the <if|\ ntit ur» of tin. tiling a| .0 in. wantr*<| hi' Ifttif- mi.| U p t,, tin. tumor writing h" 111111 imn|i. |,in„li.-.| »nr| twn|\.. k wini 4 with tin. "Tin (an rria 11.'' Nina foou I- a plan, of ,111 tai't ion ami no\K|ly apart, from that mail -it\. It i» thn top fif a, •fri-.it \o|ranip com-»hir-h rici-s Hornn f(00«» fe<-t from t hi-

ocean floor. About a tbiril of its area is water, a deep lake about si\ »|Uar<! miles, partly filling the ancient crate-. In this lake Vni Lahi ("Uig Water'i there are th i .-«* i -1 • • 1 -. one of which al-o lias crater-. Ihe land ri-e. from the -c.i in a gradual -l"|*. to the crater iiln. about. t'.IMI feet at it- higiie-t. point. I lie native population i- di-tiibut'd 111 llilie \illage-. colllieeleil bv a ro id which eiicire|es th i-land. The volcanic -"d i- i ieh, and the i-land i- a bower of t i >»|. ica I \ i>gi-t a t ion. with t lie large.t coconut- 111 til'* Pacific. The people, who are of the I onga race are a plea-ani, happy folk. I.and-onie and healthy. Mr. liam-av's chapter- are eloquent wiih poet ic praise of the kind hearted and lovable people and of the isle of

is'auty which lias al-o become an i-!e of terror at time... There )ia\e )i«• 11 fier"e eruption- when Niua-foou ipiaked and molten lava flowed from tents between lake and coast and <le-t rov ed v illages. Hurricane-. too, within Ham-ay's . leduced the place to a tragic w i k If ii t nature repair- all di-a-ter-. lien- aie <!• -<ript ion- of the serene ri>h lo\e|jnc-- of the i-latid lieart. YaiI.alii, with it- cut la ncing. wooded i-|et-. it- bird lire. ,t- peace ami -olace. Th-.c are tab-- of native life, and incvitahlv love .torie.; the girl- of tlii- lonely and un-poiled land are -weel and frank and mode-t as they ale beautiful. Koitil.iale|y, it will not be a toiiri-t lanl: Nature's barrier will prevent it from suffering the fate of Kaii.

A chapter on phases of missionary enterprise in t hSouth Sea Islands is sharp and severe. While giving credit to the 'jospel apostles for the peaceful conditions of to-day, the authors ask whv the missionaries should have forced doctrines of rnock-modesty upon naturally '■lean-minded j-eople. "Why teach them to see evil where no evil exists?" Anion;the Tongans. especially, the missions r pioneers made grievous mistakes in lorcing an alien religion on the people, and bewildering thern with the claims of warring creed-. After {>er-uading th"m to profe-- tlie Christian faith, the go--pellcr- excluder! them from the churches they had helped to build unless thev came hideously attired in black coat - an«l trousers and white shirts, the women i„ the Mother Hubbard- that were deemed neee-sary to godlines-. The native ministers are often little tyrants. Sabbath Laws -Mr. Kam«ay describes the vearly mi«--ionai v "give. give" gatherings in which tii" natives often beggar themselves .n e'.mpet i-i«in in filling the contribution jdates. Laws still "hold grwwl in the lonian i-les that .~iijiirest a fanaticism outdoing tliat of tiie New .England 1 uritaii-. One law barred the grating of cif in tit. Mr »}>e preparation of food on >unday. "In this day it is against Sabbath law to pluck a flower, to gather rtnnkin;'-nuts; to kill an animal or bird; to fish or hunt; to play tennis, cricket or any other game; to sing anv ordinary songs; or to do any kind of work whatsoever. Natives have even been firuvl for covering t lie i r drying copra to protect it from rain on Sunday." ■Mut. there are redeeming facts in the -t'.rv ni the mi-sjonaric- in the Pacific. Mr. I! i m -ay bears tc-tim..ny to the lifeu "rk <>f two exemplary, pious, selfdenying' people, leather .louny, a Honiaii < atiiolir piic-t who laboured for fortv ■ "ii Nina ■loon, and his helper. >i-te|- St. .lo'iin. Mr. I'am-ay is not a < atholic. he say-. but h" ha- profound *idlnii ati' >11 tor tho-e "two earnest. < liri-t like folk. who. if ever there were ,-aints on thi- earth, ,-hould be classed am.ong them."