MISSIONARIES OF THE PAST

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21323, 16 November 1934, Page 16

MISSIONARIES OF THE PAST

EARLY WORK AMONG THE MAORIS

ADDRESS BY BISHOP OF AOTEAROA

"New Zealand was wonderfully fortunate in the type of missionary which came out in the early days," said the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, in an address last evening on "The Maori, Past and Present." Bishop Bennett outlined briefly the lives and work of several of the principal figures in the early evangelisation of the Maoris, and traced the development of the Maoris from the first coming of the missionaries to the present day. Dean J. A. Julius was in the chair. Dealing first with Samuel Marsden, Bishop Bennett said that Marsden was properly regarded as the great apostle of, the Maori race. Marsden had first been impelled to do something for the Maoris when he was in New South Wales, where he had seen several of the New Zealand natives and had been captivated by their physique anl geneial bearing. He had then defidec: to do all ihrit lay in his power [■■> make Mov/ Zealand a Christian country. M.irsden, although he had been most solicitous for the spiritual welfare of the people, had none the less been convinced that the best approach was through giving them the opportunity of improving their living conditions. So he had sent to New Zealand agriculturists, carpenters and blacksmiths, intending to teach the Maoris some of the European arts and crafts. It was perhaps not generally known, said Bishop Bennett, that before he left for New Zealand, Marsden had established in New South Wales a theological college for Maori students, where he taught for several years. The Williams Family Bishop Bennett gave a short account of the life of Henry Williams, who was known to the Maoris as ' the "Williams with the four eyes," to distinguish him from his brother, who did not wear spectacles. The brother, William Williams,, who had been the first Bishop of Waiapu, had made the first translation of the Bible from the original Greek into I&aori. Bishop Williams's son, Leonard Williams, had also been Bishop of Waiapu, and the present Bishop of Waiapu, Bishop Herbert Williams, was the grandson of the first bishop. All the Williams family, said Bishop Bennett, had spoken the Maori language as fluently as any Maori. Difficulties of Missionaries The early missionaries, said Bishop Bennett, had had a good deal of difficulty with the chiefs and "tohungas" of the Maori people. The bishop told a story of Bishop Henry Williams and a tohunga named Tohi Tapu. The tohunga thought himself entitled to commandeer any of the property of the missionaries which he happened to take a fancy to, and on one occasion had threatened to take some blankets which were hanging over a line in the bishop's yard. When th<3 bishop objected, the Maori picked up an axe and brandished it; so the bishop, who, having served in the navy, frequently carried a telescope, produced this to defend himself. To the amazement of the tohunga, when the bishop struck him with the telescope, the instrument collapsed, and the Maori naturally thought that it had gone right through him. Bishop-Bennett gave reminiscences of another worker for the Maoris, Dr. Maunsell, who was said to be able to speak Maori better than the natives themselves. Others mentioned by the bishop were Bishop Selwyn and Bishop Patterson. He concluded his address with an account of the work of the Te Waipounamu Girls' College. The address was illustrated throughout by lantern slides.