Te Pipiwharauroa 71

Te Pipiwharauroa 71

No. 71

1904/01

(Maori Version at NZETC.)

[1] Te Pipiwharauroa, He Kupu Whakamarama, Number 71, Gisborne, January 1904.

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN CHICAGO.

The major disaster in these times happened in Chicago, a large city in America, where 600 people were killed. The large crowd of people, most of them women and children, had assembled in a big theatre to see a play. When the play began, some of the curtains caught fire. The crowd stood up and ran in panic. As a result many people died, being trampled under foot, and there were not many exits.

When the fire became intense the fire-fighters fled leaving the women and children struggling and screaming. People coming down from the balconies fought over the passages, pressing on in vain. Some were trodden down and died. When those in front fell, those behind did not wait for them to get up but kept pressing on and eventually people were heaped up twelve feet high. People were crowding around and pushing one another while the fire spread. 600 people died. Some were burned in the fire while others were trampled to death. They had one aim and they went over the heads of the many trying to get out. This was a terrible tragedy. The homes of 4000 families have been plunged into sorrow. Many whole families have disappeared from the face of the earth. Five children of one leading citizen died. As a result of the horror of this tragedy there has been a demand that theatres have more emergency exits.

THE ‘KIA ORA’.

We wrote about the sailing of the Kia Ora from Gisborne. The yacht was 2 ½ tons, had two people on board, and their aim was to reach London. This was the smallest craft to try to get to London. They did not succeed. After 25 days they were lost. When they were found there was only one man on board, the other had died. They had travelled more than 1000 miles. 400 miles after leaving the Chatham Islands disaster struck them. One of them was lying down below, his head having been struck by the boom. While he was lying there [Horace] Buckridge, the Captain, came down saying that he was injured. Because the ropes needed fixing he had climbed the mast and had fallen, but he did not speak much of his injury. They lay there together and the yacht drifted. When his companion [G H Sowden] awoke the Captain had died. He thinks that when his friend fell he must have struck his chest on something sharp. When his friend died, he determined to return to New Zealand with the body. After three days’ sailing, he hoisted up his friend and consigned him to the sea. His first thought was to sail to Lyttelton, and then to Wellington, but he eventually arrived here in Gisborne, the place they had sailed from. He had to stay awake for many days and nights. He had no sleep. For two days he tried to enter Gisborne. [2] When he came alongside a large ship he had no strength left. There was much praise for the bravery of this 20 year-old lad and his determination to bring back his yacht single-handed. He sailed it 1000 miles.

The young man said that their yacht sailed very well making 100 miles a day. His companion’s aim was to reach Cape Horn, South America. He did not conceive of Buckridge dying in this fashion. He [Buckridge] had gone to fight in Africa, he had gone to the Antarctic, he had sailed a boat on Waimangu Spring, and he died through falling from the mast of a yacht. People had thought that the two of them were most likely to die by being overturned or smashed to pieces by the sea. Buckridge was one of the mates of the Tilikum. He left it at Auckland and built the Kia Ora.

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Te Pipiwharauroa has made known the troubles between Russia and Japan, their warlike stance towards each other which has become notably worse, and now we await the clash of weapons. We believe that in coming days war is inevitable. Both sides are ready for the quarrel. The soldiers on both sides are assembled; they are getting ready to fight. The warships are gathered and are practising gunnery. Russia and Japan have bought new warships. Japan has bought from Italy two battleships which have sailed for Japan, but they are being followed by Russian ships. A new battleship is being built for Japan. Mail steamers have been assembled to carry soldiers. Food is being bought for men and horses. The main food of the Japanese is rice. Russia is also preparing. Some of her naval ships have sailed for the East. Japan has more naval vessels in the East than Russia, but if Russia brings ships from the West then her forces will be stronger than those of Japan. Some people think that Japan ought to declare war now while Russia has so few battleships in place. Russia has completed the building of a railway in Russia which crosses Siberia to the sea in the East. It is the longest railway in the world. So they will be able to bring soldiers swiftly to Korea, the place that is the cause of the war. But the news is that the people of Japan are ready to destroy the railway should fighting begin. Thousands of Russian soldiers have gathered in the East.

The causes of this trouble are some territories between Russia and Japan, Manchuria and Korea. Japan is a distance from Korea but she is the leading power in Korea. Russia has long wanted to get a base on the coast for her naval ships. She has obtained one harbour in the East but the problem with it is that in the winter it is blocked by ice. The strongest harbour Russia has is Port Arthur which is leased from the Chinese. When Japan defeated China this harbour was taken by Japan, but the nations, out of concern that Japan might become too great in the East, insisted that Japan relinquish it and instead take some islands. However, afterwards, at the request of Russia, it was leased by China to Russia. Russia wants to take Korea, Korea being between her harbours. Russia has taken Manchuria, the land beyond Korea. Japan demands that Russia swear not to take Korea, but to acknowledge her authority over Korea. All this has been arranged but has not been implemented and perhaps it will only be settled by war. Japan is a small power while Russia is a great power, however the Japanese are a very brave people. Some people think that Russia will be defeated and Japan will survive, while others think that Russia is the greater and more courageous power and that in the end Japan will suffer. There is apprehension as to whether England will enter this war since she is an ally of Japan. If another nation supports Russia then England will not be able to avoid supporting Japan. Perhaps this will be a world war. Russia is wary lest by starting a war with Japan she may encourage some of the peoples under her rule to rise up against her. We are still awaiting the day when the cannons will fire.

