126 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



These flowers were sermons. Among a people sunken so low in the 

 scale of humanity, all such little improvements help to lift up their minds 

 a little higher. Among other faculties of their minds, the Maoris here had 

 lost altogether the sense of the heautiful. Some of the very old Maoris were 

 much tattooed, and there was art in the designs. I do not mean to say 

 that it improved the heauty of their faces, far from it, hut art and beauty 

 was in the design. The same can he said of some pieces of clothing, which 

 sadly distort the beautiful human form in highly refined society — there is 

 art in it. Only the old Maoris carried out the art of beauty in their tattoo ; 

 in that of the younger there was none. The young women had not the least 

 taste for beauty, only by instinct they painted, or rather besmeared, their 

 faces with the red juice of a wild berry. 



They were altogether a dejected people. I found, as I kept a register of 

 births and deaths on the island, that, year by year, for every child born, 

 from three to four persons died. No wonder that they had lost heart and 

 felt as if there were no spirit of life left in them. Now, when Christianity 

 was brought near their hearts, they began to feel as if some help were 

 coming. I cannot yet say it gave them hope, for they had not even a word 

 for that in their language. They liked to read in the New Testament, as 

 they began to understand the meaning, that Jesus was so good and helped 

 poor suffering people without asking if they were good. But then they 

 would learn to love Jesus and that would make them good. It went to 

 their hearts that Jesus had died for the badness of mankind. There is an 

 affinity between it and a deep yearning in the human heart, and when they 

 come near each other then there is a contact, and happiness is the result. 

 Theological arguments, and dogmatical statements, are too poor to explain 

 it. There was a belief in the old Maori religion, that the goddess of death 

 was dwelling in the world of night (their Hades), and drawing her children 

 (she having before been the original mother of mankind) down to her. 

 That gave them no comfort. But it comforted them to learn that Jesus 

 died upon the cross, that he rose again and went to his Father in heaven — 

 and that he will draw all men unto him. 



By the foregoing I have simply indicated the way the Maoris have been 

 converted, and science need not ignore that. 



By and by some earnest simple souls wished to be baptized. These 

 were instructed more fully, and then solemnly baptized before the whole 

 community. They felt that they were taking upon themselves a great 

 responsibility, that all the others would watch them to detect flaws in their 

 lives. This made them careful to be good and to walk circumspectly. 

 Then others followed, who were likewise instructed and baptized. Soon 

 the news of this spread over all the straits, and boats after boats, with 



