The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-04-19

spectve tribes with their departed ancestors It's
almost ssddening to watch the gradual though certain
diminution among those once powerful haPus' snd
is no less humiliating to have to acknowledge that IN
the majority Of instances death and disease can be
unerTingly traced TO their intercourse with the (lh
many casey less civilized pakeha- In otaki' the
centre Of missionary influence On this part O. the
coast, VIII be found the greatest immortality the
mast degraded mental and physical condition, ana
consequently the most rapid and certain decline
among the natives a q people. Yearly statistics
unerringly state that So far from the natives beng
benefited by their religious, Political, and social 10
tercourse with ourselves, the reverse i the case.
Disease and death are on the increase, ami crimes,
often of a heinous nature, are committed more fire.
quently in proportion TO the progress Of their &C
ouaintance with our manners and our customs, our
habits and our views, our t~reachery and our false
hood. This seems an appalling picture, bat never
theleSs it is q true bill"
This sad picture comes from the southern portion
OF the Northern Island. In the district to the north
Of the city Of Auckland, the New Zealand Herald
represents that the contrary is the case. We quote
There has been a theory prevailing for some time
that the Maori race is dying out, or being gradually
- improved of the face Of the earth" We arc in
formed, however, that SO far as the Northern portion
of the Province is concerned, and more especially
the Kaipara district, the birth-rate is in excess Of
mortality, and that the race is not only holding its
own, but actually increasing. At every settlement
the children are numerous The change is attributed
to the improved diet Of the children; kaanga kopirO
Is 4 thing Of the past; every Maori mother, with few
exceptions. has her " feeding-botte,' and the plea
ninnies get goats milk or that of the cow. The
women seem to give a great deal more care to their
--u.,- 81 e., ,,..aroai fuaffpets r. lpfta.
developed. The social habits of the people are u
coming greatly Improved. Barbarous usages are
falling into disuse, and if they have not been sup
planted by s%tricter observance of koraFiu, = least
the semblance and gloss Of civilized habits 81 Gus
toms are filling the void thus made. One disfngAlsh-
ing feature of the present change is the gFat'r con-
sideration shown to tie weaker sex blythe Maori
men. There is no truer test of increasJS growth IN
civilization than that. But the truth u the = new
table logic of facts has driven theuko 1t. After d
Maori toahine has at some rural gaYaring figured IN
the may waltz viii an irrepressibh gum-dIgger' got
up regardless of expense, and hay5een handed out to
the refreshment room and teudgkd her glass of LEM
Opade or cordial. with as muo1grace and poitenesS
as if she was an English wo5n. she takes uukindly
to the rough and ready wa/Of the ha'angd' or the
Maori pa, and accordingly cuts up" The dusky
swains, not to be outdO;$ however, are playing the
pakeha at their own gaE, hence the social improve
ment we have alIudedf Not only in the Kaipara'
but other northern districts, are there evidences OF a
change for the BETTE. A settler who had Travelled
through the nativ, settlement lying between Wan
f garei and Hokiaga, informs us that he was quite
; surprised at t~heaumbe of Maori children to be seen
about, compapl with those he had noticed IN years
gone by. y r~ight-minded man will regret this
result. Thfand is broad enough for both races to
flourish ante prosper therein. and the day seems
vet distal when the : chiefs of the soil shall be
known - more in the land with which their name
and hisfy are inseparably associated
S Tbebmment of the editor, that " no r~ight-minded
5 man El regret this result the prospect OF the
MATHS increasing on their own sOil-sounds suitl-
: cieIy incongruous to be intended for satire.