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Show BBBb U bbB B I. ! i a) mill. u-n-.i. ...i , - ' ' NEW ZEALAND. dr.- . ' An interesting letter from that 'far off land. BJ B Editor Bannkii: I Jiopo-tlicgo lines H from Monridom, which I write with B lovo iwul bust wishes to my friends nt H home- v 111 find spaco in your ever H welcome paper. B The north island of Now Zealand is B divided by our cbuirchinTo li! dibtricts, H in each of which labor two or three B Elders among the Ido.iries, and in some H part Otlfor Elders ravel uniting the H Europeans, leaving stil1 two disttietsof H .the island that are very seldom vMtod. H There nrjj,,pn)y Inn Elders niilbijg the B Moaricslf llje South. Island. Tlios-j H livisloi;irtrlbu3"uTd-i?nri!ilion H in the la nonage, H In some distriute tliOjMoarjo.a live in H European Style, 'in European houses H and talk the Engli-.li huimijfe, mnny B ha in- rd'l-ipd u good odiffuflflnf 4n H Elfh i th'sucH a tfWrlfct, amimf I lie love B and hospitality of the people, is belter H cwic'l t'M than in nn Euiopean mixsior. H Fro u tlm lomlilfoii, howuvor, we may H find lli' Mo.ui down to hut little btttei B than the poor Anv-rn-nn Indian. B Jim. iiiihlnei ml, a." lie sent us to j H our dthiTent diatiii'l", "I'.ro. Kirkham, m I wnhl.ou to jfO up to vV.nkflto. W m tcnou' jt is u linrl di-ti nt , had ro.ulm H lll"n$M'f luiul uiTl l''"t IU1(1 tll(' I't'I'le H uro poor, hut you will ljnd nanv friends B and immy warm hearts to welcome' m you." Bio. (ianlm-d's experience of B ne iflr four years in this district taught H liiin this, and kit I have found Lis B words tiue. Eldm of the mission look B upon Waikato u a haul diptrici, but B s;et aie thetism wl uhersin ," uu.if B the English haul The rich m.n's! B viands aie not a sweet to him as tl o B kind word and crust to the Hungry wny- B farcr. Thus my uoi'& w ill bn of Waikato B und not f the Nfo m mission na a whole B or of .New Zealand an a Louutry. B $ When Uavin;; Auckland for tlu B country and upon li rat feeing a W.iikato B train, a Utah boy is inclined U ask his B friend if tiie old mule street cats a ro I BB BB c, now used here AS railway coache. ,1 B inn satisfied thnt a Hat car of our tail- B loads will cany thw contents of'P of the B of ths slmiliar Kind of this district. B raBfyilgtfr cars n e divided into I'm B and second clam npiirtmouts. Uu- B bolstered son Is charectcrize the formo, B ami bonches serve for seats In the lnt B Our trip up:he oountry was at the rato B of 18 miles nn hour, B JJro. Parley A. Wi.tera, traveling B elder in ihU district, met us at jfumley H soincO miles from JNganiawnhin. AbI B sun' him enter the cur f said, "W..11, H liere is a tjc-oil.honet woiKl-man." But B my lompttniou, Bro. Geo. Bowles of B Salt Lake City, soonjrecognized him as a B Mormon Elder and the next moment I B was listening to the Moari language. B Njfaniuwahi is a pleasant little vil'ngo H of about S'JU peoplo situated on the H AValpa river where ltd waters join these H of the Waikato. Arriving hero we weio H soon down to the river .and next I n- B fioivl the advice to kbep still as. Bro. H "Waters pnddled us across in a Maori H oniioi . The Maori euints of tins branch H greeted us warmly uud I vus i!so L'rull- H Hed toknov some could talk lb me in H my own language B ThAt night I listened to this peculiar H to'nguV, sounding so differently and H strangely to me, and w hn T heard my H companions speaking u freely, I asked H myself, "is it possible that I will ever H be able to do tho same?" Here, also, I H puzaled ovr my .'list Maori sentence. B " X had yet to realign the SlajHua not only LLB' used different wordH but they thcuht H and impressed their ideas far differently B from the inericau. B 'This was the njonth of May. Corn B and otatoes werv being hnryested B The tun in the'inorning wan hidden by I B misty foKad, rain, characterizing t)io ' H winte,aVj9n.htry A lluori boy comes j H from ih fi vymirrylng a peeultftr shsped B haBkefifc."' did eyes dance with de H light as heh , riip the groj nd what H to all Jtpperances are snnkts. Well, 1 B urn simtfled, I would hftve'enjoywl my LBfl mornurg' mini of eels bettei if 1 hud B seen them first upon my plate v B A few ays wejetep'oTiu lien , myom- pH panions-dJpin me t covu frpfy, H moiuliulnleB, wash clothes, etc., my B' f utui o work I was told . B I will nuv.or forgot my fiie rido ucioss H the JS'cw Z&alanjl 'hills. Hqoj -Unit' B wore soiA'iceablo to a aYtvk had been PPPBt- iwiwhiywi w 1 ' laid eaiofuily away, changed for leather logging and shoes made heavy by iron c.ips and nuilp. My little Maori pony seemed accustomed to thu surroundings and I wondered why all were not enraptured en-raptured