CIVILISATION AND NATIVE CULTURES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17346, 29 September 1924, Page 11

CIVILISATION AND NATIVE CULTURES.

INTER-CLUB DEBATE. “ That tho destructive effect of EuroAmerican civilisation on tbe native cultures is to be regretted " was the subject for debate between the W.E.A. and Can ter bury College at the Trades Hall on Saturday evening. Canterbury College took tUo affirmative and were represented by -Mjss N. Robinson and Messrs J. 11. Hall and A. L. Ilaslam. Miss C. Bloomfield, Aesars C. Bloomfield (leader) and Kaval.agb represented the W.E.A. Mr J. Rigg presided over an attendance of fifty members. The judges were the Rev J K Archer and Mr R. A. Cuthbert. Tho Hon G. W. Russell acted as umpire. The chairman said that it was the first lime these two teams had met. in open debate. He also welcomed the judges After the debate the judges concurred in placing Canterbury College first, and a short criticism of the speeches and some hints on public speaking were given bv Mr Russell. Mr ,1. H. TTall. opening for the affirmative. based hie speech on the fact that all the cultures of life were in harmony. \\ extern 'civilisation had smashed down = nie of the noblest traditions of the nat n €?s and bad thus upset, their harmony o f life and had given them little in return. The white people bad tried to «n----graft their civilisation on these native races and had failed. They had smashed the communal civilisation of the native and given him in return the miserable individualism of the West. There was no doubt that the Western nations had a terrible charge to answer for breaking in on and destroying native civilisations. Mr O. Bloomfield opened for the opposition. He said that in every society there were influences advancing or retarding civilisation. These were but stages Through which all men in evocation had to pas*. M hat civilisation has done for the white n an it could do for the savage. The native peoples lived in ignorance and fear. Modern civilisation had been instrumental in banishing that state. Mias N. Robinson gave the definition of culture ae ** that which makes life beautiful.” A marked effect had been wrought by the destruction of the old Maori arts, such as wearing, carving, and the like! Modern civilisation had been instrumental in the destruction of these. Often, too, the traders who had been first to get. into contact with the natives came from a. low stratum of society, and their influence on the natives had not been by any incans good. Miss C. Bloomfield replied that in nearly every native civilisation the woman was dishonoured, and she gave some vivid descriptions of native customs to support her argument, Mr A. L. Haslam briefly criticised tho speeches of his opponents, and then took Red Indian civilisation and allowed that it was a very real thing. It was tho birthright of any nation to work out its own destiny with the resources at its disposal, and this right had been denied to native ’•aces by the intrusion of western civilisaMr Kavanagh stressed the point that it was unreasonable to think that natives should be denied the advantages of modern civilisation, which the movers admitted it possessed. The leaders then summed up. and tho judges gave their decision in favour of Canterbury College. A vote of thanks to the judges closed the debate.