Te Waka Maori WELLINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1875.

Waka Maori, Volume 11, Issue 5, 9 March 1875, Page 50

Te Waka Maori WELLINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 1875.

It is a wise arrangement of Providence that every man, civilized or uncivilized, must labour in some way or other. He must bring out and develop the powers and capabilities which are in him, either by the labour of his brain, or by the use of his physical powers, his bone and muscle. In short, in whatever position he may be placed, or in whatever circumstances his lot may be cast, the development of his powers depends upon his own exertions. We have proof of this in the utter helplessness of man when he first comes into the world. Nothing is done for him; he is the most helpless of all animals. Other creatures are born more or less fitted to enter at once on their life. The bird is clothed with feathers, the sheep with wool, the dog with hair, without thought or any exertion on their part. Not so with man: he must provide himself with clothing ; and by hunting wild animals, fishing, or other labour, he must procure food for himself. We see that, in any case, he is compelled to labour, if he wishes to remain upon the earth at all. Thus there is no possibility of escaping from labour; we must work, or we must cease to exist. No doubt to many people, both Maoris and Pakehas, this alternative appears to be a grievance and an injustice. But have they ever seriously considered the question, whether it is really so—whether it is not a blessed arrangement of an all-wise and beneficent Creator ? What is the fact ? The answer is, that labour is not an evil, but a blessing; and that for the necessity of exertion to support life, we ought to be profoundly thankful. Consider for a moment; what would be our condition without labour to develop our intellectual and muscular powers? Look at

those countries where the fruits of the earth are produced with scarcely any exertion on the part of the inhabitants—where their food, in fact, is almost of spontaneous growth; the people are not only indolent and slothful, but they are incapable of any great exertion. They exist, so to speak, in a state of torpor; they possess no activity or energy, and, not unfrequently, have no greatness of soul or generosity of disposition. Nature having done much for them, they are little inclined to do anything for themselves. Like idle boys at school, who bribe their more industrious schoolmates to do their work for them, they are always at the bottom of the class. Nothing less than an earthquake, shaking their houses about their ears, will rouse them from their lethargy; and then they rush out and pray to their gods to help them, instead of trying to help themselves. Perpetual summer is _ very agreeable, no doubt; but it is a nursery of indolence, and the change to stern winter, with its storms and its cold, is a blessing. On the other hand, look at countries, such as New Zealand, where it is not always summer, where frost and snow, hail and storm, come at times, with their bracing influences, to alter the face of nature. "What manly, vigorous races the natives of such countries are! They do not find everything ready prepared for their use, and they are obliged to exert themselves actively if they would live in comfort. To what do the people of England owe their fine roads, canals, bridges, railways, telegraphs, and other great constructions, and, we may add, their power and influence in the world as a nation ? To labour—brain-labour and hand-labour. Had labour not been carried on for hundreds of years within the borders of England, it is very certain she would not be in the position which she now holds among the nations of the earth. By labour the faculties of her people have been developed, their abilities made the most of, and there is now no enterprise too great for them to undertake. Labour there has been advanced to such a degree, by the energy of her inhabitants, that though they cannot have perpetual summer, they can have, under Providence, perpetual comfort. And we see the same thing being carried out here in New Zealand. By the energy of the Government and the people, the "wildernesses and desolate places" of the country are being thrown open for the occupation of man; good roads and railways are being constructed over pathless wilds and precipitous forest-clad mountains, which were once the abodes only of the wild boar and the wood-hen, and the screech of the iron horse now resounds where once was heard only the harsh cry of the "kaka" and the lonely notes of the "huia;" bridges are being thrown across rapid mountain torrents the roar of whose swollen rushing waters once fell with dread upon the ear of the hungry and way-worn traveller, cutting him off from home and plenty; towns are springing up and bustling activity prevails in spots where once the voice of man was seldom heard ; messages dart along the telegraph wires from end to end of both islands; our ports are crowded with shipping bringing the wealth of nations to our shores and opening up a market for our productions; our children are being educated and fitted to take

our places (worthily, let us hope) when we are gone and perform their part in the active duties of life ■ we are acquiring a name among the nations of the' earth, and everything betokens that New Zealand will be a worthy scion of a noble parent. And all this has been the result o£ labour. Labour, then, being good on a great scale, it follows that it is good on a small scale. If it is beneficial to a whole people, so it is to each individual of the whole. As a man ascends a tree from branch to branch, so labour leads from thought to thought, from endeavour to endeavour, each advance being another obstacle overcome on the road to perfection! It is true that in some cases men have to labour too much ; but this is the result of imperfect conditions of society, and it by no means disproves the recognized rule that a man cannot labour without being benefited by it. Occupation, whether of mind or body, is a necessary means of health and happiness. Note well the man who has really nothing whatever to do; you will find him a discontented, unhappy being. Among the Pakehas especially, where the conditions of society are different to those which exist among the Maoris, many a man has gone to his labour in the morning weary and disheartened with life's cares and anxieties, when the soul within seemed borne down with a crushing weight of wretchedness and trouble, and when life seemed all joyless and gloomy. But being under the necessity of working, such men have found as they proceeded with their toil that the dark clouds which hung about their minds disappeared, and cheerfulness and hope returned; and still as they persevered their peace of mind increased. Solomon, the wise man, said, " In all labour there is profit." Of course he meant honest labour ; and the man who honestly and diligently does his duty in the position in which G-od has placed him, steadily performing the duty that lies directly before him, adds worth to his character, dignity to his manhood, promotes his own interests, and subserves the welfare of others.