[3] 

 MANUAL WORK

(The speech of Reweti Kohere at the Hui at Manutukea.)

Many Pakeha think that we Maori are lazy, but if one looks carefully at what Maori were like in the old times and are like now one realises that this idea is foolish and not true. If Maori are observed to be lazy in these days there are reasons for that laziness - the conditions of life and the circumstances that affect them. Many Pakeha will not work if they can survive without working. But a Pakeha is not able just to sit around; he will perish if he is lazy. The Pakeha also want everything he has to be good – his house, his village, his children, his wife, all he has; but the Maori does not have the same desires, he does not need much in order for his heart to be content, and he will not suffer greatly if he does not work. He is happy with dungaree trousers, a dish of potatoes and a raupo house. He does not have yearnings like the Pakeha. This is the reason Maori are lazy. The Maori has leased his lands to the Pakeha and receives the rent. Because of the ease with which money comes to him he is not scrupulous about caring for money and there is no purpose in him working. And because he does not work he is called lazy. And if he does want to work he will not find the improvement of the land particularly agreeable because he does not know if it belongs to him or to someone else because there has been no judgement about it yet and so he develops only the place where he has his potato mounds. Sine he works only a little at producing food he is called lazy. This is a time of the Good News and there is no cause for him to stir up his heart, or for him to build his fenced pa, and so he stays at home pleasing himself. For these reasons I say that if Maori of these days appear lazy it is because of their conditions of life. I am not saying that there are no lazy Maori; I have seen many lazy Maori. Because of their laziness their houses are bad, their children dirty, and their clothes ragged. Perhaps some people do not know that laziness is a sin.

What I am arguing is this, that the Maori are not a lazy people. I have seen Maori working hard on their homes so that they live like the Pakeha. No people are more industrious than the Maori of Waikouaiti or Motueka. And although the people of Te Kaha are still to all appearances Maori they are a people who work very hard. If the Maori of these places can achieve such industry why should it not be attained by Maori in other places?

Were our ancestors lazy? If Maori are lazy did they inherit this from their ancestors? I believe and have heard that our ancestors were very industrious. Would a lazy people contemplate sailing from Hawaiki to Aotearoa? Would a lazy people have come up with proverbs about industry and which despise the lazy person? One can see what a people is like and how they think from their proverbs. So look at Maori proverbs about industry:

He tangata momoe, he tangata mangere, e kore e whiwhi ki te taonga.

A lackadaisical and lazy person is not likely to obtain wealth.  [cf Nga Pepeha 726]

Ma mahi te kai.

By working one gets food. [cf Nga Pepeha 1278]

He kai kei aku ringaringa.

Food at my hands. [cf Nga Pepeha 446]

Tama tu, tama ora; tama noho, tama mate kai.

The working person flourishes; the idle one suffers hunger pangs. [cf Nga Pepeha 2214]

He kai tangata, he kai titongitongi kaki; he kai na ringa, tino kai, tino makona.

Food from another is nibbling food, that from one’s own effort is the best food, the most satisfying.  [cf Nga Pepeha 454]

He toa taua he toa pahekeheke; he toa mahi kai he toa mau tonu.

A warrior friend one can let go, but a friend who cultivates food is one to hold on to. [cf Nga Pepeha 764]

Ma pango ma whero ka oti.

By red and by black the work is finished. [cf Nga Pepeha 1742]

Ka mate kainga tahi, ka ora kainga rua.

One dwelling-place is overcome but the second is secure. [cf Nga Pepeha 1031]

I hea koe i te tangihanga o te horirerire.

Where were you when the grey warbler was singing? [cf Nga Pepeha 880]

He wha tawhara ki uta, he kiko tamure ki te moana.

On land the flower bracts of the kiekie, in the sea the flesh of the snapper.  [cf Nga Pepeha 840]

Te toto o te tangata he kai, te oranga o te tangata he whenua.

A person’s blood is obtained from the food eaten, and it is from the land that sustenance is derived.  [cf Nga Pepeha 2460]

E moe i te tangata ringa raupa kia ora ai koe i te kai.

