THE ADVANCE OF THE MAORI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15714, 6 September 1911, Page 8

THE ADVANCE OF THE MAORI.

The hopes and struggles of tho Maori people are discussed in an article contributed to "East and "West" by tho Rev Hoani Parata, who is himself an earnest and capable worker for the advancement of his race. Mr Parata dismisses at once the falso notion, still prevalent among somo British people, that the Maoris are doomed to extinction by tho onward sweep of civilisation. He says confidently that they are progressing with well-moasurod strides along tho path that leads to honoured citizenship and are ablo to respond to every demand made upon them by the now conditions that tho white man has introduced into their country- ' It is true that tho Maori docs not work to the " unnecessary extent " that the pakoha does, but then the two men, brown and white, have different ends in view. The Maori works to supply his needs; th« pakeha works " to supply llis needs plus to obtain luxury." "Think of tho great pas which stand as monuments of very fair engineering enterprise," saj , 3 M ' r

Parata. "The mountains and valleys of our land contain many thousands of these. Who built them if not tho people who have been stigmatised as •constitutionally indispoaed to work?' " Education is tho wizard's wand that is transforming the Maori, and the writer of tho article tells with prido that tho cry for additional schools and for places in the Native colleges is being heard in tho kaingas, while many boy 3 and girls are doing credit to their stock in the universities. The old difficulty of separating the whito man's virtues from his vices has still to bo faced, but Mr Parata believes that the young Maoris, who represent the hopo of an ancient people, will learn to avoid dangers in their search for enlightenment and truth. Already they aro sending their representatives into the trades and professions and pursuing many different tasks with energy and skill. The pakeha New Zealander, at any rate, should havo no hesitation in accepting Mr Parata's very hopeful ostimate of tho Maori's prospects.