Te Aute College.

Hastings Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 4631, 1 July 1904, Page 3

Te Aute College.

(The Abode of the Maori Footballers.) PART 11. [By a Wandering Scribe.] " Now I'll show you the kitchen," said my guide. " Look." indicating a shelf, " there are the urns in which Our tea is made." In the kitchen they were busy putting bread into the oven for baking. " Yes," in answer to my query, " we bake all our own bread." And the Maori youth l'aoro, who was helping with the "shovelling" into ' the oven, smiled a broad smile. Both j h,*<vid his chum seemed very much am *d at my being interested in the num %,of loaves, which the inmates of the ukllege (consumed. The baker said they ate 25 loaves at a meal, and about 300 to 400 each week, while some 10 sheep were demolished in the same short time; one sack of potatoes only suffices for three meals, a ton of flour lasts but 29 days, while as for plum dough—the two boys' eyes sparkled at mention of it. "Why," said the baker, " they have the fill of that big bath for one meal." Just outside the kitchen, but close enough to be handy, are rooms for meat and other stores. Mr Ware Waitai smiled as I remarked that the boys did not evidently suffer from hunger. He told me they started the day with prayers at 7 o'clock, breakfast followed from 7.30 to 8, dinner at noon, and tea at 5 o'clock. My query, whether they had any other meal, any supper, was met with quite a pained look and an emphatic "No, that is all." As we strolled towards " No. 3," a room my guide had referred to before, he told me of the necessity which had compelled the College authorities to make additions to the buildings, and even now, he said, " there is not nearly the accommodation for the number of students who want to join the College." No. 9 is a . dormitory away from the main building; it used to be a workshop and was built by one of the teachers, Mr Dunn, now on the teaching staff of' the Wanganui College, but so limited was the accommodation that it had been adapted to its present purpose and now provided sleeping room for ten boys. There had been two additions, one at each end; both had been built by the boys, the fi-st under the superintendence of a muster, Mr West (who is now on the Continent studying painting), the second (used as a boot cleaning room) was supervised also by a former master, Mr Baker, who is now an ordained clergyman and has a parish somewhere near Sydney. There is a slope of some '6O feet close to this end of the building, a very steep slope, at the bottom of which, under the shade of some old willow trees, the boys have a tennis court. It is, Mr Ware Waitai said, delightfully cool to play on in the time Mr Thoiu f cl i room and two other clas- ioohi- a < ituatf* 1 in i lep'ii t b i ldin_r Ii *V,n tOOljl tb< ' bl ( la^"I r J " ■ - ■ ; <■ x L _ » v 1 ! Ware Waitai had consisted of just ob servations as we passed from room to room and from one building to another, but we sat down for a few minutes in Mr Thornton's study, and in the course of our talk ihere he told me that the College could take a much larger number of boys, but, with the , cubic space available in the dormi- ' tories, it is deemed that thi present number, 74, is sufficient. There are some 8 English and G6 Maori and half-caste boys, more half-caste than pure Maori, and some quarter-caste. They are from all parts of Now Zealand, from North Cape to the Bluff. but the younger generation of natives are sadly handicapped by the teaching institutions, such as Te Aute College, being so few in number, while the desire nowadays among the natives for education is very great. Mr Thornton rinds it difficult to find accommodation for the number of boys who want to come here. In many instances applications have to stand over for some considerable time before the applicants can be received at the College. It must be remembered that the boys who are here were only received under certain conditions —they each had to undergo a medical examination as to soundness. If they could not successfully pass this examination they were not admitted. In addition they had to pass the 4th Standard in the native school. Precisely the same conditions govern the admission of English lads. I was amused at Mr Ware Waitai's reference to school pets as we rose to look at the diplomas hung on the walls. He said there was a strict rule against the boys keeping pets, but the rule had been relaxed in favour of one small dog, which was the property of the boys—common property. The diplomas are those of Mr Apirarna Te Ngata, one being from the New Zealand University, his B.A. diploma, dated 24th April, 1894 ; another the 8.L., also of the New Zealand Uni versity; it is dated 27th February, 1897. The education of the boys is not restricted to "book laming," as Captain Marryat expresses it in writing of schoolboy incidents in " Percival Keene," but they are also taught garden work and other useful details. Most of t-lie work in the -anion is done by the boys ; they also help inside, as they have to sweep out their rooms and make their own beds. The sports, games, and drill of the boys are not lost sight of. There is a good cadet corps, some three score and ] six : the arms, Lee-Enlield rifles, are kept in "the armoury," a separate building behind the schoolrooms. Four leum-' courts afford ample opj portunity for developing skill at that fascinating game. There is junior cricket, and as fur football—well, the record of the team in Australia is quite sufficient to prove that that branch oi snort is followed with the greatest enthusiasm. The light was waning, but there was enough to see into the pretty College chapel on the low hill. Mr Ware Wjdtrj, by the aid of a match, read out to me the inscription on the

brass shield over the entrance door. In the dim light I should have missed seeing it had it not been for the thoughtfulness of my guide. The inscription reads : - " To the Venerable Archdeacon Samuel Williams, missionary, and founder of the To Aute College, the lifelong friend of the Maori Race, and one of the Fathers of the Church in New Zealand. This church was erected by his friends during his lifetime iu lo\mg appreciation of his labours. A.D. 1900." From the crest of the hill on which the chapel is built the garden kept by the boys can be ,seen; it looked neat and gave promise of abundant crops. I To the left of the garden is the orchard, where doubtless the pruning knife will soon be put in use. On the other side of the hill is the football ground ; there the boys who have so j well upheld the honour of their College and their native land in football contests while in Australia have practiced. Two buildings can be seen on the ground; one is the pavilion, but the other, a smaller one, is outside the boundary of the football field, and while I could not imagine what purpose it served, was soon enlightened, for Mr Ware Waitai took me to see itPushing it —it moved on iron rails—a fine telescope was disclosed to view, lent for the use of the boys by Mr Pope, of Wellington, the late Inspector of Native Schools. This telescope is said to be one of the largest in the colony. That the loan is thoroughly appreeiated was evident from what I heard and from the very great care which is taken of the instrument. The hour and a half I had to spare had passed all too quickly, and it was getting near train time. Mr Ware Waitai took me to his study and gave me tea, an attention which I greatly appreciated. Th r is little more to add, for I could nut learn all about the early history of the College in the short time at my disposal. Later on I hope to do so, and the details will form the subjecr of a further article about Te Aute, but the title may perhaps be " Early struggles to educate our Maori brother-:, and how success may be achieved." The title I selected for this iiriicle, " The Abode of the Maori Footballers," was suggested by my knowing that Mr Thornton with "his hoys/' the members of the Te Aute team, have just returned from their aiiccost'il trip to Australia. The display of football they gave was a credit to them, their College, and their country. That they met with some reverse is not to their discredit, the several wins they had quite o'ershadow any defer, r. 1 extend to them with the best of good wishes and the greetings in their mother tongue —" Haoremai! Haeremai! Nga toa tana !!! "