Marry a man with blistered hands and you will be provided with food.  [cf Nga Pepeha 193]

Some Pakeha say that Maori will not stick to working. If the work is new then the Maori is pleased; if it goes on for long he gets bored and wants something different. Nor does the Maori like to wait long to see the fruit of his work. He wants everything he sets about to be like smoking a pipe – he lights it and it burns, he draws in the smoke, and he tastes the sweetness. But let us examine more closely if this assertion is right or wrong. There is a reason why the Pakeha thinks in this way about us Maori. [4] A Maori will begin a job and after some months he will stop and go home to stay. Because of the pleasant sound of a band playing each tribe decides to buy a band for themselves, but how many months is it before they become bored? When the band starts there is not a day, weekday or Sunday, at sunrise, midday and night, that the cornet is not playing, but after many months have passed, perhaps even two years, there is no music and the instruments are left hanging there. While I was at school at Te Aute when everyone was finding pleasure in the playing of bands, some people had the idea of purchasing band instruments for themselves, and not just brass but silver. It is said that everything cost £700. The instruments arrived but a year had not gone by before the silver things were left there in a heap. It is because of such doings that the Pakeha says that we are a weak people. But my question is, were our forbears like this, were they not able to stick at work? Would a lazy people have achieved the carving of their houses if they had not had a reason for carving them, namely, to make them good to look at? Maori did not have chisels or machines to hasten the completion of their work. I look at the carved posts of the church at Manutukea and wonder at the commitment of Maori doing such work. How did they come to sail over the Pacific Ocean? Through the stout-heartedness of their ancestors. They paddled their own canoes, they were not driven by steam engines like the ships of the Pakeha who say that Maori are lazy. Here are some Maori sayings about commitment to work:

Tohea ko te tohe i te kai

Be strenuous, persevere as in the struggle for food. [cf Nga Pepeha 2529]

He kai na te uaua.

To get food requires hard work.

He iti te mokoroa nana i kakati te kahikatea.

Although the mokoroa grub is small it eats the red manuka [cf Nga Pepeha 423]

E rua tau ruru; e rua tau wehe; e rua tau mutu; e rua tau kai.

Two years of wind and storm, two years when fruit is scarce on the trees, two years when crops are scarce, two years of plenty.

Or

Two years of being battered by storms means two years of going elsewhere; two years of no storms means eating together.  [cf Nga Pepeha 228]

Tungia te ururua, kia tupu whakaritorito te tupu o te harakeke.

Burn off the overgrowth so that the flax shoots may sprout.  [cf Nga Pepeha 2572]

One reason why some people are lazy is that they are fed. If they knew that they would die if they did not work then they would not be lazy. Sympathy for a lazy person is misguided sympathy. It is not sympathy but support of wrong and encourages his laziness. But our proverbs show that the lazy person is derided. So we have these sayings:

Hohonu kaki, papaku uaua.

Deep in throat, shallow in muscles.  [cf He Konae Aronui p.17]

Ka kai kopu, ka iri whata, ka kore uaua.

He fills his belly with food, rests at the foodstore, and he has no muscles. [cf Nga Pepeha 971]

Ta ke koanga, whakapiri ngahuru.

Absent in planting time but close by in harvest time. [cf Nga Pepeha 2190]

He kereru tangae nui.

A pigeon with a large crop.

The title of my speech is ‘Manual Labour’, but most of what I have said and you have heard concerns the laziness of Maori, at least according to the Pakeha who say that Maori are a lazy people, and not just a single person but the whole race from the ancestors right up to the present generation. I heard one Pakeha say that he thought it would be a good thing if Maori had no land, so that they would have to learn to work. When they began to feel the pinch they would not be able to be lazy. That Pakeha was a wise man but he forgot one result of poverty. He believed that if a person was poor he would work hard, but he did not take account of another result of poverty, of extreme poverty, which is for a person to turn recklessly to crime. If a person’s clothes are clean he is careful lest they become dirty, but if they are dirty he is not careful and lets his clothes fall into the dirt. Likewise should all the Maori land be taken so that they become poverty-stricken they will lose their nobility, they will lose their sense of self-worth, they may even begin to think of themselves as slaves and doing the work of slaves, though some will have greater ideas and will seek to better themselves. The main reason for the poverty of the poor people of London is their poverty. Their parents were poor, they were born into poverty, and as a result they cannot conceive of better things and they remain in this bad state. I believe that if all Maori lands were confiscated tomorrow, some Maori would climb out of their plight to a better state and take up work, but some would descend into bad ways – they would not envisage a better way but would recklessly descend into crime. So I say to hold on to our remaining lands. Although there is not a large return from them at present while the lands remain uncultivated, wait while the Pakeha take and plunder them, but work the land when we get it back. [5] There is an English proverb, ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way.’ Although many things oppress us and the way is hidden, if the Maori People set their minds to it they will find a way. It is a sign of a brave person that he will not be deterred by difficulties. The strength of the Maori People will be seen when they get on and their ills and wrongs will be trampled under their feet.

At the meeting of the Te Aute Old Boys who live in Gisborne this motion was agreed, and it was proposed that it be brought to this hui. I did not design this motion but I support it. This is the motion:

‘This meeting strongly believes that when some children are not academically inclined it would be a good thing if they were taught at Te Aute and other Maori schools technical skills to equip them for various jobs when they finish their schooling.’

