The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-05-29

On the 11th of November arrived i,
good health at Wellington, after q long AMI
tedious voyage Of 1872 days. Cries for he'll,
came IN from all sides, as soon as my arri
, to be great here indeed, and among those
who are here many are advanced in age
and almost broken down by missionary
life Of twenty or thirty years standing. A,
present ann only temporarily at Taranaki
z on the west coast of the north island, tc
take the place of one of our fathers who il
absent. This part of the country is less
popuiOus than others, and the mission ex-
tends ninety eight miles towards the south
and about fifty miles towards the north, all
along the shore of the sea. The country is
exceedingly hilly; in fact it is formed of
an aggl0meration of ranges of volcanic
mountains from one end of the island to
the other. Earthquakes are very frequent
we bad two slight ones since came here.
All buildings are of wood. make all my
Journeys on horseback, the roads being in
bad weather not much better than yours.
On Sundays, after high mass is over, I have
frequently to go twenty-five and thirty
miles far into the country, for evening SER
vice. We have very good horses here.
have at least six rivers in my mission,
which the rider must cross in the skiff and
the horse by swimming after him, and more
than once have 1 already experienced the
good services OF my guardian angel. Our
Catholics are mostly immigrants from Ire
land and England. Since the war broke
out between the European and Maoris, the
latter are literally following the example
of your negroes they have abandoned the
Christian religion, and until peace is re-
stored again not much can be expected
from them. Since 1880 our fathers had
worked among them with extraordinary
success; they had flourishing establish
ments in the Maori villages, but now all
their churches, schools, ETC., which are yet
in existence, are but SO many empty rem
nants of better times. In themselves the
Maoris are q good natured and chivalrous
people, who might have easily been civil
lied, but the p0kehas (strangers or Euro
peans) have exasperated them. The pres
emit Government protects them literally,
but ir is evident that ere long the Saxon
race shall have affixed the seal to their
doom.
The cause of the war of determination
seems to have been the abuse the "greedv
whites'' made of the simplicity of the ma
tives, in getting from them immense tracts
of land for mere trifies, so. much so that
the English Government was obliged to
declare the contracts of the whites with
natives invalid. And q notorious fact it is
that the English missionaries were the
print inter pGres in this regard. 1t has be-
come a common saying among the Maoris,
that these men came to them, and pointed
out heaven to them, but whilst the Maoris
ministers stole the ground from beneath
their feet. The earlier missionaries were
denounced by the very second inroad of
ecGngetists as having grown worldly. But
what became of<the second batch In the
New Zealand Land Commissioner report
it came OUT that nineteen of these pastors
of immense focks of sheep and cattle
claimed 1891 acres, and that to thirteen
Of them had actually been awarded 20 6SS
acres. The Catholic priests were denounced
in England as the instigators of the Maori
war. The press of all New Zealand re-
PEELED this Islander. Here are the facts
/. The Catholic'Maori tribes have as rule
remained faithful to the Queen mp to this
day, and have fought many, "a battle side
by side with the settlers. 2. All the rebel
lions were plotted and carried into effect
by Protestant tribes. 3. The names OF all
not one Catholic is among them, all are
Protestants. A. One fact is true, that the
Protestant ministers were generally singled
out as the first victims of revenge, (sOme
six have been hanged or otherwise killed.
whilst no harm whatever has as yet been
done to any priest. Several towns have
been either massacred OF burned down,
with the exception of Catholic priests and
their establishments.
The poor ministers have become, to say
the least, unpopular, even among their own
country men, for whose spiritual welfare |
of September of last year series of MUIR
dcrous engagements took place at 4 town |
not far from here. Father ROLAND, Marist, |
was at once i'll the field, and, fixed up in an |
artillerist's pair of trousers and an oilskin,
followed the men through rivers up to the |
neck, and In q rain of balls pressed forward |
to the very edge of the battle to carry off |
the wounded, brought the consultations of
religion to the dying, and nursed the
without distinction of race or
freed, whether friend or enemy. But he
was alone. Not one white necktie could be
'een. Soldiers and officers cried for Pro-
'estant chaplain, but in vain. After this
'ilent refusal, a magistrate of Taranaki
vent from one parsonage to the other, but
he venerable archdeacon of the Episcopal
Church excused himself 'tfor being too ner-
7ous," his curate for "having a large family
o care for and cannot. risk his life" The
Wesleyan minister /" tbuld, but couldn't,
N account of his delicate health" The
answered bluntly and point
flank that he Wouldn't" The Roman
priest alone was at his post and ,
here only he was allowed to give free scope !
D his zeal and charity. There none of :
hose I" No POpery" criers dared to come .
nd interfere with his duties. Similar acts !
cowardice have been often related to me g
Y soldiers of the late American war. 1t
GEMS that these fine gentlemen nowhere
.lish the smell of gunpowder and the h
hizzing of leaden balls-no more than Old a
= RELISH Q the holy water pot. a
But here IL yet another subject of medi- p
tiOn for the same men. About a year ago a
Ie English troops stationed in Taranaki 8
ere changed. The detachment which = =
IWawr - u. n 4 1