THE FIRST MAORI BISHOP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20076, 13 October 1928, Page 14

THE FIRST MAORI BISHOP.

"AN HISTORICAL EVENT." REMARKS BY DR. P. H. BUCK. "I note that Fred Bennett has been appointed as our spiritual head, and wish him all success in a difficult position from a temporal point of view," writes Dr. P. 11. Buck (Te Rangihiroa), of Honolulu, in a letter to Sir Apirana Ngata. "Both sides," proceeds Dr. Buck, "can now unload their shortcomings upon him. Judgment, diplomacy, firmness in big things of policy, with perhaps a courteous giving way in minor details, will all bo demanded of the position. The appointment is an historical event in the evolution of our culture and no matter what the results, it is in keeping with the standard that has became naturally associated with the Maori division of the Polynesian people. It is a visible manifestation of the urge that has developed from within and demands expression in spito of all opposition. "I see in you and others of the race who were associated with you the spirit of your ancestors finding expression in the fields a that remain open since the lists of Tu have been closed down, Kamehameha of Hawaii, Tubou of Tonga, Malietoa of Samoa, and Pomare of Tahiti, fought their battles and secured so-called kingship. These activities were a continuation of their ordinary culture that culminated in social domination. Not all these victories are to bo compared to that of securing a Maori Bishop against the most obstinate of all armies, the Anglican Church.