Civilisation
(Golder Project subject term)
Represented in
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Canto Fifth in The New Zealand Survey
- Yon majestic trees, / Which have for ages stood the stormy blast, / Are destined soon to feel the settlers axe, / And by it be laid prostrate, as they are / Considered now mere cumbrers of that ground / He means to turn to fields of growing grain; / A noble change indeed! Thus nature wild / Must wear another aspect, feel renewed / With civilization introduced, where once / The wildest solitudes supremely reigned!
- But this is true,— / They’ve wander’d far from that great parting scene / On Shinar’s plain! Some providential hap / Must have some families brought toward these shores / As forced by tempests from their fishing grounds, / Unable to return; so they’ve become / Mere outcasts from society, as ’twere / To prove to a philosophising world / What man is when apart—left to himself / With nought but corrupt passions for a guide, / With reason overpower’d! Then far below / Civilisation’s standard will he sink / Till scarcely ’bove the level of a brute!— / Thus have they had such dire experience, / As from such stocks they multiplied, and grew, / By numerous generations, into tribes, / Forgetful of all morals, which mayhap / Their sires have held, although however small, / ’Mid ancient social circles in old homes!
- He found upon this island a wild race / “From all the world disjoined!” His visit then, / To them was like the earliest, faintest break / Of greyish dawn, upon the coming day; / And long before the sun, with upward rays, / The eastern sky paints in vermilion hue! / It told them (if such tidings they perceived) / There were elsewhere another race of men / Of more extensive knowledge;—that themselves / Were not the only people of the world;— / That they themselves, compared with what they saw / In all their wonted pride, degraded were!— / For nothing dreamed they of more cultured state, / Or civilization; (if to them such phrase / Intelligible were;) nor could conceive / Such state of mind, so as to feel debased / With that degraded state in which they lived, / When seeing something of a nobler kind; / No more than when they could their great canoes / Compare with that great ship the stranger own’d! / This visit must have given their stagnant thoughts / A quite unwonted stir! another theme / Of converse, of unfathomable depth, / When conjuring fresh conjectures oft,—
- Then aimed he at the cherishing of peace, / And good will to his neighbours, now felt due! / Thus in the desert sweet refreshing springs / Began to flow,—the desolate to sing! / The change, to him, was blest felicity, / Compared to aught of former life endured! / While on his race, he saw the early rays / Of a new Sun arising,—even that / Of Righteousness—and peace, dispelling quite / That darkness, which enveloped all the past; / While introducing a new day of grace! / What happy feelings must he have enjoy’d / At length, when tottering on the verge of time, / To learn the worth of social, civil, life; / While civilized society the hand
- To them in kindness has the ocean’s breeze,— / As bidden by an overruling power, / They knew not how to own,—wafted at length / That generous hearted “Cook,” who wisely sowed / Upon their shores, the seeds of various use / In wholesome fare; and useful animals, / To them unknown, let loose to multiply,
- The nativestoo, are happy and at peace, / Where terror once had reigned! (5) With heart and hand / Appreciating civilization’s lore, / To their new friends they bid God-speed, and join / Improvement’s march—all zealous to pursue / Th’ advantages held out, “a worthy prize,” / The more contested for, the more esteemed!—
- But otherwise, by a kind Providence, / Has been ordained their welfare to secure; (4) / For as the land, in peace, could not have rest / By those to whom at first it was bestowed, / Another race of gen’rous temp’rament, / And skill sagacious, coming from afar / Must gain possession, not by violence, / But by true purchase: both remun’rative / In price, and in advantages to flow / From civ’lization’s intercourse, the best! / And whose experience, in field culture’s art, / Will shew them how they to account might turn / Those principles of comfort, long inert, / Found richly to exist in such a clime; / And who would shew, “How good to cultivate / The social arts of peace;”—
- ’Tis by the work of a progressive toil, / Which perseverance only must maintain, / Ere to account this forest land is turned: / Long has it shaded been by lofty trees / From th’ influence of the sun! Nor has it been / Yet subject to the cultivator’s skill / For use; but lying waste, it has brought forth / Aught, save what may of civilized life, / Or human comfort tell!
- for corrupt passions oft / Will in rebellion rise ’gainst reason’s reign; / So civilization, from barbarity, / Is sure to meet some opposition, which / May check its progress, and annoyance give;
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Lines — On hearing of the Demise of Dr. F. Logan, R.N., May 24, 1862, Aged 84 in The New Zealand Survey
- In his younger days New Zealand was reckoned beyond the reach of civilization! and there were no such things as ocean steamers, railway trains, nor electric telegraphs; let the present generation thus appreciate the improvements now enjoyed.
