THOU SHALT NOT

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10230, 8 January 1927, Page 7

THOU SHALT NOT

RATANA BREAKS LIQUOR LAW

DRUNK WHILE IN CHARGE OF OAR

FAILURE TO RENEW DRIVER’S LICENSE

FUTILE WAIL FOR SUPPRESSION OF NAMB

MAGISTRATE’S PERTINENT REBUKE

WANGANUI, Jan.' 7

Ratana, the Maori prophet, who has now a tremendous following among natives throughout the'North Island, was arrested on Thursday charged with being in control of a motor vehicle while in a state of in-

toxication. Ratana appeared before the Magistrate, Mr J. S. Barton, to-day, when an additional charge was preferred, that of driving without a license He pleaded guilty. Senior-Sergeant Lopdell stated that Rataqa had failed to renew his license which .expired in March last. A chauffeur was provided for some time, but on Thursday accused drove himself. lie was observed . driving the oar in an erratic .manner. . He was not bad enough to be arrested as a drunken pedestrian, hue m charge of a car, he could not be Let go. Replying to the Bench, the prosecution said that Ratana was formerly very sober but during the last year ho had been under the influence __ \ of liquor on occasions. Ratana applied for the suppression of his name, as its publication would affect his standing among the natives. His Worship: I think this is not a case for suppression. Defendant had urged the fact of his standing and reputation, but there are some ■reputations which in the . public interests should depend on character and manner of life, and should not he bolstered up by an arbitrary act of the Court in proceedings like this. Ratana was fined £25 on the first -charge and £1 on the second.—P.A-

RATANA CULT

POSITION IN WAIAPU DIOCESE

A CRISIS COMING?

(Church News.)

Tho Bishop of Waiapu in liis address to his Synod made some important references to the Ratana cult as observed in his diocese. In two settlements in the Taurangp districts the Church people had gone over to llatana wholly, but these were two exceptional cases. All along the East Coast- among the Ngatiporou and in the Bay of Plenty ministered to by Canon Pahewa, the Church people are ■ untouched Uy Ratana’s . influence I n other places where the Ratana movement has affected the Maori, there is a strong body of Church people standing firm, and there is marked evidence that disaffection of some has been the means of stiffening up and' drawing together our Church people. Efforts have been made by Ratanists to obtain the use of our churches for their worship, but the Bishop has resisted this on the sound ground that they had been built for worship according to Anglican rites only. This has had the desired effect and

the Auckland Court case has checked the organised attempt to seize and use the . churches. None of the- Maori

clergy of the Diocese joined in the inovemnt. but a fair number of the licensed lay readers have done so. — mostly elderly men. “Many followers of .Rat-ana have poured their money into the so-called ‘Bank’. There are

.many sad cases where they have parted with every available penny. .JShe boast that while the Anglican ?£]iuroh is always asking for money from its members, Rat ana and his, followers ask for nothing, is absurd and untrue.”

Katana holds thousands of pounds •ot the people’s money. “Many Mauris, some personally known to me” said the Bishop, “realising the fallacy of their action are asking for their money back, but this is, of course, refused. The money is being spent, most of it is already spent.’’ The Bishop declares that the movement is weakening, and Ratana’s actions are prejudicing his maim. “There is no religion left in the movement”, said a thoughtful, educated Maori to the Bishop. “There is the form of service but the talk is of lands and money and what they can get ”

STILL HOPEFUL On the other hand, the Ratanists, while admitting that a crisis is preparing in the movement, are confident that they will emerge from it stronger than ever. A Christchurch newspaper correspondent at Wanganui indicates that they admit that the power which established Bataan's prestige among the Maoris, his “faith-healing” is departing from him, lint they point out that Bat an a anticipated this. The question is whether his maria will withstand the shock of failure. A general assembly of the movement was gathering as we went to press and the daily papers will no doubt be giving reports thereof. The newspaper correspondent reported that whereas “at one time nearlv every denomina-

tion claimed to have something in common with Katana’s teachings, now that they movement has reached to such large dimensions they can ■say nothing too bad of it”.' It is rather an amusing way of putting it. The truth is that Batana. borrowed something from several existing “denominations to form his “creed”, but has departed from the rule common to Christian churches, namely.

that nothing shall be added to SeripJy'ual teaching. Batana, for instance, added inexplicably, the angels to the baptismal formula of our Lord. And surely the fact that the “denomination” can say nothing too bad of the movement" is ominous. Meanwhile the great apostasy of Batana is raising for itself a great concrete shrine in his village out from "Wanganui, to hold 4000 people.