liko mo in the beauty of the environments. They told me it "was winter but the grass was growing green and tho rich luxuriant growth of the tionical climo surrounded us, tho broad leaves and wonderful yaiiety of, which is not Heen at homo.. It Ja tiuo the Willows and tho fruit trees hud shed their Hummer mtlntles and tlie rustlhg leaves of corn icmindcd us of wintCr, but this wa3 all. , , "", u I Our loadja ,i trail nlongi -the ri'ver for about. !l miles and thenvo't,Uiriiffto J cliiUTJ OVur the 'no?ltginn1-y i lrn'jie hill densely oveqdjvP? n. forjjsti called bnsji.j ij at. tjio fruqutint st9J9( Lwbile'nswdin,. j: Ifa'd'.npJound nly-'fflhtipejUhinglihp. nly-'fflhtipejUhinglihp. thi.bpy rtt.the eio'se ofinsixcitnii,' foot ra- thefoJmlrt,f jffle hill oId lutve beciimmoticedyj I yffi so eiirapriiretrTn the beauties of tle !sile. But my -edni ffcnhrfas, Hu tjae blttk-icaiiedi.oldier61iHirtesiilily u klltvin that thtsu iK)tttius'thous:!i"tt Of mfne will ccak to be Mtferfcrt ; if fe)t vJll be binned i.i the monotony ot the ' of t tie scene. We me imw iicni the top and aie climbing over rootn, mllen trm.ks oi lu'e, tiamping on jdelieute fcins and dttftuibing niytids ol innect Ufc in the dec.iyiiig woods. Ilcieisn giant tree, a little stalk Is sprouting at its I n ic, who-e iapid giowtli will noon steal the litV of the the tree, coveting it with leaves and steins ; parasitfo plants nurtured by nun a d nioistute will giow , ort Hftrunk and buuiehee, and eo loiifj, now robbed of its life,, the winds will lay it low to crumble back to tarth iaain. Oito-. in nin dn the rnys of the sun liy to pieiee the gloom of tho giowth in fooding which natuie, to tho ihortal eye, must noon exhaut itself. The eye ' seea and the 'soul exclaims, how I votidtif.il, how beinilifnl, howpeifect are til woiks of lAiUltv's God. Tliflmift rolling hills over whieh we, next travel areeovsw'd with the manuka and R-fern. Tho latter grows uuivorsnlly 'i or 8 feet high each year and dry-fin the winter This giowth of irfmitilcn f nd fern is us itniverwl hore as tlie sago , brush at home. 'JDlie inuiiukn grows 2 end Ti fret high on tho dry hills and on low hinds and mart-lies it rcpeinbles exactly the growth of willows on our ! grate hinds. The settlors homes dot, rhes' lull sides known from thedistnn o by the patches of green and the lumb r I votiago. By 4 o'clock p. m. wo wo ai- ' live at our resting place for the night, I fere again the firm hniirUslink ami 'onjci and tbo face that is brigl tvued with joy, toll us wo- aro welcomed by the Lloori baintsof this village. Among the willow trees I sou tho little imtive i houoej The sides are the ponga tree, the roof is the leaves of the New Zen- I land I'ttlui coveied with a small null au.t the whole Is neatly lined with rushes making ll a warm, comfortable' room. Smoko as you outer fills your , eycb from th,e fire in the cefcUr of the , lio-ue. Keat flat mats laid on the oi.n r round the room servo? as bed-! and ehalis. A wood box oV two is the ' cjpboard or trunk. A black bukiug kettle and a few sundry dishes make up the household necessities, and yon have the, typical home of the "yVaiknto native. i In dcmipttrUon with other dietriots , this is very sparsely settled and often in a day'a travel we will only pass a sheep ramp or in the distance, the home of the woodman, as we hunt our wAy through bush trails up and down the hills. Now the roaring sea splashes on us as we pass along tho beach and nex1 we nre forced inland to avoid the rocks . or danjerous sands' oi the sea-shore. Howeyer, in some places hills that vere once densely wooded are now tninedinto pleasant farms and homes, i.iaouieplnees clustered luto villages of 100 to 800 inhabitants, and tiie onue miry olaytuiils made flrn roads by ' grading aud laying cobble rocks., But j we leave the pleasant hemes and j cultued hillsides to seek among tho i nativo woods whore et tho Moati lovss ' to Beek his heme. Qn -tho i iver banks or seashore, whei o flsh la easily obtained qr the denser woods there yet roam the wild New Zealand boar. I Thii is our lity goin from village'to vilhi'o teaching wj.th wordind pregent oprdgrk skinned brother, and our hoiutfi rejoicing, to ways of health and life rind 11 touclied with sadness and pity whon w see them struggling' in vain against their old tradition and tho foolish habitf given them by the Europeans. The God whom wo worship isalwnyf near to help and assist us and althougl we have left the hapyy associations o home and youth, we lejoice in this tin noblest work of man, m this the gloriom priviledge of guiding the r.hlldren ol men back to their homeonjiigh., EitAXCisVKmKit m. Ngarnnwahia, Waikatd, New Zealand. i Dee.' 28, 18!)0. |