Identifier: boytravellersina00knox (find matches)
Title: The boy travellers in Australasia : adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan and Feejee islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Knox, Thomas Wallace, 1835-1896 Harper & Brothers. pbl
Subjects: Voyages and travels Adventure and adventurers Tutors and tutoring Friendship Sailing Sailors Animals Natural history
Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers
Contributing Library: School of Theology, Boston University
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston University

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and from open country to bush ourtrain went on, stopping occasionally at stations with little villagesgrouped around them, but very often with no other buildings visiblethan those belonging to the railway. Our host explained to us that the A RAILWAY THROUGH THE BUSH. 259 railway was built to develop the country, and for the greater part ofthe route it was in advance of civilization and settlement. I think,said he, you have built a great many miles of railway in the UnitedStates in the same way, and in doing so your stations have been prac-tically in the wilderness until settlements sprang up around them.Railways in New Zealand have done a great deal for the developmentof the country, and will do a great deal more as time goes on. Theygive the settlers the communication they want with the markets, andwithout such communication they cannot get along. The passengers that boarded or left the train at the stations wereprincipally settlers on the agricultural lands, laborers on farms or in
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settlers cabins in the open country. saw-mills, wood-choppers going to their work or leaving it for a visit toone of the towns, merchants and travelling agents of various kinds, andoccasional natives. The Maoris have not been slow to perceive theadvantages of the railway; at first they were disinclined to travel by it, 260 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN AUSTRALASIA. through fear of evil consequences; but their prejudice is steadily dimin-ishing. Doctor Bronson says prejudice against railways is not confinedto savages, as he has known fairly intelligent men in New Englandand other parts of the United States resolutely refuse to trust them-selves inside a railway - carriage under any circumstances. Our hosttells us that the Maoris were once under the impression that the Eng-lishmen had a demon of some kind chained in the locomotive and com-pelled to move it by turning a crank. Their more intelligent men havelearned the power of steam and explained it as far as possible to therest, so that the de

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