A Description by a World's W.C.T.U. Missionary

White Ribbon, Volume 16, Issue 191, 17 May 1911, Page 2

A Description by a World's W.C.T.U. Missionary

(Mrs fiarnsan Lev ( ouie/. i >ne <*f the most unconventional <•/ NV.C.T.r. Conventions is now heimrheld in l’aki l’aki, New Zealand. M«*n are as numerous and as intensely interested as 1 he women. Three nohle chiefs have already spoken, and I wish I could give you the poetical illustrations, and natural elotiuonce, of these stately men. The question has been, “ Shall the Maori In ions he separated from the I'akeha ’ The Takehas desire that the Maoris shall stand on their own footing, but the Chief Mohi is afraid that if the Baby runs away without its Mother it may get into the tire, or boiling water, or into the ditch. The faces, bright, pleasant, and intelligent, vary in colour from negro black to Kuropean fairness. The tattooing of the women on lips and chin mars the beauty of young and old, hut the large, beautiful, expressive eyes conquer ail oui hearts. Cress is as vailed and marvellous in combination as imagination could con

eeive. Some are as daintily dressed as anv of the Europeans present. The utter regardlessiiess of the* corset-maker’s art is seen in the fully-developed figures; hats are worn, or tossed aside, as the wearer dec ides at the moment. There is a naturalness about dress, behaviour, speech, and song, that charms the poor pakeha. who is hound and fettered and tied by law and custom. At tue concert last night the games were wonderful, while the singing was soft and sweet and lulling as the ripple of silver streams. There are no sibilants in the Maori language, and the frequent tender use of the greeting, “Kin ora! kia ora! ’ responded to hy the whole company, strikes pleasantly on our ears and hearts. If anyone gets tired she simply gets up and w alks off, without anyone dreaming she shows the slightest disrespect. W hile she is interested she stays, and evinces the most lively delight in everything, hut no one expects her to remain to he hol ed, so off she goes, coming hack w hen she chooses. The unveiling of a monument to Piiramene One One has drawn tie* Natives together from all parts of Now Zealand. The residents have provided lavish hospitality for all who come. Three bullocks, fifty sheep, piles of poultry, pigs, aud tish, may convey some idea of the provision mud© for visitor* : •410 sat dow n to dinner yesterday. The plum puddings, jam rolls, custards, cr’<«•««, fruit, etc., would astonish the English who still look upon the Maori as uncivilised.

The method of cooking is original Great clean, new barrels stand in a row, with pipes attached from a steam engine. In these barrels am placed as many as six kerosene tins, full of potatoes; the steam is convened hy the pipes, and the tubers are cooked in twenty iiimutes. Meat, puddings, etc., aro also > ooked here, hut in addition there are many camp-ovens roasting, a large stone oven baking, and great coppers boiling water for tea, coffee, and cocoa. About one bundled busy workers are preparing, cooking, and washing dishes all day long, and— 1 think, all night also. Mrs Stilling Munro is the presiding g< inns of tin* Convention. This exquisite woman i* one of the most beautifully poised and splendidly balanced specimens of our sex 1 have ever met. Lovely in fare, tall and well-proportioned, with a voice of glorious sweetness, she is a combination of Christian grace and organising genius rarely met with anywhere. Her husband is a Church of England minister, and the two are Ten-

nyson’s ideal—“ noble words set to exquisite music.” Mrs Atkinson, tlio Pakeha VicePresident from Wellington, presides with great tact and ability. The poor whites who are not bilinguists aro at a disadvantage, having to speak through interpreters. Paoro, from Poaea, has read a grand report from his Union. Here me the three points: —“ We first decided to call all our children together to forbid them smoking cigarettes. Secondly, we decided to be more careful in our dress, and to keep our houses tidy. Thirdly, that parents should improve their own characters.” The naive simplicity of the report, as read by this big, strong, goodfaced man, made me feel how far we pakehas are behind the natives. The novelty of “a man” being the secretary of one woman’s Union was also refreshing. The chief Mohi has placed his house at our service ; it is quite a Puropeun house. My hostess Mrs Mohi , who has a beautiful, calm, gentle face, is the capable local President. Mrs Oldham, the energetic editor o f the White Kihbox, cleverly pulls the strings of the Convention, and keeps things going smoothly, but we sometimes find ourselves doing things as disconnectedly as those notes are written. The Union is wonderfully broad in the Native pahs, as shown by the report of the Mormon President of one branch, where she reports Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Mormons, and Hauhaus as members. We are sometimes silent with surprise at some of the reports, but - " Tb«* ways of men are narrow, But th«* gate* of God are wide.’’ On PJth April a public meeting was held to form a “Men’s No-License League.” The intelligent interest taken by the men was manifested in the questions asked before joini»;g. Eleven strong, respected men came up to form the league. Some had babies in their anus, but these they disposed (if by pulling the rugs off their own shoulders, and making a bod on the floor for the small brow n bundles of tired humanity. A splendid Maori girl, with a face like golden suushine, read a tine essay on “ Work Among Young People.” She begged the parents not to give the children unlimited money, explaining to the astonished pakehas that at Show time a child will sometimes spend as much as £3 on merry-go-rounds. Every now and then, in the meetings,' a spirit of generosity seems to touch some heart, and a £1 note will be plated on the table. In this way, and with the

concert, already £27 have been contributed to the Convention expenses. The Chieftainess Mohi, with a frank simplicity, told of drink abounding among both men and women until the VV.C.T.U. was formed. Then religion increased, the people began to be good, anyone found drunk was reported to the Maori Council and the delinquent was fined, other branches were formed, and now the people are good.

The manner in which the faults and f dlies are excised, and the grave wav in which everyone accepts the revelation, without malice or offence, is a surprise to the Pakeha. The fear of lihel has evidently not yet come to terrorise these people: while takitiy or qivinfj personal offence is undreamed of. The influence of the W.U.T.U. is widespread. Weddings, iangi* , and ///o* are now held without a drop of intoxicating liquor, and the improvement in the homes, dress and conduct of the Natives is marked.

The Young Maori Party, like the Young Turkish party, stands for the progress and uplifting of the whole nation, and this noble race is likely now to bo saved.

The jewellery worn is ponderous greenstone, some must really be lib. in weight. Long ribbons tied in boars’ tusks as earrings. Press or no dress, elegant silk or plain print, all are treated exactly the same. Surely the spirit of St. James reached the Maori long before his Epistle arrived by the hand of the white man. The discussion on “ Purity ” was earned on by both men and women with a reverence and wisdom befitting so sacred a subject. It was generally conceded that the young girls should he kept from shearing sheds, where too often the degraded Pakeha gravitates. The big pay for shearing is a temptation to the girl who wants money and yet has no knowledge of domestic duties. We all concurred in the spirited sentiments of one clean, bright Maori that girls should early he taught thrift, industry, and cleanliness. As the Convention closed on the evening of the 13tli, wo who had been favoured in having a share in the gathering felt that wo had gained a greater affection for our noble native race, and we thanked the Great Father, who has made of one llesh all the nations of the earth, for showing us our interdependence one on another. "(tod bless each native kind Till Christ shall reign, May they all din withstand, And spread throughout the land."