I know that this is not the first time this proposal has been put forward, and I am also aware that those who run Te Aute do not agree with this idea, however, although we may not agree this idea is finding increasing support and it seems it will not be suppressed. It is an appropriate thing to be carefully considered by us, the elders and the young people. The young people can bring their new ideas and the elders can reflect on it carefully and implement it. I strongly support this motion, and I have supported such proposals. I believe that on this depends the well-being of the Maori People, that is, on their commitment to working, because it is known that no lazy people will grow and prosper – rather they will die out in the end. I have shown that the Maori are not a lazy people but that there are reasons for their laziness in these days, things conducive to laziness. The job of our schools is to wake up and to teach the body to work, the mind to think, and the heart to believe. There are three persons in one: if only one or some of these three is educated then the other part of a person is neglected. I think that Te Aute and other school are not very good at teaching the body manual skills. Te Aute has some activities which involve the body – gardening, chopping firewood, cleaning the house, and sports. These are all good things, but they do not provide what the motion seeks, ‘technical skills to equip them for various jobs when they finish their schooling.’ I have observed that many of the pupils of Te Aute are lazy and have little desire to work. If only their minds are educated then they find manual work repulsive and they look for jobs that involve writing and thinking. Some go into different activities such as forging cheques and other deceitful things that are open to educated people. It is right to choose intelligent students who when they are taught achieve what is expected, but there are many students who attended Te Aute who were not particularly intelligent; they were in the fourth standard and when they left school they began to learn to work. Even if these students were encouraged they did not have the brains to get to the final standard and they became bored and tired. Their attendance at Te Aute did not have good results in terms of academic success nor did they learn manual skills. Academic work and clerical work are slow in providing sustenance for the young person though after many years the reward increases, whereas if a young person is taught manual skills while at school it will not be long before he gets a good job and is increasingly well-paid. Office work and important jobs are alright if a young person can find extra support when he is being paid little. Not many Te Aute students are employed in jobs appropriate for a college person, and when they were taught academic subjects they lost any inclination towards manual work. One major fault of schools and colleges is that they put a young person off work.

To support this contention let us look at some other schools which teach manual skills. You have perhaps heard of the Dr Barnardo Schools in London. The children educated in these schools are children with major problems, children who wander the streets, children of the poor and the drunkards, but it is said that on every 100 pupils 99 do well and only one goes astray. Why is it like this? Because they are taught manual work and also the faith. The young people are taught carpentry, blacksmithing, tailoring, and other profitable manual skills.

[6] 

Recently I read a book written by an American Black person. This man began life in obscurity, in slavery, but now he is a leader of his people. He is the head of a large school in America. He began that school. The first rooms were stables and hen houses, but now his school is like a small town. 1400 people live at the school. There are 86 teachers. They educate the body and the mind. This man says that it is a very bad practice not to teach a person to work; it is bad practice to teach a person’s brain only because if a person does not use his education for good work then he will not be able to avoid being a criminal. This man says that the well-being of the Black People depends on the training of both their bodies and their minds. The Black People of America are advancing faster than the white people now. There are 10,000,000 Blacks in the United States, the descendants of the slaves brought from Africa. I say that the well-being of the Maori People of New Zealand, too, depends on the training of both their minds and their bodies. At present the important thing is seen to be the education of the mind – but this is one-sided. This teaching emphasis may be good for the Pakeha but I believe it is wrong for the Maori. The appropriate teaching for Maori would be like that for the Black People of America; train both the mind and the hands. The Scripture tells how the Children of Israel increased in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh gave orders that the Hebrew boy children should be killed. Why did they increase? Because they were made to work. Likewise, I say that if the Maori work hard they will increase.

I must end my speech now, but my last word is an explanation. The purpose of my speech is to present this idea for consideration by the hui. It is also clear that I am critical of our Maori schools. I heard that a technical school is being set up in the Wairarapa, but it is said that the nature of the work will be modelled on Te Aute. I support the Government intention of building a technical school for the Maori People. When I criticise the Maori schools for concentrating only on academic subjects, I am constantly aware of the Pakeha saying, ‘The wise man builds, the fool destroys.’ But I do not want to destroy what has been built; I want to add to it. I end here! Greetings to you all in the grace of the Lord!

……………………………………

From 11th January, a sporting contest was held in Auckland. The game is called ‘Bowls’. Many teams from throughout New Zealand arrived that day to compete for the prestigious prize for the year 1904. This is one of the most popular Pakeha sports amongst the Pakeha leading people. Up until now the Maori People have not competed in this Tournament, but this year Timi Kara has sent his team to Auckland to do battle with the Pakeha teams that have arrived there. Timi Kara’s team are:

Arapata Tuati (Whakatane)

Haare Potaka (Waipiro)

Henare Raumoa (Muriwai)

Whereki Harete (Gisborne) Captain of the team.

