Sundays Mixed

When They Got Their

An Amusing Incident In Rarotonga In 1897-9

By James E. Cormack

THE equanimity of Santa Claus was rudely shattered in 1899 when Cook Islands Parliament decreed that he should work double-time. As the poor fellow had neglected to organise, his ap peals were refused; even the New Zea land watersiders left him cold. For the first time in his ageless career this usually tranquil figure went his Yuletide rounds with a flea in his ear—two nights in succession.

Until the “Christmas Day Act” of 1899 this church notice appeared weekly in the local press: “English service will be held to-day, Sunday, at the London Missionary Society’s Church, Avarua, at 11 o’clock a.m. Service will be held at the Seventh-day Adventist Mission to morrow, Sunday. . . .”

It is hardly surprising that pioneer missionaries to Polynesia should have overlooked that imaginary line between today and tomorrow, for the 189th meri dian was not finally fixed as the Inter national Date-Line until 1884. The ap parent gain or loss of a day was not noticed; and, along with Tahiti, Samoa and other islands, the Cook Group fell into the error of living one day late.

Later, the French put things right in Tahiti, and Samoa also repaired the error; but the Cook Islands remained out of step, with the result that LMS services were held on the actual Saturday (locally called Sunday) and the Seventh day Adventists, who had been more care ful in their reckoning, observed the local Sunday, as this was in reality the seventh day of the week.

Little inconvenience was felt until the group began to find its place in the sun.

As trade increased, and ships came for Islands produce, local traders were faced with the absurdity of ships’ crews rest ing on the local Monday (which to them was Sunday) while the populace refused to work on their local Sunday. In many ways it was soon found embarrassing to be out of kilter with the world.

IN 1897, a petition signed by Father Bemadine and 21 other Europeans was presented to Parliament, re questing that that august assembly should “deliberate and adjust with all due care the day for the observance of Sunday in the Cook Islands. . . . Your Petitioners would now humbly pray that your honourable Parliament will, dining this session, give due consideration to this grave question, and enact that the cor rect day should be observed as Sunday in the Cook Islands, so that we are not isolated in this observance from the rest of the civilised world.”

The petition came before Parliament, and a deputation of honourable members was forthwith sent to wait upon Mr.

Hutchin of the LMS Mission, “asking him how It was that the wrong day had been given them.”

Mr. Hutchin replied that the first missionaries there had not dropped a day in crossing the 180th meridian, and that was how the mistake had occurred.

Parliament thrashed the matter out in heated debate and “ultimately it was decided that, as the present Sabbath had been observed ever since the landing of the first missionaries, it was not ad visable to alter it.” Native reasoning ran true to form.

THIS anachronism could not continue in a modern age. By 1899 the reins of government were more firmly held, and Lieut-Col. Gudgeon, the new

British Resident, decided to get Cook Islands onto the correct calendar by having two Christmas Days in that year.

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. , Without further dallying the “Christmas Day Act” passed both houses, and received the signatures of Makea Ariki and the British Resident. The edict is P lain «* “An Act to regulate the Calendar and assimilate the days of the week and months to those of other countries east of the 180th degree of Longitude.

“Be it enacted by the Parliament ol the Cook Islands with the approval of the British Resident. <<Th ® short title of this Act shall be the ‘Christmas Day Act, 1899.’

“2.—The 25th and 26th of December of the New Zealand Calendar shall be ob served as the Christmas Day within the islands of the Cook Group and shall be treated as one day and be called the 25th day of December, 1899. It shall further be held that the day following the said 25th shall be Tuesday the 26th day of December ...”

As this became law, the entire commu

nity fell into line—all except Putaura and his disciples.

The LMS and the Catholics observed the actual first day of the week of east longitude, and the Seventh-day Adventists continued to observe the Biblical Sab bath, which now was called Saturday instead of Sunday, as previously.

PUTAURA, the dissentient, was a native pastor of the LMS Mission Because of his fanatical opposition to the corrected calendar, he was quickly unfrocked and out of a job. With him it was not a moral question of the correct da 3L O ?. w P r ship, for every man has the right to follow the dictates of his con science on this score.

Putaura set himself up as the final authority on the calendar, and opposed the rightful correction of time. He fool ishly incited a small following to flag rantly commit illegal acts on Sunday, for the sake of annoying the community.

For this he was brought before the High Court and fined a nominal sum.

Evidently, news of this rolled around the world; and, like the proverbial snow ball, it gathered as it went, until this sensational masterpiece of journalistic credulity appeared in all seriousness in an American paper under the startling caption, “Rarotongans Slaughtering The Europeans”: “Minneapolis, June 26.—A ‘Times’ special from Seattle, Washington, says* One of the strongest rebellions which has taken place in the last 100 years is in full swing in Rarotonga, a Pacific Island under British rule in the South Seas.

Advices from the Orient give full par ticulars of the progress of the uprising, which had spread over the whole island.

The natives are advancing on the Euro pean Settlement along the coast and are threatening the capital.

“If it were not for the war in South Africa and the Chinese disturbances, the rebellion would create worldwide com ment.

“The inhabitants of the island were originally brought in touch with civilisa tion through the efforts of missionaries sent out by the London Missionary Society. Through the disturbing effects of the 180th degree Longitude, the first arrivals to advance the cause of Chris tianity set the usual day, Sunday, for service. As is well known, at the degree of Longitude mentioned the days jump back twenty-four hours. Since discover ing their mistake the Christian leaders of the island attempted to rectify it. The move made the natives superstitious to a degree and, upon urging the change, the Christians aroused a sullen resentment.

Now this has changed to active hostilities and, thinking that the white people were deceiving them all along, the natives are murdering and butchering on all sides.

“The greatest carnage and rapine are being witnessed. Over fifty Europeans have already been killed. At the last reports they were fortifying various coun try towns, and were preparing for a des perate resistance. All the business houses and the Government headquarters on the island have adopted the new Sunday, and are siding with the whites.

“An appeal will be made for assistance from Great Britain, according to to day’s advice,”

We are wondering if Santa Claus put the yam around—for he was really an noyed, way back in ’99.

Among the 160 guests at the celebration of Prance’s National Day, July 14, in the Guild Cafe Theatre, Brisbane, were the retiring Governor of New Caledonia, M.

Parisot, and Madame Parisot; the Collec tor of Customs in New Caledonia. M. D.

Mascarf, and his wife; the Port Pilot of Noumea, M. Louis Le Fevre, and Madame Le Fevre; Commandant Louis Martineau and officers of the French motor vessel, “Monkay.”