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fives are made to learn tlie language of their lords, upon New 
Zealand the Englishman is compelled to study the Maori tongue. 
It is wholly unjustifiable to impute the fault thereof to the 
missionaries, because they, instead of introducing the English lan- 
guage into their schools from the very beginning, had given them- 
selves the unnecessary trouble, of first compiling a Maori grammer. 
The few Maoris, who understand English, have learned it in mis- 
sionary schools. The cause is a deeper one. Perhaps there is 
nothing more adapted to prove the limits , set by nature herself to 
the natives’ capacity for civilization, than the remarkable fact that 
even though they understand English , and are able to read and 
write it , they never acquire a plain English pronunciation. A 
Maori once remarked to me quite correctly, that he believed, his 
ear would catch the English well enough , but he could never get 
it out of his mouth again. This is proved by numerous words 
and phrases, which have passed into the Maori language, but in 
a form , in which the original word is sometimes hardly recognised. 
Of New Zealand, for example, they make Nuitireni; Victoria the 
Queen of England, in the mouth of the Maori becomes Wikitoria 
te Kuini o Ingarangi ; Governor is Kawana ; Auckland Akarano ; 
Christchurch they call Karaitihati; Gold is Kaura; doctor te Rata; 
and my name they changed to Hokiteta. In a similar manner all 
the English names of places , persons , months etc. , have been 
changed to suit the Maori tongue. Because they are unable to 
pronounce the language correctly, from its seeming to them so very 
difficult and hard, they believe, that the same must bo the case 
with the Europeans. I once heard a Maori argue: “We can see 
very well, what trouble you have in your schools to teach your 
children English; we need not teach our children Maori, they ac- 
quire it quite by nature.” 
Of Christianity the .Maoris have adopted only the outward 
form. Instead of their old pagan rites and ceremonies, they 
now have Christian forms; biblical history is to the Maori only 
a new edition of traditions , which he exchanges for , and per- 
haps also mixes up with, his own ancient traditions; a great many 
