Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-09

Ngungura, New Zealand,
Aug. 3lst, 1897.


Aug. 3lst, 1897.
To the Editor;
The people Of Ngapuhi were favored
with visit by President Richards
and Secretary Castleton in June, Pre-
vious to their arriving, II had been ar
ranged and advertised that they would
preach In Whangare June 2nd. When
the time came for us to commence our
meeting, no one came, few We're
standing at the door. just outside
seemed frightened to come in. Elders
Castleton and Burnham commenced
playing the harmonica, and the people
soon began to come in; they were
about twenty or twenty-five In all
Elder Cnstleton spoke to them for
about an hour on the Gospel owing
to so few being there. we thought they
did not know of IL, so I gave notice
that we would hold meeting there on
the following evening, and that Elder
Richards would speak to them. SO
next day Elder Castleton and your
correspondent went from house to
house distributing tracts and inviting
them out to meeting They nearly
all said they would come, but We only
had one man and his wife come, so
we did not hold meeting.
Well did the Apostle say, For the
time will come when they VIII not
endure sound doctrine. hut after their
own lusts shall they heap to them
SelNtt ltttntTH, IRVINE ltNibht, ''ti =
and shall turn away their ears from
the truth"
Next day we baptized young man
by the name of Earnest Going. at
Ruatangata. then went on to TIE Horo,
where we held n two-day conference.
and baptized two more. We visited
around some In that district and went
on to otara, Whangarurn, via kawa
Kawa, and Waikare, where we held
another very successful conference
and baptized six. After conference
and the Elders had all returned To
their fields of labor, your currespon-
dent started out on trip to Kaipara
and the Wairea visiting nearly every
Maori Kainga from Wellsford to Tan
| giteroria then crossed the river
| and visited every Kainga on the west
| to Kalfara Hiads, holding some thirty
| meetings. was only refused one
place of preaching and that was at
| Opanaki. called on the chief Riki-
| hama. told him who I was and my
business. He told me to look at his
| church. / told him | knew what his
faith was. He said: THAT is II,
and I am not waverng in IT." He
said; Won had better 70 to the Euro
| peans and preach"
Nearly ali the other Maorls believe
that we have the truth, or that this
| is the true Church of God They try
| to Justify themselves by saying that
| we come too late. They say that the
| other churches came and stopped
| their cannibalism and now they have
| churches built and everything com
| Portable they intend to stay with
| them though they be wrong. Others
| say their "tupuna" (forefathers) died
| in that church and they intend to al
so.
| I was invited back to Oatmatea, as
some of the people there wanted to be
baptized, but I did not get there. ss
! the roads were almost impossible. The
! last two months have been very
stormy. We have only had two OF
| throe fine DAYS in this month.
The Maoris OF Whnngaruru have
been whaling this season; they did moi
do very well, as they only caught three
and lost one or two Of their nets. The
Cook brothers caught thirteen AT
| Whanganumu.
There has been considerable sickness
I among the Mnoris this winter and
| some few deaths.
We have n new Elder in the Whan-
! rarei conference now, l.. II, Holhrook
| He takes to Maordom all right and
! will be able to converse in the Maori
| tongue ere long, we hope.
Yours truly,
HAL. r. HALES.