The leading Pakeha of Auckland gave the Maori team a warm welcome and were also surprised that Maori had taken up this great game. Because they had not had long to fashion their team they did not win the prestigious prize. They beat three teams, one from Auckland, one from Wellington and one from Hastings. They played twelve games in the tournament and lost nine. King Mahuta arrived to see the Maori team from the East Coast battling with the Pakeha. He was delighted to see that team and said that he would set up his own bowls Team. We believe it would be a very good thing if Maori leaders supported this sport and encouraged the young people to take it up. Perhaps they would find it was too late to go to the pub with their money to buy booze.

[7] A TRAGEDY IN AUCKLAND

Christmas and New Year were bad times for accidents as people went about and celebrated. The most serious accident in New Zealand was the breakdown of the electric tram in Auckland on Christmas night. As it ascended a hill it stopped and waited for someone to arrive, then it went backwards, rolling down the slope. The driver went for the brake but it did not hold and the tram went faster, The women and children began to scream. When the wire which carried the electricity to the tram came down it whipped around and hit the head of a woman who was killed. It was thought that when it arrived at the bend it would overturn but when it swerved around someone said, ‘Praise God, we’ve turned!’ But it was not long before it collided with another moving vehicle. At the impact the two vehicles were crushed. The people, men, women and children, were in a heap and the sound of their voices was like weeping. Only a few got out, the rest were inside the carriages. With a great effort the two vehicles were separated. Word of the tragedy spread and people and the doctor were coming. Three people were dead. More than 80 were injured, with broken legs and arms, damaged heads and crushed bodies. The wonderful thing was that not a single child died; it was only adults.

At the investigation into this disaster it was found that the driver was not very knowledgeable. It is thought that the company will have to pay out from 30,000 to 50,000 as compensation for the people who suffered in the disaster. Since the start of the electric tramways in Auckland many people have died because they travel so fast.

…………………………………..

Recently an elderly Pakeha lady died in the Bay of Islands. She had two daughters and two sons. She had forty grandchildren and forty-one great grandchildren. Altogether she had 88  [sic] descendants.

A DEATH

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa and the Committee, greetings to you all. If you will, please print this article in Te Pipi. It is to let the family and friends of Papu Raerena know that he died on 7th November, 1903. He was born at Tokomaru on 23rd December, 1865. He was 38. He was a delightful young person, right up to adulthood. He was educated at Te Aute. He was a man of faith. He was a person who shared his goodness and his legacy to the people is love. He was diligent in seeking healing for his body and went to the hospital in Gisborne but during the operation by the doctors he entered upon the long sleep. His sister sang a long lament for him at home. This is the lament:

I cannot see the clearly the roads to Hikuwai.

He is still on the way he took .

They were the ones who killed me, who operated to no end.

I did not understand.

Tree of death, may you sleep there.

Lie there, my lad, in that land.

I am still here, at a loss,

In this southern world

Which was given to you there.

Turn back to me, my lad,

And I will pour out the flood of tears.

Let not the two of you call me by name

I sleep in the mist.

I am still watching out for you, my lad,

Even as the news of death shines on me,

That I may know wholeness,

That you may return from death to life.

Such is the lament of his sister, his family and his whole tribe. He did marry but had no children and he and his wife parted, and his family were greatly distressed at the speed with which that woman remarried after his death, and were sad at the eagerness of the minister to marry that woman. If they had left a length of time after his death before the marriage then his family would not have been so distressed. What I say is that it was perhaps a laughing at death on the part of the woman and the minister.

From your friend,

Hakopa Tipaata,

Tokomaru Bay.

[8] 

 THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

[This is a back-translation of the first chapter of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.]

Something Like a Dream.

The Narrative.

While I was crossing the desert of this world, I came upon a cave and I lay down there to sleep. While I slept a man stood by me. His clothes were tattered, he was looking away from his house, he held a book in his hand, and he had a large burden on his back. As I watched he opened his book and read what was written therein, and he wept and trembled. He was not able to encourage himself but wept aloud saying, ‘What shall I do?’ (Acts 2.37, Habakkuk 1.2-3)

Such was his cry, then he went again into his house hiding his thoughts lest his wife and children perceive the sadness of his heart. However he was unable to find strength because of the greatness of his sorrow. He called out to them, ‘My dear, my children, I am greatly troubled by the weight of the burden which presses upon me. It has been revealed to me that our town will be destroyed by fire from heaven and all will die unless we discover a way by which we may escape’. They wondered at what he said. They had no faith and they thought that he had gone mad. Since it was near evening they thought that sleep might bring calm to his state of mind, and they hastened to put him to bed. But his state was the same in the night as in daylight and he was struck with sleeplessness and for the length of the night he lamented and cried. When day came they asked how he was. He said that the evil had greatly increased and began again to speak with them. As a result their ideas hardened and they decided to challenge him, thinking that that might put an end to his madness. He was jeered at; some were angry at him and some abandoned him. Thereupon he left them and went to his room to pray for them and to try to comfort his sorrowing heart. He also went into the open country reading his book and praying. He behaved like this for many days. I saw him going about in the countryside reading his book and he was increasingly sad. He read and cried out, ‘What shall I do to be saved?’ (Acts 16.30-31)

