THE MAORI MISSION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 13889, 25 October 1905, Page 3

THE MAORI MISSION.

ITS CLAIMS ADVOCATED. A meeting was held at tho Art Gal« lory last evening under the auspices of the Anglican Synod for the purpose of urging the claims of the Maori Mission. Bishop Julius presided over a largo meeting, and the speakers were Dean Harper, Arehdeaoons Harper and Avotill, and the Rev J; de B.' Galwey. • The meeting was opened-with a hymn, Mr H. F.- Whittingham presiding at the organ, and prayer was offered by the Rev T. A. Hamilton, organising, secretary of the Maori Mission Fund, v Bishop Julius said that a change had been made’in the conduct .of missions to the Maoris, and he was .glad of it. The Church of New Zealarid hnd taken over the work , of evangelising l the ; Maori, and in that the Church in New Zealand had done its duty. *. A Board - was set up by the General Synod to ■ watch over the work, and the Board , was entrusted with th© task of finding £2OOO for th© Mission. It was though? that th© money would be very hard to raise, but not one of the dioceses failed 1 to make up - its contribution. Thatgave the Board more fa it a and 1 confidence, and for the present year a larger sum .was asked. , The diocese was asked to find £7OO, but that was not a large sum when measured by the claim of Christ and the claim of the Maoris on the diocese. They could raise th© money in Canterbury in- a week, -and they need hut have faith and oonfid-; ence in their power through the help of God. -The whit© people owed a very great deal to the Maoris, and they; could in part repay them by sending. the Gospel among them. L Archdeacon Harper said that he had had opportunities of becoming very intimately . acquainted with the Maoris of the West Coast in the first days of the diggings. The tribe of about a' hundred Mkoris which ho had found in Westland was fortunate enough to lie given very valuable reserves by the' ■ Government, and the Natives were all able to obtain sufficient income from their lands.r ITheir chief: settlement : : was on the. Arahnra River, and there . they had a vexy good school and , a teacher. They were a fine people, eminently, suited to receive the Gospel. . At the Archdeacon’s suggestion, they provided £BOO for a church, and thre< of, their number were appointed lay. readers. They Were assiduous in holding their services twice a day. In that ease Christianity took a real hold of the Natives, and he believed that the material was as good now_as then. He felt that the Maoris of the North Is- . land might all be brought into the Christian Church.

Archdeacon Averill said that ho hoped that the church would endeavour always to do its duty to its homo missions, its Maori Mission and its foreign missions, but' the Maori Mission seemed to have a special claim. The Church Missionary Society had done ; great work for the mission, i but it had done a good work in taking away its grant and leaving the mission to the.. Church in New Zealand. Ho believed that the Church would carry out it? duty loyally, and that the diocese of .Christchurch was not only able but willing to do its part. . It was in. 1808 that the . first movement was made by the revered Samuel Mareden for the commencement of a mission to New Zealand. He thought that in 1908 they should he ready to celebrate the cenc tenary of the movement, and to celebrate it by giving thanks for the conversion of oil the Maoris to Christian- ' ity. A very special effort would be needed and he trusted that the next three years would call forth that effort. The white people must endeavour to compensate the Maori for the wrong; for. which they were largely responsible- , Dean Harper said that Bishop Selwyn had realised, even when his glorious work among the Maoris was at the height of its success, that the Gospel would come with a special freshness to the first generation of heathens, but there would be trial and difficulty with the second and third generations. That ■ had been the actual experience, but if should not discourage the Church. The knowledge of the difficulties before them should’ stimulate and strengthen; them in their efforts to uplift the Maori. Probably those to whom ho wir4 speaking had heard of the Young Maori Party, which was labouring to bring the race "to a Christian manner of life.-They claimed the sympathy of the white people and the whole race claimed their help and their prayers. The Rev J. de B. Galwey said that he had to speak particularly of the Maoris of the Chatham Islands, a portion of the Christchurch diocese. They were ©specially' interesting because they wore the only heathen Maoris in the South Island. They had grown, however, of late years to look mor© favourably on - Christianity, and they were willing to have their children baptised. They had a special claim on the diocese of Christchurch, and he believed that they were a promising set. The Bishop announced ' that ho had received a letter from Mr John Studholme, a member of Synod,’.who apologised for his absence and sent a donation of £lO to the mission fund. The Doxclcgy was' sung, and th« Bishop pronounced the Benediction.