RACIAL COMPARISONS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1931, Page 9

RACIAL COMPARISONS

PAKEHA And THE MAORI',

STRONG PLfcA FOR SYMPATHY. BISHOP OF WAIAPU’S '.APPEAL.* Better knowledge, of the '.Ajapri’s racial attributes and instincts, dispassionate comparison of his virtues and his failings with those of the pakeha, and a sympathetic judgment of a race brought suddenly, and by no action of its owh, to a-bsorb all the complexities of a higher civilisation were forcibly pi-o-cd by the Rt; Rev. the Bishop of Waiapu (Dr. -Williams) in a sermon delivered at St.- Mary’s Church, Neiv Plyihbuth, yesterday morhirig. Speaking iipori /Uib words, “Hath rtiade of. one blbod all hatibnfe of then for to dwell oh all the idee, of the earth”—Acts 17 v. 26—His Lordship jsaid people were wbht .to. .boast that- there was nd “colour 'line”' in New Z’caldiid. To a certain extent .this was true, though it was riot altogether a- fadt. There were certain- differences between the .European and the. .Maori,’, but it could be claimed that nowhere in the British Dominions was a native race upon better terms than the Maori with the pakeha. At the same time there existed considerable niisunderstanding in regard to their relationship, and a tendency to compare the Maori with our own arid to assume that the latter was the superior race. It whs; however, iicbessary to use care befbre ,; passing a judgment Of-tljat nature. To ask, indeed, whether _wc liad the right tb. make such a’ claim. Thbro was’no right if 'it ’Were based iiicrclv upon the fAct /that the. European "had developed under better_ 'circumstariccs, with better educational facilities arid with better traditions from his forbears. These were hot matters to boast about, but io thank God for. PROUD OF HIS BIRTHRIGHT. In asking whether the European .was the better °race there were maliy"thifags to be taken into corisideiA.tioh. Rehieiriberimr the Maori was a Polynesian race, he had much, to be proud of in his birthright. When our forefathers of the British were, getting about ..in coracles or regarding it as a. great adventure to cross tlie English Channel the Maori was crossing the . Pacific Ocean ih his dug-out canoes with outri<t<rers from I’ahiti to the ice regions, stebririo' by the stAts, discovering New Zealand and going back to explain to his countrymen how to reach these islands. The Maori had ancestors far before the European ih navigation, and certainly rffit behind tlie latter in boldness anil .the spirit of adventure. Just IVs the British wete proud of their position on the sea, > was thb ‘old-time Maori, ' • / • ,/. It riiiglit .be said that shell .remarks Were all very fihe in regard to tha past, but the fact remahled that the Maori of to-day was not sb fine a type of individual as the Englishman and xvas full of all. sorts of shortcomings.' As a fact the Maori was neither so bad as. some thought nor so good and wonderful as some emotional people eebiiied to imagine. The. Maori was accused of being lazy; treacherous, dirty, unreliable and lackiiio- in the mental capacities of the Ettrbpeaii; Assuming for a moment the Maori was idle, dirty arid unreliable, he had no monopoly of those failings. Had the European no similar failings? Were there riot, for instance; cases where men registered as unemployed were out of work because they would not work? In the Courts crimes bf injustice, ot cfuelty, Arid even, of brutal murder by Eiirbpeans Were well knpWrt, arid the Maori certainly lihd rib monopoly of these failings, and it would be time enough to pour scorn upbri his rA'c'e when sure . that bur 'own was piitfeict. There was A widespreA'd conyi'ctioii that thb- Maori was .constitutionally idle, that; so to speak, he was born sb and it was in his. bipod. Such an opinion had .no solid foundation.. It was said the Maori would not stick to wbrk but preferred to lie in the sun dhd smoke. Agair! it might be . asked if there were no Europeans with this failing. .' - FACTORS TO CONSIDER. To arrive at a sound conclusion whether the Maori was by heredity, lazy aiid feckless it was necessary to picture hbW he had to live before the Europeah canie, uiiihvit'ed, to liis country. To begin with, his principal implement whs a stone adze. Its construction whs a matter of months,, soffi'etiriibs bf years; pf griiidiiig to give-it the necessary shape and acuteii’ess. When all this labour had been expended it was Still but a stone adze wherewith the MhOri hid io do all his work; to build his houses, hfc chribes, shape the bird spear; fishing hooks and his digging, implenient with, which to obtain his supplies. When he wanted to get birds he would lihve to wait the oppbrtxihity of spearing l them ? and lie would be for-' innate if he got as many as, pweli e birdfe in a day. These .he would have to carriy back to the pa, perhaps Some miles away at the 'lop of A. liilf. In short, unless the. bld-iinie Maori were busy and energetic all day and every day he cbuld not .-live; ■ . ■ " . There was no shirking on the part of the Maoris’ forefathers, .and given- the same cause there would be none by the Maori.to-day. The Maori’s apparent love of idleness was largely due to the introduction of ’ money by the pakeha. The Maori found that bv Working two or three days he could earn sufficient th keep him for the. rest of the week. It was said the Maori was apt to shbiV lack bf interest in his wOtk, and could be semi going about aimlessly as thbtigh he had nothing to . live for. ■ Tlie teatebn Was that we had taken from the Maori his old-tinib principal occupation and enjoyment —that of fighting. With the introduction of fireanns the Maori, who was first and foreiiiost a wrirribr Aiid lived ihaihly .to fialit, though he had to work to raise the necessities- of -life>--found he was able to wipe out his enemies, and those who hud firehriiis fifst soon brought inter-tribal wars to an end. Firearms and European settlement and law had taken away the Maori’s main ehjoviiieht and occupation and failed to put anything in their place. To say this was not to blame the European. settlers or ahyoiie else; because the full results of the new order of nflaiife could not Imvb been foreseen. However, the result was that the Maori f'oiiiid liiuiSblf with his ihteffeSt ih. life taken away, the necessity for continuous labour’gone arii nothing given him in feturh to keep his? mind, occupied; The speaker's own bbservatioiiS had convinced him that if a Mhori were given congenial Work lie as hard and afe well '’as any European; In tlib 'eastern side of the North Island Maoris did a great deal of shfearino- and bushfelling, and did it well; It” had been said the Maori was no fariher; but it looked as though opinion iii this respect was on- the eve of ft change; It was triib the ■ Maori could not sec in such an occupation as.slibcpfarniiiig; for instance; tlib necessity for repairing hl oiice a brbkch fence. He could not sec that the continuous Work