I saw him looking this way and that as if he desired to run but he remained in the same place as if he did not know in what direction to go or where he should run. Then I saw a man called Evangelist draw near to him and ask him, ‘Why do you weep?’ The man said, ‘Sir, I have seen in the book I hold in my hand that I am destined to die, and after that to be judged. (Hebrews 9.27), and I know that I do not wish to die and perhaps to face judgement.’ Then Evangelist said, ‘Why do you not wish to die given that there are so many evils and sufferings in this world?’ Then the man replied, ‘Because I am afraid, because of the burden which oppresses me, that I shall disappear into the pit and plunge into hell. (Isaiah 30.33) Therefore, sir, since I seem to be bad enough to warrant prison I am certainly not fit to face judgement, and I will certainly be put to death. Such are the thoughts which cause me to weep.

Evangelist said, ‘Ha! if this is how things are with you, why are you still standing here?’ He replied, ‘I am ignorant of the place I am to go to.’ Thereupon Evangelist gave him a scroll containing these words, ‘Flee from the wrath to come.’ (Matthew 3.7) The man read them quietly, then looked at Evangelist and asked, ‘Where am I to run to?’ The Evangelist pointed with his hand to a far distant place and asked, ‘Do you see that narrow gate?’ (Matthew 7.13,14) He said, ‘No’. The other then said, ‘Do you see the light shining there?’ (Psalm 119.105, 1 Peter 1.19) He said, ‘Yes, I think I do.’ Evangelist said, ‘Fix your gaze on that light and go straight towards it. There you will see the door. Knock and there you will be told what to do.’ In my dream the man ran. He had not run far from his house when he was seen by his wife and children who called out to him to return, but he stuffed his ears as he went lest he hear and he called out, ‘Life! Life! Eternal life.’ (Luke 14.26) He did not look back (Genesis 19.17) but ran straight to the middle of the plain.

[9] 

His friends from the village also came out to see his flight and some jeered at him, some threatened him, and some called on him to come back. Two of them said that they would fetch him and bring him back. The name of one was Obstinate, of the other Pliable. By this time he had run a long way. They resolved to chase him. They had not been running long before they caught him. The man said, ‘Why have you two come?’ They replied, ‘To bring you back, so that we all return to the village.’ He said, ‘It is not possible for me to return. You live in the City of Destruction, the city in which I was born. I have discovered that the two of you will perish there, you will disappear into the night, into the place where all is burned by fire and brimstone. So my friends, do not argue but let us go on together.’

Obstinate. Ha! Shall we leave behind our families and all our possessions?

Then said Christian, for that is his name: Yes, because all the things the two of you possess and which you will abandon cannot match the smallest part of the good of that which I seek. (2 Corinthians 4.18) And if we go together and you persevere, my food will be sufficient for us all, and there is an abundance in the place to which I am going. (Luke 15.17) Let us go on and prove the truth of my words.

Obstinate. What are the things you seek since you leave all the world to find them?

Christian. I seek a home ‘incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away.’ (1 Peter 1.4) It has been set aside in heaven (Hebrews 11.16) and is safe there, to be given at the appropriate time to those who truly seek it. Here, look what it says in my book.

Obstinate. Hi! Away with you book. Are you returning or not?

Christian. I will not turn back because I have put my hand to the plough. (Luke 9.62)

Obstinate. That’s enough! Let us return, Pliable. Leave him. There are many madmen, addlepated people, who say that they have more wisdom than people who think sanely.

Pliable. Don’t mock him too much. If what he is saying is true then what he is seeking is a lot better than the things you and I have. My heart tells me to go along with him.

Obstinate. You also have become foolish. Listen to me! Let the two of us return in peace. Who knows where such a brain-sick fellow will lead you? Let’s go back. We’ll go together. Don’t be a fool.

Christian. Let’s go. We’ll travel together, Pliable. The things I say are true. The goodness of some of it is even greater. If you do not believe my words, look at this book. The truth of what is written has been verified by the blood of him who wrote it.

Pliable. Well, Obstinate, I have decided to go along with this man. The two of us will share the same purpose. But friend Christian, do you know the way to this good home?

Christian. I was told by a man called Evangelist to run to a narrow gate before me, and there we will be given clear instructions.

Pliable. That’s good, my friend. Let us go together.

From there the two of them went on together.

Obstinate. I am going home. I cannot be friends with you mad foolish people.

Now I saw in my dream that when Obstinate had turned back Christian and Pliable journeyed on together talking as they went and setting out their designs. The beginning of their conversation was like this.

Christian. How do you do, my friend Pliable? I am very happy that you agreed to travel with me. Had Obstinate felt the same fear as I felt over the terrifying things as yet unseen he would not have gone back.

Pliable. Hello, friend. Since there are just the two of us, tell me what things there are in the place to which we are going and how we shall enjoy them.

Christian. They are clear to my heart but my mouth is inadequate to speak about them. I will read my book.

Pliable. And do you think that the things written in your book are true?

