| Show missionaries lissio relate delate srul some m u 01 U I 1 their E experiences alton christensen Christens cn writes from now new zealand cyril D brown from atlanta ga tile the following two letters will be of interest to our readers the first one is from alton christensen and comes flom far away new za zealand 11 ealand dated november 22 dear dr laikus another yuletide swings around and aill with its coming coining is added another aluli vels sary to that wonderful event which was vas heralded by angels with peace on earth good will toward men and which had bad been presaged by bv revered prophets and sung about by bv inspired balas since the world began an at t this time our minds naturally revert back through the pat past pa t year and reminiscently cail loath bolth the manifold things for which w na a sheu il be grateful and the many friend who have helped us in so doing I 1 find that I 1 must extend thanks to a group of of V which one is the editor of the richfield reaper yes I 1 have greatly apple coated the reaped belp Rea pei ell duerig by bil sojourn in new zealand no matt matter e r liow how much my lily work is c a il 11 ing or what I 1 have to do 10 1 always always find a few minutes to its w welcome 1 I paes pa res since leaving home I 1 have spent most of my lily time at the maori ag kicul euial college an institution established and maintained by the church for the bettering of tile polynesian youths who have the appetency to further their education and yet yat who cannot enroll at secondary econ dan institutions where a great expense ep ense is incurred As a liter literary arv institute it can be compared to our high schools school in the states its curriculum entails those subjects found in our high schools to my lily mind it is doing much in elevating the maori members member of our church for besides teaching aching te them the arts anti and sciences it ingrains within them the worth i orth of a clean moral life alij re anti and enjoins that the decorum of its students be in harmony with its teachings during the school year just expired tile the college boasted a rather heterogeneous genious student body six nationalities v vere e re viz maori tongan tahitian samoan and colonial during the last year I 1 have become bacome T come a acclimated and accustomed accustom ed to the conditions found biele many of lie he customs practices eq hibit habits the cli i liate and atmospheric conditions are at variance valiance with etli th ose found in utah but after one has become so habituated one really enjoys the existing conditions this small island has many things of inte lct and curiosity curios sit Y she claim is no other countley of equal size ulrch clcil Il cil is so varied and so complete she is as it were a min laruie ia ille of the whole world quoting one who nho incites of her grandeur her wonders are manifold there are three great regions of geyser activity on the earth and of these new sealand ZVi Mi ealand contains the most remarkable other countries have lave gietter waterfalls new zealand has the highest her sounds are grander than the fiords fiorda of norway arway her lakes more beautiful than those of switzerland or the scottish highlands her alps though not quite so lofty as their european namesakes have a far greater height of rock and snow there are gorges on as grand a scale as the famous yosemite valley hot crater lakes at the surn summits mits of ice capped volcanoes rivers that thread their way among tinted cliffs and jungle clad steeps unmarred by man her evergreen forests are tropical in their wealth of vegetation in them roam curious wingless W 1 angl ess birds in the absence oi of 1 native beasts of pray 11 sports of every kind flourish in new zealand but the chief attractions for the tha sportsman sport mian are the trout and salmon fishing the deep sea fishing for kinz kingfish fish swordfish and mako sharks which offer the more daring Nim rols the thrills to deep sea angling but here 1 I suppose it is best to stop such favorable advertising for it may give some the concept that it is a better place to live than the states however I 1 do not wish to convey that idea for she cannot begin to vie in extent the beauty the grandeur or ill fihs ihs diversity of wonders found in america the maoris laoris or aborigines of the island are the maili mainstay staY of attraction new zealand zeal and capiali ca pia lizes zeb ahm fur hr her tourist trade they resemble very much our american indians and many man of the customs rite cere ceremonies habits and voids bar I 1 to tn those of the native american before tile tha of the white man upon supoj their lands tile tha maoris laoris in the bracing climate of new zealand and 11 in their pursuits of hunting mill ga agriculture anti and war developed into one of the finest races in the world each of tile the tribes of which therel there were a la large ge number wora vera ver a usually at str strife fe with th some someone one or another of its neighbors if not continuous war was always imminent imi nent the fate of tha vanquished was to be cooked and eaten or of at best to be enslaved tile the villages were accordingly strongly entrenched entrench trenched sd and fortified and their inhabitants constantly practiced in warlike A great decline in numbers took place betwee