on a sheep farm was necessary because he did not receive money for eaeli piece of work rife it With done, rind he coiild hot mentally Fbfosee that it wris necessary that it be doiie, although the proceeds might only come to him once a year. . ■ Proof of this contention could, be seen in recent years with the growth of dairying among the Maoris. WJieri _it first began, tlie speaker thought. with, others that the movement would not last long. A, year liter he. found t-hrit while some Europeans had ceased t© supply tlie factory the Maoris weri sticking to it arid to-day in that, district there were more Maori than European suppliers. The reason was.that the Maori received his monthly cheque arid saw a return for his work within a - reasonable time of its perforihanc& It would be. seen, therefore, _ that thb Mabi-i was far fforii being inherently lazy. SORES THAT RANKLE. As to the charges oLtlie Maori being cruel and treacherous, it had.tb be realised that .Taranaki had. passed, through tlie. bad days Of the Maori War and that they had left sores that were deeper arid rankled more than those caused by -: Maori . warfare in Poverty Bay. and the impression was the firmer that the Maori whs cruel arid treacherous. It must be reinem'bered that crfielty was a relative forth. What bnb ebrisidbred cruelty. another might hot. Thfe Maori was less sensitive to pain tliatt tlie Eiiropedn arid rifould ignore wounds that wbuld cause.-the latter unfold discomfort. Being Ifess sensitive fo pain hiinself he whfe lesi tfegardful. bf caiisiiia- it to others. As. to treachery in. warfare, .the Maori had his ? bwn code of honour in warfare; .blit it ihight be said that his ebriteritioh was that in war you -were out io kill youi Ineiriy; and if ydii coulA take any advantage of him you wci;e entitled to do ,: _ 4wain it might be asked if the Maori was. very, different .to the European. During thb Gfoat War the Germans were accused of having been treacherous, Of failing “to play the game,” rind they in turn made the same cbmplaint of the Allies. At least it was certain riiany of tlie best Brains were erigaged in devising war mafotiril with which to spririw/a stirprise upon the eribniy. Bearing itli.is in mind, cbiild. the European afford to criticise,the Maori? It had to be remembered, rilso that tlie Maori had brily bbeh in touch with what we Call civilisation a little over 100 yeriis. Wh’en that happened he was, riiucli as iyere the aricierit - Britons wlieh jiiliuß Ceasar theiri. Moreover, in the 100 years the Maori had been in tpucli with Westferri civil; isati'ori there had’ bceii more changes and scientific discoveries tlian inthe preceding Idlib years. In fafet, during the last century tlie Maori had been trying to keep pace with changes in th -ught and disebtery . that had kept Europeans almost breathless in a similar endeavour. It was unfair, therefore. to jridge the Mabri harshly Jf he had not entirely siiccieded. The Maori was hot riibre criiel, treacherous or lazy than biirsehes. Nor was it certain the opiriion could be upheld that Maoris were irifolleclually inferior to the Europcriri; arid in spiritual matters it wris iriipossjble id judge thb yfopi'i untn a relationship had been established that would enable liifh to. display his attifure toward Spiritual things, been the speaker’s experience to knOW Maoris whose simple friith had put- him to shariie. The Maori was as .bad apd as good as the European, y Ifi GOdj® eyes he was a human beinw, and aihong the men for wlibrii Jesus died that they might have eternal life. In helping the work of the Maori Mission the European could play the part of an elder brother to his Maori brethren; ..both, being in the sight of God “one fitesh.”