Christian. Yes, they have been given by Him who cannot lie. (Titus 1.2)

Pliable. That’s good. What indeed are those things?

Christian. There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited and life which continues for ever. (Isaiah 45.17, John 10.27-29)

[10] 

 Pliable. That is very good, and what else?

Christian. There, there will be crowns of gold for the two of us, and garments that shine like the sun in the sky. (2 Timothy 4.8, Revelation 22.5, Matthew 13.43)

Pliable. Good, and what more?

Christian. There, there will be an end for ever to weeping and sorrow. The ruler of that place will himself wipe away the tears from our eyes. (Isaiah 25.8, Revelation 7.16-17, 21.4)

Pliable. And who will be our friends there?

Christian. There we will live with the Cherubim and Seraphim (Isaiah 4.2, 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17, Revelation 4.11). Our eyes will close if we look at them. There we will meet with the thousands from ancient times who have gone there before us; they are not hurtful, rather they are loving and holy. We shall go and stand in the presence of God to be accepted by him for ever. There we will see the elders with their crowns of gold (Revelation 4.4) and the holy virgins with their harps of gold. (Revelation 14.1,5)

We will see the people who have been ill-treated in this world, cut in pieces, burned in the fire, eaten by beasts, drowned in the sea, because of the love they had for the Lord of that place, (John 12.25) all of them alive and clothed with eternal life as with a garment. (2 Corinthians 5.2,3,5)

Pliable. My heart is so happy as I listen to what you have to say, but it strike me to wonder if these good things are indeed for us, and how are we to get them?

Christian. The Lord, the ruler of that homeland, has completed the writing of this book (Isaiah 55.1-2, John 6.37, 7.37, Revelation 21.6,22, 17), and the substance of the writing is that, if we earnestly desire it, it will be given freely to us by Him.

Pliable. These sayings are very good. Let’s go faster.

Christian. I cannot go quickly because of the weight of my burden.

(To be continued.)

A FALLEN TOTARA – Tamahau Mahupuku

There was great sadness at the news of the death of Tamahau Mahupuku. On Thursday, 13th of this month he died at Papawai, Greytown. He suffered from consumption. He was 60 when he died. It is not necessary to explain who Tamahau was because he was known by all the people and they had seen him. His name is associated with all the major achievements of the Maori People. Tamahau was one of the leading Wairarapa chiefs and he was also the only survivor of his hapu, Ngatihikawera. His name, Te Morehu, was very appropriate. Ngatihikawera has now come to an end for he has only one grandchild, a girl of 14, a daughter of his nephew, Riki Mahupuku. In 1840 Ngatihikawera leased the whole of southern Wairarapa to the Pakeha and it is still leased. Tamahau was a strong supporter of the Association [Kotahitanga], and he gave away much money to help people. Tamahau built a large building at Papawai for the hui of the Association, and he provided the food for the hui. It is said that he spent almost £50,000 in helping people during the past 10 years. Tamahau gave Wairarapa Lake to the Government. He was very supportive of this Government. For many years he was an Assessor for the Maori Land Court and he was Advisor to the Marae Council of Rongokako. He presented his carved house, Takitimu, to the Government as a treasure for the whole colony. This house was taken up and erected in Wellington. Some Pakeha offered Tamahau £4000 for his house; he refused and afterwards gave it to the Government.

Tamahau supported the Maori Association and also the Te Aute College Students’ Association. He held one of the meetings of this Association at his home at Papawai and welcomed the people, the activities and the words. Tamahau was one of our leading elders, a great chief.

Farewell, farewell, Sir! Go to your ancestors, to your parents, to the people who have gathered in the afterlife. Leave behind the people weeping for you!

Farewell, Sir, you and your forbears,

Strip out the heart of the flax.

You stand in the front rank.

My great ones, my heroes, my boast

Before heaven. His people are left with their pain.

[11] 

LETTERS

Nikora Tautau has written to Te Pipiwharauroa telling of an evening of entertainment held in the school at Te Paina, Mercer. The object of that evening was to raise money for the building at Te Paina which he had previously written about. He asked that people show their love by remembering that collection. The conclusion of his letter was about people who were pulled out of the water. It was as follows:

Test your knowledge of what to do if a person if a person has fallen into the water. If you do not act quickly he will not live. You must do what I wrote. Light a fire and put tree leaves on it so that it does not blaze up but there is plenty of smoke. Hold the person over it with head downwards. If water or foam comes out of the mouth then lower the person and quickly take off the wet clothes and put on dry ones which have been heaped beside the fire. Massage the person to warm the body otherwise the water will damage him as he lies beside the fire. The foam which comes out will initially be like sobbing but it will soon change to breathing.

If the person has been missing for 3 or 4 hours before being found even though water and blood emerge life will have departed. Examine him carefully and it will be found that he has died.

N Tautau

To the Editor of Te Pipiwharauroa.

