A PIONEER IDEALIST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17151, 3 May 1919, Page 1 (Supplement)

A PIONEER IDEALIST.

THE CALL OF COLONISATION.

BY MAURICE HURST.

It is always interesting to learn something of the ideas and enthusiasms that) spurred the pioneer settlers from the safety and comfort of England to the wilderness of New Zealand. Among those who emigrated under the auspices of the New Zealand Company in the early 'forties were in :luded a large number of men who postered high intellectual promise and attainnents. In fact, the basis of Gibbon Wakelelri's scheme was the transplanting of a orajilete slice of English society to these representatives of every class in in? proportion. A university education. vith the lack of practical knowledge thus ir.plifd, was hardly the ideal equipment 'or a pioneer in a wild, new country; yet i t must be acknowledged that, on the vhole, the cultured emigrants attained a rreat measure of practical success. Some if them havo left honoured names in New Zealand history; while others were but ransitory figures in "our island story." )f the latter, Thomas Arnold is a name .hat deserves remembrance; and the fact hat he failed to succeed as a settler does lot detract from the character of the man >r the interest in his story. Thomas Arnold was the son of Dr. Arlold, the great Rugby headmaster, who vaß sufficiently interested in the Wakefield irogramme to purchase two sections of the >romised land under the Southern Cross. tfr. Arnold is also linked to two other amous names, for Matthew Arnold, the wet, was his elder brother,' and his laughter is Mrs. Humphrey Ward, the wvelist. He left England for New Zoaand in 1847, at the age of 23, after having lone very well at Oxford, and gained a ooting in the Colonial Office. An assured losition awaited him in the Homeland, flowevcr, " the time was full of schemes or a new heaven and a new earth, wherein hould dwell equality and righteousness . . . and to settle down to the old lumdrum round of Civil Service promotion leemed to my father impossible," Mrs. iVard tells us in her recently-published • Recollections."

The Dream of Fraternity. How then came this scholar to undertake the adventure of colonial farming? Ho was imbued with the advanced social tendencies of that period, and with an jxalted idea of the equality and brotherhood which were to be the foundations of lociety in the new land ; and on the evo if departure he wrote to his mother : "To n» however strange and paradoxical it nay sound, this going to New Zealand is >ecome a work of faith, and I cannot bub '0 through with it." Discontent with the social institutions if the Old Country, the inadequacy of the cience of political economists, the unatractiveness of English socialism as then epresented by Robert Owen and the Chariste; the fact, too, that he was probably i rover by nature—all these factors helped o turn his thoughts towards New Zealand. ' The description of virgin forests, snowlad mountains, rivers not yet tracked to heir sources, and lakes imperfectly known aecinated me as they havo fascinatoH nany since." And joining the two lines of nought together, my speculative fancy nggested that in ft perfect locale such a 9 view Zealand it might be destined that lie true fraternity of the future— ounders and constitution-builders of the lecessary genius and virtue be discovered -might be securely built up Ml this is crude and boyish enough ; never-he-less such was really the staple of my ncditations during several years." Its )ractical outcome was his departure from England in November, 1847, in the ship 'John Wickliffe." Pioneering, Soon after landing at Wellington—where ie quickly became acquainted with leading lettlers like Alfred Domett and Fredcrio iVeld— made his first journey into the •ountry, a walk to Otaki, 50 miles un the oast, returning on horseback.' Afterwards

he sought out the two sections bought by | Dr. Arnold, situated in the Makara valley I — miles from Wellington, lying beyond i the present suburb of Karori. " Not ait acre of land on the Makara had as yet been cleared; a dark bush, consisting ' mostl;' of red nine, everywhere obstructed the tight." (That district to-day is er- ' tirely denuded of bush; except for a few ' dairy-farms in the valley, it is a bare, I bleak area of useless hills and gullies—a flaring indictment of the country's forestry inaction.) Mr. Arnold resolved to exchange one of j the sections for a piece of land near Forirua, which lay on a good and much-trav- i elled road. Contracting with a neighbour to clear five acres, and erect a two-ropmed hut, he looked forward to the cultivation of potatoes and vegetables, and the ownership of a few cows and sheep. However, an the need for practical achievement became more urgent, the young settler's unfitness for his task became more apparent. Neither his temperament nor training j helped him to meet the rough tasks of pio- . neering. But he would not acknowledge defeat: i and even when an interview with Gover- J nor Grey opened the way to a more appro- I priate vocation, he would not turn aside ! from his plans. The meeting took nlace on the road to Wellington, when Mr. Arnold, travelling on foot, was overtaken by three horsemen. One was a friend of his, and the others were Grey and his aide-de-camp. " The Governor, who had heard about me from Archbishop Whately, a distant relation, dismounted, giving his horse to the orderly, and walked with mo down the hill. After a little conversation, he made me the offer of his private-secretary' ship, which I asked for time to consider, but eventually declined." His reasons were that he cared little about " getting on," and did not wish to five un his work on the land. But a little later lie was compelled to leave his Porirua section, owing to the trustees in England forbidding the exchange which he had effected, fully expecting approval at Home. Having spent most of his money, he was not inclined to recommence. Work at Makara. School-Teaching. At the invitation of Afred Domett, he crossed over to Nelson and undertook school-teaching in a small way. He became " greatly attached to Nelson on acomit of its beauty " ; he had many good friends; but his emoluments were scanty and prospects hazy, and so when he received the offer of the post of Inspector of Schools in Tasmania, he decided to accept it. Mr. Arnold was doubtful of New Zealand's future, and left " without seeing any of the vague hopes of the rise of a regenerated society within its borders fulfilled." The best settlers each turned to his special line of work ; prosperity was on the way ; but no association on poetic or ideal lines iva.* dreamed of. He made no fortune in the cobmv ; as he did not intend making iinv, he was not disappointed on that score. In 1849 ho crossed the Tasmnn Sea. and eventually returned to England with his wife and" family. In Tasmania he was received into the Church of Rome: and [henceforth his adventures were chiefly in :he domain of thought and religion. Thus ended Thomas Arnold's colonial <areer. The fact remains, he had the mind o tee his vision, and the courage to follow I. He did not find here what he wanted: Utopia is always in the distance, but the deal is none the less real because it lies diead. 3 11 a dream? , May bin .he lack of it » dream, i n ,i failing life's I""" ,nri wealth a dream Uld ill iWe world » dream.