The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-04
WOMAN'S BOARD
AND WORLD WORK
DR.. Bishops Paper on Maoris
Benefits for Chinese
Children.

| An intensely interesting meeting OF
the Woman's Board, Mrs. Doremus
Scudder presiding, was yesterday af-
ternoon held in the Central Union
| church assembly hall, letters from
Africa and China and other distant
parts breathing inspiration in the
progress of religious labor. An excel
| lent showing was made in the report
on new local endeavor among Chinese
children, and a scholarly paper by DIR.
Serene Bishop was read by Mrs. Ar
thur c. Alexander.
The first Tuesday of every month
sees the members of the Woman's
Board together in just such beneficial
conferences.
Mrs. Rev. E. w. Thwing told enter
taining1y of how Chinese children
were being given home at the
Thwing residence at Kaimuki. There
seemed to be no other place available,
and while the Japanese orphan chill
dren were provided for, it seemed that
some provision should also be made
for the Chinese orphans. so little Chi
nese boys and girls find retreat in
beautiful Kaimuki under the guard
ianship of the Thwings.
Mrs. DR.. ]. NJ Whitney acted as
secretary in the absence of Miss See
ley, who was not well.
Attention was drawn to the fact that
pecuniary contributions to the work
among Chinese children would be ae-
ceptable.
Following the usual exercises and
the reading of foreign correspondence
by the secretary, Mrs. Alexander read
the paper on Christian Missions in
New Zealand" prepared by Serene
Bishop, in part as follows:
las a field of missionary labor New
Zealand stands high among the mis-
sfons to Polynesians for thorough sue
cess in the conversion of the natives
to Christ. 1t is especially remarkable
for the violence of the obstacles COM
ing from adverse white influences.
Most of all it is conspicuous for its
reflex effects so immensely beneficent
upon the social and political institu-
tons of the splendid English colony
there established. AS a whole there
is hardly in the world mightier trf-
umph of Christ's gospel amid adverse
conditions than in New Zealand.
1.-The aboriginal population is I'M
questionably and thoroughly Polyne-
sian, identical with the tribes occupy
ing the many groups of the Central
Pacific, including Hawaii, whose ma
tives converse with facility with New
Zealanders. They call themselves
Maori people, precisely as the Hawai-
ians distinguish themselves from
haoles as kanaka maoli, or natural
men, fresh water being wal maoli and
the sweet or native potato being uala |
maoli.
According to their own tradition
they first arrived there about 500 years
ago, as estimated by their traditional
lines of kings as compared with those
of Savaii, whence they emigrated.
They trace their origin to Hawaiki, or |
savaii. Some learned writers adduce |
reasons for believing in the existence
of a large earlier aboriginal popula- |
ton. And it seems difficult to account
for the multiplication of a few immi-
grants TO a population of several hun
dreds of thousands, as Cook found
Them. But the identities of language
and customs seem to- forbid long
from the parent stock
or any intermixture with strange
aborigines.
But there is one strong evidence
that the presence of man is very rel