Ex-residents of the ancient Royal town of Musselburgh,
Scotland, at the laying of the foundation stone of the
Presbyterian Church at Musselburgh, Dunedin. - Otago
Witness, 14.9.1910.
Mr G. E. Moreton, chairman of the social work department,
presided at the strangers' tea held at the Young Men's
Christian Association yesterday afternoon, and introduced the
Rev Hoani Parata, who addressed the meeting on "The Reception
of Christianity by the Maori."
Mr Parata, in opening, said that to understand the reception
of Christianity by the Maori people one must understand the
disposition of the Maori.
The Maori was emotional, and had a good memory.
He was easily impressed, and the impression lasted a long
time.
The Maoris had various customs and beliefs, which they
zealously adhered to and fully carried out.
Among other beliefs they had a god for everything, as a god
of the hills, a god of the sun, of the moon, of the rivers,
etc., etc., and these gods they invoked for whatever they
wanted.
Christianity was then brought through the efforts of Samuel
Marsden, who interested himself in the Maori people, and the
Maoris at first readily gave up their old customs and
embraced the Christian faith; but many of the European
traders, by their conduct and in other ways, caused the Maori
to distrust the European, and to lose faith in the European's
God.
Shortly after came the dark days of the Maori wars, but the
time had now come when he was again embracing Christianity.
• One of the chief subjects of discussion at the meeting of
the National Council of Women at Sydney (says the Herald) was
the advisability of introducing a curfew bell into Sydney so
as to keep boys and girls off the streets at night after a
certain hour.
It was urged in favour of the proposal that 1000 towns and
villages in the United States rang curfews, and that the
system worked excellently, children turning home as a matter
of course upon hearing them.
The meeting was not unanimous on the curfew question,
however, many holding that the American system would be
unsuitable to Australian conditions.
The general feeling was expressed, however, that some steps
were necessary to keep children off the streets at night, and
the Education Committee was asked to draw up a report. - ODT,
5.9.1910.
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