PAST HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE MAORIS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12365, 2 December 1905, Page 11

PAST HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE MAORIS.

(Loc".;iro by tho Rev. F. A. Bennett.) Mr lk>nm. v tt JiiiiuoH' is a kiii-uisto Maori, unci 13 » member of Uiu Arawa tribe. Bishop Souter'took him tv -Nelson and e<! .Ued liim there. The above rev. genUcin<an gave, a _very in-triictivo lochire to a laige audience a" tho Provincial Counuil <Jaami:i:r.s en Friday night, May 17th, 1901, t!u> i Major (.Mr A. E. U. It bed us) picoidini.;. ! Tim IfctiiiLT said:— I '■ Among the evils which he was most I runxioiH to si'o removed from the Maoris I war, the drink tiafiic, and he \u:- L :vd thai legislators would boo-n tea their way to protect the Maori race from it.s ravage-. I'm* Maoris at this present time lived in tutor d;\:knc»s, and it was to reach tlu-rn find toach them butter methods, i\y\t the \'o;ii!'< Maori Party'had bucn t'oiiiud. It to iuduco t!io JJaorin to give up many of their old ew-loms which wore dwnied to bo pernicious. At t.mgb, for instance, largo mu>i> oi moiny wt'iv spent merely xo cntertaiu tjux-e wlno had come to weep. Much dninkerine,ss often took place «t U10.& gatlu'iinps. Only a .snort thne iv<ia liio had MH>n a tungi whero the lnournuis wero in a di.-gracuful .state of di'iinkcj;iuv«. Coming l«ick from tho tiincsv , .! there were other Maoris, waiting to ir.et.t the prceestion, with buckets of beer.. PiUinikin.s were ready, wild the liquor was landed to every iiorsuii who would diii.uk. Oiiildivn, c.even juk! twelve .wars of ago, dipped, their paiui.kin-. into the beer, .iiu! consume:! us much ns they liked. He hoped tint the l.ep:is!nUire would sco its way to protect tlie r»L:ioi-i naco from the terrible effects of tlio drink traflic." Mr H. W. Bishop. Stipendinrs* Magistrate, moved thai a very hoaity vote ! af thanks >Jiould bti pass-od to the lecturer. He .said tliat ho had a know!tr:',i3 of tho Micris extoiuiing aver nsany years, and lie iliutwliat j Mr lkemett had said \\a- 'true. flu; tho leoturer that the people of Chri.stehurch sympathised with the nbjpcts of the Youn.2 Mr.en Party. 31 r ikumet.t said tl.nvt tho grerst. majority of S the Maoris wcro pacr. unci thoi-.c whi> were rich took no interest in the "rpintthil . wolfaro of the race. Sunday being Advent Stmdr.y. we ore asked by the hon. r/r&'inisJng set-retait of the Maori Mi-sion Fund t-r> pivc more , libera.l offoringi. nnd pray iv--l work for tho Mission. Jjot us do ■< :n a mn-t liberal manner, but rc-:no:nK".- what his j fJi'ace the Archbishop of York -siys:—] "-As lena; as I Iris terrible iniquity of drinking''prev.ai's to its pro-ent extent, | v.-c may preach from all cur pulpits, we n\iv our -ohoo!> a'! over tl:r» land, and we may make eknbr'-ato sccinMo nrrnngements, but we shall never l>e nblo to l7rir!2; the people to -the mornl heiirht we desi"i-e. I doclsitw, in 1i!:e name cf freedom, as well n.s in the nanio c-f r-rluoritinn, fhnt we of thi> Church of llntrland must awaken uill to tlii- : trre'at and crj'injr ovil of intempornntxv Pony tiiyself* Tliis maxim is not for one ohW, but for ell." Churchmen and churohwomon, will you do your itiuty in thi-s matter on tho 6th m>t., next Wedno-day? Every nnme on the roll should vote m. Wwlnpsclay next for or -against NOLICENSE. 1G