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Preface in The New Zealand Survey
- The humble emigrant, as well as him of larger means, who leaves the refinements of an old yet increasingly civilized mode of being, and departing for other scenes and trials of which he can have no just conception, though inspired with a hope of doing well, even such may well be regarded as “Knights exemplar” in respect to the work in which they engage, such as conquering not only the wildness of nature, but also in subduing the savageness of fellow beings run wild, while introducing civilization into their habits and their homes; thus paving the way for the expected approach of universal peace and brotherly affection.
- The hardy settler, under whose guidance such civilizing influences are introduced, displays a courage and energy more worthy the world’s esteem than all the exploits of Knights errant in the semi-barbaric ages of yore.
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Canto Fourth in The New Zealand Survey
- Here, as elsewhere, must civilization’s power, / In industry, in enterprise, and skill,— / All three with ardent energy combined, / Must rise and conquer nature’s wildness, and / Upon her work far other changes bold / To bring her to subjection; thus, must mind, / As aided by pecuniary means, / Be stamped on stubborn matter, as a die / An image would impress on plastic things; / The while effecting in reality, / What fancy paints, a pleasing happy scene!
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Canto Second in The New Zealand Survey
- So here displayed / Are num’rous products of the human mind, / All proving immortality in man! / In such an active principle evolves / A struggling strife to rise to something great! / Thus stern endeavours to achieve a name / Cause many works to be produced, ordained / By providence to benefit the race / Of man, in his progression from a low / To higher state of being, upon earth. / Such works, results of lab’ring thoughts, while hands
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Canto First in The New Zealand Survey
- Britannia may feel glad to look around / Upon her offspring spreading o’er the world,— / As would a matron on her children smile / With innate satisfaction, when she sees / Them blooming round her, all in roseate health, / And holding by th’ instructions they’ve received / Through her maternal guidance,—going on / Improving as in years they grow, until / They shew a disposition to outshine / Their parents knowledge in the useful arts / Of peace and civilization!
- A mean to gather strangers from afar, / A happy mean indeed! to aid the bonds / Of mutual friendship;—Brethren long apart, / Who to each other strangers had become, / Are thus together brought with happy art / Again to interchange kind looks, and words
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Canto First in The New Zealand Survey
- This land would thus tread close / The heels of mother country in the march / Of civilization, and improvements vast / Affecting much the southern world at large
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Stanzas — On hearing of the Sudden Demise of Mr. G. Copeland, on May 22, 1866, Aged 65 Years in The New Zealand Survey
- Now, one by one, as tree leaves fall / Upon a sunny autumn day, / As ripe and mellow’d, Heav’n would call / Colonial pioneers away! / These twenty-six years have they toil’d, / And borne the burden of the day; / While making Nature’s face, so wild, / To look as civilized and gay.
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A Lay on Wanganui in The Philosophy of Love. [A Plea in Defence of Virtue and Truth!] A Poem in Six Cantos, with Other Poems
- So see the flocks and herds around, / They tell of pastures most abundant, / And every homestead seem t’ abound / In industry’s rewards redundant! / No longer like a wilderness / Are spacious plains, as bleak and bare: / Now, ornamental trees express / Most cheering truths of culture there. / The parcel’d fields—the garden ground, / Improvement’s onward march reveal; / The country’s face adorn’d, is found / To promise much for future weal!
- How good to mark each distant scene, / Where yet may come improvement’s change; / The wilderness will then be seen / Its savage prestige to estrange; / And welcome civ’lisation’s bliss, / As Nature such a state had chose; / So, thus ’tis said “the wilderness / Shall bud and blossom as the rose!” / Now, still on Wanganui’s banks / May thriving herds, and flocks be seen / With fields of grain, as Heavenly thanks / For industry, which glads each scene!
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New Year Salutations, for 1863 in The Philosophy of Love. [A Plea in Defence of Virtue and Truth!] A Poem in Six Cantos, with Other Poems
- To think of such, now civ’lization enlightens / Our lot in our day, may we grateful be found!— / Thus, as we look forward, the prospect much brightens, / While duty is ours, in faith’s works to abound! / See! are we not nearing the borders sublime, / Of that dispensation, Millennium will cheer? / So, gladly let’s welcome that forth-coming time, / By bidding all round us, A happy New Year!
Searching
For several reasons, including lack of resource and inherent ambiguity, not all names in the NZETC are marked-up. This means that finding all references to a topic often involves searching. Search for Civilisation as: "Civilisation". Additional references are often found by searching for just the main name of the topic (the surname in the case of people).
Other Collections
The following collections may have holdings relevant to "Civilisation":
- Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, which has entries for many prominent New Zealanders.
- Archives New Zealand, which has collections of maps, plans and posters; immigration passenger lists; and probate records.
- National Library of New Zealand, which has extensive collections of published material.
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, which has extensive holdings on the Auckland region and New Zealand military history.
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, which has strong holdings in Tāonga Māori, biological holotypes and New Zealand art.
- nzhistory.net.nz, from the History Group of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.