Show j How low England's I King ing Lost a Great Art Treasure II HONOLULU 1 IT T J IS extremely bad form to drop t into the Hawaiian capital without making a d call upon Dr Peter Buck D. D S. S 0 O. M M. M I. I D. D M.A. M.A. M.A. M. M A. A Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand the Royal Anthropological Anthropological Anthrop Anthrop- olo ical Institute of Great Britain and director of the Bishop museum museum mu mu- seum scum of Honolulu On the wall of his library in a n massive frame beautifully carved hangs the portrait of a Maori warrior warrior war war- tattooed with all the barbaric frescoes approved by that warlike people The grizzled patriarch fascinated fascinated fascinated fas fas- me Who might this be I asked A UA distinguished Maori journalist journal journal- replied the professor chuckling chuckling chuckling chuck chuck- ling one of the most belligerent of his time In 1860 when the Maoris were occupied with a W war against the English this man Patara tu tc-tu- hi got hold of some type and a printing press with which he undertook undertook undertook under under- took to enlighten his countrymen on the subject of British interference with Maori ambitions and Maori government His broadsides issued weekly lacked nothing in fervor o or r clarity Fact is Editor te so got the British goat as it i t were that a young Englishman by bythe bythe bythe the name of John Gorst was appointed appointed ap ap- pointed by the English to make a counter attack in print He called his weekly Te Moke Moke The Sparrow That Sits on the Housetops Alone Evidently the two representatives of the Fourth Estate stirred up considerable ill feeling In point of artistry Pat Pata- Pata a- a te ra had the edge on the Briton Briton Brit Brit- Briton on who cast all etiquette aside Maoris Shoo Sparrow Away And just for that continued Dr Buck the Maori lads moved in shooed the sparrow off the housetop housetop house house- housetop top smashed the press took Jolt John n Gorst captive melted the type metal metal metal met met- I al into bullets and fired upon the th e es British The execution of Gorst wa was s contemplated by the Maori J but Patara Pa Pa- Patara tara who had a high sense of justice justice justice jus jus- tice promptly scotched the suggestion suggestion suggestion tion on the ground that it was unprofessional unprofessional unprofessional un un- professional to abolish an editor edito r for doi doig g the best he could H He I proposed that journalist Gorst b be e given three weeks to close his affairs affairs af fairs and leave the country And s sit so it was Gorst disappeared Forty five years later at Auckland Auckland Auckland Auck Auck- land the British commission on international international in in- e exposition position was held in-I in Among the delegates t to receive th the e Maori statesmen headed by Patara I Ia a grand old man among his people I Iwas Iwas was Sir John Gorst now famous a aa as asa s a great authority on affairs I tian That the two once implacable e I editors should meet and shake shak e I hands on the old field of hatred made a profound impression upon i I Ithe all present Sir John aware that tha t tm the had once rescued hi hial him m al- al 1 1 t L 1 t t u u ut uc Lilt uc LU come into his eyes Memorial for the Prince I Now there is yet another chapter chapter chapter chap chap- ter resumed Dr Bu Buck k which whit h I brings us up to 1920 when th the e Prince of Wales now Edward VIII i touring the world reached j I New Hew Zealand there to dedicate a I public park in the presence of 0 I I Maori In order to suitably frame fram e tl tre tle e handsomely illuminated vellum I re recording the event rare and valuable valuable valuable able totora wood was cut from th the e I Io o oldest dest and finest war canoe extant t I and turned over to the greatest t I woodcarver in New Zealand for conversion conversion conversion con con- version into a work of art priceless priceless priceless price price- less and beyond duplication Th The e I i woodworker on his own initiative e fashioned a frame that measure measured d four inches less across the top tha than n the bottom A howl went up an and d he lie was instructed to make it over ove r into a perfect rectangle Can do said aid he and did Everything g seemed O. O K until a stickler broke brok e into lamentations This will no not t do he declared We cannot allo allow w the grandson of Her Beloved Majesty Majesty Majesty Maj Maj- esty Queen Victoria to be the r recipient recipient re re- e of a second hand article Another Another An An- other r frame must be fashioned an and d made right the first time Another chunk of timber w was as cut from the war canoe another er frame was carved to specifications and presented to the Prince wit with h elaborate ceremony In no particular lar did it compare it compare with the original creation either in material or art art- rt- rt But it did not come under the second hand classification nor was the prince ever made aware of the error Every man on the framing committee participated in a scramble scramble scramble scram scram- ble to get possession of the first model which measured 2 i 21 feet wide by feet deep and al although although although al- al though weighing about twenty pounds a more exquisite piece of property never rever existed From hand to hand it passed until finally just how I cant can't truthfully say it came into my jurisdiction Ownership is difficult to establish However possession possession possession pos pos- session i is nine points That is conceded conceded conceded con con- ceded I assume Exactly Well Vell here it is on my wall surrounding surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding the portrait of te Patara-te- O. o O 8 Service |