THE MAORI LANGUAGE

Evening Star, Issue 22326, 30 April 1936, Page 8

THE MAORI LANGUAGE

“ INTERESTING AND GRACEFUL " REVIVALIST'S IMPRESSIONS OF A TOUR Of all the native peoples lie has encountered on his extensive travels throughout Europe and the "Western Hemisphere, Mr J. Edwin Orr, author and preacher, of Belfast, Ireland, who is at present in Dunedin, counts the Maori race as the most cultured, and their language as the most interesting and graceful. He is surprised that New Zealanders do not make a study of this native tongue, but since his arrival in the Dominion has only met three white people who speak Maori fluently. He told a reporter to-day that the language makes an absorbing study, anfl already he has mastered the rudiments, being able to converse in the tongue, though necessarily to a restricted degree. Stimulating Christians in all churches to pray for revival is Mr Orr’s mission' to this country. With no resources, but believing he was Divinely commissioned, he, left his home in Belfast with less than 3s in his pocket, and an old bicycle as a means of transport, and arrived in Liverpool to conduct a world tour. Speaking of his 10 weeks’ stay in Russia, Mr Orr said he made a searching study of religious persecution. The worst-dressed tramp in England looked far better than the average Russian citizen, and he held that it would take many years to establish the country on a civilised level with European standards. Socialism did not exist, and the young people of Russia were taught that every other country -was worse off than theirs. “ The State religion of Russia is Atheism,” said Mr Orr. I visited the anti-God museum and saw some horrible things. That beautiful painting of Christ with His Twelve Apostles at the Last Supper has been perverted into 12 dead and drunken men with the Lord as a hangman. The symbol of the Holy Ghost —a dove—is turned into a crow, while Christ is depicted in a general’s uniform with a cigar in his mouth, showing how to murder the masses.” He had been told, said Mr Orr, that the Russians regarded Christ as one of the world’s greatest teachers, the source of his information coming from one of the Government’s secret service women. The Government taught free love, and divorces were granted if the husband or the wife was transferred to a different locality from where both parties were originally residing. . Although he unhesitatingly condemned the persecution of the Tews in Germany, he was greatly impressed with the era of prosperity through which the country was passing. Quite a large proportion of the population stood firmly behind Hitler’s political policy, and they were very loyal to him, even though they might not agree with his attitude towards the Christian religion. While he was in Italy last July the Ethiopian trouble was imminent, and all over the country placards bore the legend: “ Viva le Guerra Long Live War —and the entire population was being taught to hate Britain even more than Ethiopia.