COMMON-PLACES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5496, 28 June 1879, Page 6

COMMON-PLACES.

How does Rewi think these days ? For one small head to carry all the new ideas thrust upon it in the space of time were impossible, eurely, unless in his isolation cf 20 years he •{ kept himself well supplied with the daily a papers and other edifying literature to slew * him how the world wagged outside of the ■ Hauhau boundary. To be unable to read, it were of lesser importance, the power of j mind over matter being acknowledged. The j visible printed presence of intellectual i strength ought to have been sufficient to ' impress npon the savage breast that it signi- j 'fled, something. \ Hβ looks wise and gentle and Bad, with , untiring energy iu his searching inta the - practical working of the wisdom of the i pakeha. In the midst thereof does he j think in this wise :—"I, Rewi, am brought j out here into the light of a new day , by inspiration not of man. lam told by those in power among these people, that it were well for me, Eewi, to be their friend; even though all these years I have had no need of them, and have kept my face turned away, and my ears deaf. They are not proud, they have come to me so often, that I am here, and I know what they do not know themselves,—that a greater than Governor or Premier sent them. That base things are used in building up of a strong house, when once it is willed to grow. So the foundations of peace may be laid by the words put into the mouth of those who have led me here ! With that revelation, I give up my mana, — the traditions of my ancestors, — of my ruce. With all the days I have lived, and suffered, and waited, I find myself a child como to learn new ways, and if I find them good, to tell my people, so that they may not fear to be taught. What I have done is right. Am I not a ' white crane' among them ? AH hands take mine when I hold it out, and wherever I go doors are open to the chief, who is little better than a name of the past to them. They are kind, their faces are kind, even many of their women and children can look upon me without showing dislike. They Bee many Maoris in. their streets, and looking upon them as slaves ; they are no loDger afraid. How is it I should be the first to say that in this great town they have built, tbey have forgotten a little place for the dark-skinned owners of the land to rest their feet? "They think I canmakoit easy for them to possess our lands (the Waikato), without trouble; for their housee and fences, and grass and flocks to cover our wildernesses ; and we must find our homes on such spots aa they think fit to mark us out on their maps of surveying. They will have it—the only possession we have, because we ' make no use of it.' Aue! that I must help them to destroy us as a people 1 which will be certain even if Ido nought. And it would be better to gain something for this we lose -. our all, our land.: some of their wisdom in working out strange devices, and learn their ways of pleasure in digging up the thoughts of dead men. Aue.' we are a dying people. When we leave this for the reinga, where all men are alike, landless, or rich—what matters it there! We will shew the Chief of Chiefs there what we may have gleaned from those to whom He had bestowed ae much. He will be pleased, and make us there a living people for iitu. He will make all things come right, He pono. Ht was landless, too ! " I have seen them at work and play. Their works in iroi are to be esteemed ; it is like, witchcraft putting life into inanimate things. Our foolish, old Atuas would have been scared at what they could never do. Witchwork brought me many miles. They call it ' railway, , but it grew out of iroD. Cannon and guns grow oat of iron, too. We have not been killed by them. We loved war too well, but the railway will destroy us, by reason of all that comes with it. Houses, fields, flocks upon the land we do not 'use.' Iron means strength. We are not airong. Our mana has left us before the hot, white breath of steam—the strength of this wise people. " Hiana tells me it is all well ; if his words are wise, they are given him to say, and what matters ii then who speaks them ? " I have been in the house where they put stones, shells, birds, and beasts from- all places of the earth—very foolish things besides in bottles, that only made one sick and shiver. What is moat wonderful there to - see are white gods of ancient days—heroes, and strong all of them before the white steam came ! They are too grand for words, and for the young to learn from them what beauty is, they are there. They have not covered them ; yet they are clothed so very much themselves. Some things among these pakehas is so hard to understand! Maoris do not know when it is correct to be ashamed ! At their feast called " Ball" the women are only half-covered, they tell me. • -I suppose they have learnt the meaning of the hard word ' beanty' from these white gods of ancient days. We have all mnch to learn. .-.« "I met the Chief Robinson, the Governor ; the Eangatira of all these people who come to ua with fair words and gifts. ". I have been wear/ o£ this going here and there to Bee, but I havo waited to talk our trouble over with him, after bidding him welcome, and holding his hand in mine before all, to show them he was to be my friend for ever and ever ! He is a Rangatira, and will not deceive me when I a?k, *. Why such and '■ such is tika ? Enough !' Or, it might be '- in this train of speculation— "They made great friends with me now I have broken faith with - Tawhiao. They think I am his backbone and will, apart from him, give them Waikato and save them from war ; they hate war, it would stop their work ; they love work and money. The banks would be broken if there was tronble. Banks are where they store all their gold. I saw it all, and will go there with my fighting men some day ! Pakebas love gold better than anything. They do everything with it—and die for it often. We are getting to be like them in liking it. "What good is there in all this work 1 work ! work 1 Wherever I have been I see nothing else. The Maori is happier. He sleeps and plants, and eats and drinks—since the pakeha taught him that—which makes him forget for the time that the lands of his. ancestors are not his own ; it was all he had, and the pakeha wanted it—they want everything, even the meres aud ornaments buried with our dead—nothing is tapu or unclean to them: they handle the bones even ? [Imagine » Maori swear here—which at its worst means physical torment, not eternal, which is civilised.] They can talk well Some' of them say their laws and lives are ordered .by the Book. They lie! How i can they say their Atua is great, and hates all evil bo much that, in the sadness of Hie heart at men's ways, he sent Hie own sore heart in the shape of a son to teach them love and goodness through Himself. What did they do to him ? They took Him of the loving heart and nailed Him to the cross. He need not have died there, , but He was teaching them even there, and so He bore it, and cried out besides, lest the Father should be wroth to " forgive them; they did not know." He left thp«e whQ were to teach forever on the earth how He lived, and that, from man's sin He died.; and these people who know all this are not ashamed to do. evil every day, and speak flattering words to me,,Kewi, thus : —' We love you, friend Eewi; we will make it well for you and Tawhiao (whom you have forsaken) in the days to come , —and more.' But I am silent, and keep all thia to myself. I will iruat the Governor until I find his worsl» ,«we two meanings, when I will vioit them ?ieif». in Auckland'again, jind go to the stores s,Rd banks, and it, will be, Kanuite pal. •".■•.'., ■' •" . "AH this work! work ! work ! My eyes are weary of it all. What's the use of it? Wβ iauat die after all 1 Maoris will never learn' to do work ! Why should they be killed .by it on .their own. land ? Aue! [another Maori swear] Where in their land ?■ Where will it be after the Governor has been to W»ik»to with me ? . ' , : '"'■.' '.'The Ngapuhi- are fools; what do they get for. being Meads to the pakeha ? I am more precious in their eyes than all Kgapnhi, because they are not sure of me yet. 'That is the way of wily, wine men. Sydney Taiwhanga seems dear to them. They give him iitu for, the talk he has, bnt it's a pity Ngapubi'let's him sgeak, for them; it's better not to be understood "than, have words go through what is. unclean. Enough !".■ ' V, ..'....,,.,. ,: .: . In the 'procession there waa not represented all the characteristics of New Zealand the Pakeha-Maori to wit, unless the Native Minister in his offioial capacity was the missing link as it were between the two races; _Moreanon. - !:f .;,; Zee.- ,