This is my response to the letter from my dear friend, Nikora Tautau, in which he wrote about Ngati Mamoe who are said to live at Kairuru. I believe that what is said about those people is false. I have visited all parts of Te Waipounamu and all the Maori villages, and I have heard people talk about this tribe. Some say they are in the bush on the banks of the Waiau which is a large river beyond Orepuki, the town at the very tail of the island, but when I asked the Maori people from there I came to believe that those words were false. None had been seen and there were no significant places that had not been visited by people. The only place that they could perhaps be living is in the fern-filled gullies [?pakau] – and who would go there?

Pererika Peneha

A NOTICE

A Bible Sunday for the Whole World

It has been arranged that 6th March 1904 should be a day on which all the Churches give thanks for the great love of God in giving the Bible to the world, from which has sprung unnumbered blessings. Many have agreed that the prayers and the collections on that day should be for the work of printing Bibles. We ask Maori to consider their own response to that day.

Pererika Peneha

Organiser.

A NOTICE

The Dedication of the church at Tuparoa will take place on 10th April, 1904. The invitation will appear in the February Pipi.

ODD ITEMS

Some Pakeha newspapers are saying that the new treatment for rheumatics is for the patient not to eat in the morning, that is, not to have breakfast.

Church people, ministers and everyone, listen. On 7th March 1804, God called into being the Society for Printing Bibles to bring about the distribution of his saving Word to the whole world. Through his blessing, many people have seen that word in their own language. It has travelled widely and this word is even in the Maori language. On the 50th Anniversary of the Society the Church gave thanks and Maori joined in. They gave £520 to this work. Now that we have arrived at the Centenary what will they do? Let them agree in the presence of Christ to join in the praise and to arrange a sweet offering – and to send those offerings to the people who look after their money. May God bless you all,

From your minister friend,

Pererika Peneha,

Organiser.

[12] CALENDAR : JANUARY

Day 3 Full Moon 5h 17m a.m.

Day 18 New Moon 3h 17m p.m.

1 F The Circumcision*

Morning Evening

Genesis 17.1-9 Deuteronomy 10.1-12

Romans 2.1-17 Colossians 2.8-18

2 S

3 S Second Sunday after Christmas

Isaiah 42 Isaiah 43

Matthew 2 Acts 2.1-22

4 M

5 T

6 W The Epiphany Athanasian Creed

Isaiah 60 Isaiah 49.13-24

Luke 3.15-23 John 2.1-12

7 Th

8 F Fast

9 S

10 S First Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 51 Isaiah 52.13 – 53

Matthew 6.1-19 Acts 6

11 M

12 T

13 W

14 Th

15 F Fast

16 S

17 S Second Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 55 Isaiah 57

Matthew 10.1-24 Acts 10.1-24

18 M

19 T

20 W

21 Th

22 F Fast

23 S

24 S Third Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 62 Isaiah 65

Matthew 13.53 – 14.13 Acts 15.1-30

25 M The Conversion of Paul

Isaiah 49.1-13 Jeremiah 1.1-11

Galatians 1.1-11 Acts 26.1-21

26 T

27 W

28 Th

29 F Fast

30 S

31 S Third Sunday before Lent

Genesis 1.1 – 2.4 Genesis 2.1-4

Revelation 21.1-9 Revelation 21.9 – 22.6

*Use this Collect, Epistle and Gospel each day until the Epiphany.

RULES OF TE PIPIWHARAUROA

1. Te Pipiwharauroa is published monthly.

2. The cost of the paper is 5/- a year, payable by Postal Note or stamps.

3. When the shillings sent in by someone are used up then his paper will be wrapped in red; after two such postings of the paper it will cease to be sent.

4. It is acceptable to contribute articles from anywhere in the land, but it is for the Editor to decide whether to print them or not. Write clearly.

5. Address your letter like this: TO TE PIPIWHARAUROA, TE RAU, GISBORNE.

A NOTICE

To those wanting a Prayer Book or Hymn Book. I now have plenty of books The prices are:

Large, soft cover 2/6

Large, red cover 3/-

Large, hard cover 4/-

Large, superior cover 5/6

Small, soft cover 1/-

Small, red cover 1/6

Small, hard cover 2/6

Small, superior cover 3/6

Hymns -/6

Clergy requiring Hymn Books can contact J Upton, Auckland, and the price will be less.

I will pay the postage to send the books to you

H W Williams,

Te Rau, Gisborne

People wanting a Bible or a New Testament should apply to the Bible Depository Sunday School Union, Auckland.

Bible, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 1/-.

New Testament with explanatory headings 2/6, 3/-, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.

Small New Testament with Psalms 2/-, 2/6, 3/-, 3/6, 4/-. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.

SUPPLEJACK SEEDS FOR OUR BIRD

10/- H Mahuika, Aporo Te Huiki; 5/- J Hardiman, H Papita, W te Heta, H Paora, T Pukuku, J H W Goff, H Kerohina, P Pokia, Aporo te Amona, Outiku Tepatataka, Tmato, T Katakoi; 2/6 Ihaka H Hekenei.

H W Williams, Te Rau Press, Gisborne.