lithe v sits of captain cook and the establishment of british government partly dil duo 2 to disease and partly to the in ter tribal wars following the introduction product tro duct on of the deadly firari fir aim arm for a long time afterwards the native population was on the downward grade and path of retrogression but it is satisfactory that luring during the tha last 25 15 years the numbers have increased by ty nearly a third and now amount to the tha maoris laoris as a race and especially the youths youth have 1 calabi iti 9 einred within th thorn m which when properly cultivated and cared for through tha ana educational system of tho the count countie zy develop their owners into azal leaders nd hrs tan mt t of my tiny tim ha has been spent with polynesian youths of age froin 1 rom 15 to 22 and I 1 have bave learned th t they have a static spark c 4 kroledge desire and am ambition bilion A winch which if allowed to expand will produce fine young men such is the burp purpose ose of the college to ignite those dolmant talents and as a finished product have young men of unquestionable moral character of sound mental qualifications and paragons of 0 f 1 cal excellence the economic conditions in no new zealand are not on the peak of pios this I 1 bel believe eve may inay be at buted to several causes among which might be mentioned liar her great distance markets her status of 0 unemployment the government attitude toward individual enterprise conti oiling trolling public utilities and the partial clop failures luring during previous pi evious summers new nei zealand is especially suited for pastoral pursuits which accounts for the sheep found within her boundaries she is also well ivell in the fore with cattle however r she is greatly handicapped by distance di stanca to the worlds great marts and her producers because of this find it difficult to compete with argentine beef dutch and scandinavian daily produce r duce and australian wool anem unemployment is quite rampant in new nei zealand but no more so I 1 think than in other countries economic conditions could in ill my lily opinion be ba battered somewhat by allowing individuals divi duals to operate and control ol 01 public bubli F utilities the post and telegraph departments part ments railways schools banks and the entile dydio electric development of the country are in govern ment hands the government and municipalities control many malty enterprises such as is gasworks tram ways 3 sawmills all and d zoological gardens it if private hiiva te competitive entel enterprise prise were allowed to control contro I 1 such the countley z b poor financial condition would be somewhat ome what ameliorated all of her cultivated aleas are dependent upon tile the n natural a tu ral source of moisture mois tuie for water awatar and alim the ekys fail to send foith tile the of heaven the inevitable result is a poor harvest ha lin ivest the past few years have lave been partial clop failures fai luies in parts garts of the island this his h 11 is ts added to tile the financial stringency of the country such a condition maka one leally appreciate the tops top of the mountains with the sunshine and winter snows which make possible os tile the network of li systems covering the intermountain etain ill ic gion but even with nith this no new zealand as small and as young as sho she is is to be b compaan iltz on oil the pro brogi I 1 1 aie sh s h has nude where less that than year ago tile wildest vil dest scenes of earn carnage a g and sav savagely adein were being heip perpetuated v help heie the pursuit of tile the whale and the frenzied fien gold lush brought to its shores adventuress adventure is among whom strength was right instead of these ve davs lave now a thi thriving iving island of I 1 1500 inhabitants who export yearly IN of surplus commodities tie and who although separated s epa e rated by the boundaries of tile the endless seas has developed in into to a modem dominion ot of the british empire and so on oil and on I 1 might write mentioning a great many ot interesting things pertaining to this pait of the south seas but time and space it in hibits again I 1 thank you for the reaper and wish you a continued success throughout the no new year 1928 give my feiry christmas al and ld happy new deal eai to the people of yours sincerely alton christensen the second letter carne came from winchester I 1 kentucky and is dated D da comber cember 13 it reads dear editor I 1 take great pleasure in thanking you tor the reaper which I 1 have received ce since being in the mission field spreading the gospel truths each saturday Satu iday I 1 the reabel anines with the good new s of what is happening in sevier county I 1 enjoy very much reading its contents the winter has started here again 0 ain winch which brings rain about five days each week and with the lain comes co mes plenty ot of mud the last summer I 1 have spent in the mountains of kentucky chev think as much of a moemon elder as they do a rr revenue venue officer but are many good beai ted t ed people in tile the south that invite us in to have corn bicad turnip gheens and butter mill milk 1 chich are eay de licus aitse a long hike wishing the reaper a mairy christmas and a prosperous new year yours arely elder cyril D brown bron bro n 0 |
