The Polynesian., 1841-10-16


ment, and treated accordingly ly. Llholho,
the monarch, with fear and trembling as
to The results struck such blow. He
broke the ,abu and abolished idoiatrv.
The consequence was disorder. disaiicc-
ton and rebellion. He was however sue
ccssin in Iuclling the disorder. As tie
standard of rebellion had been reared in
ali al,elnp, TO restore idoatry and the old
order of things, he henceiot;h made IL
penal, coupling it with disaiection aud
>cd,iun. He felt this necessary to secure
the stability Of his government. Tie well
knew that the ancient order OF Things was
80 connected with The government tina, 1t
could no, exist indcpendcn, of it. ana
that if restored it must be- by the o,crinru-
ing of his throne. or that he must rccede
from the ground he bad taken.
Whatever appeared to them as idol
worship was considered the sign of disioy
'alty-hence the authorities insist upon i,
that ,uey have punished only for idolatry
according 10 the law which existed num-
Der of years before the Catholics came to
the islands, and before any christian mis-
sionarv had set foot upon their shores.
1t was in their estimation merely po!lt
ical offence, having nothing to do with
the merits or dement's of religion any far
ther than it affected their political irstitu-
tons, and therefore not entitled TO the
maine of religious persecution.
We think it will be clear after what has
h,,,, IA b,t t,,r, l,,
cause for their actions, especially as we
have no intimation that the extent or kind
Of evidence upon which persons were con-
vcted underwent any alteration after the
arrival of the Catholics.
The limited extent of their light ard
knowledge will also be remembered. -
They were ignorant, Just emerging from
a state Of the grossest idola,ry and savage
barhaglsIn-wi,h minds SO torpid and in
ert from long fixed habits of inaction and
physical degradation winch may be said
to have been increasing upon them for
ages, descending from parent to child that
they could hardly be reused from their
lethargy to mental susceptibility.
Is it surprising then that they were un-
able to draw the line of distinction be-
tween strictly religious and political Of
fences: A line which few of the most
enlightened statesmen and philosophers
have been able to draw Are Hawaiian
intclects under the enervating influence
of tropical sun so much superior to Eu-
ropean, and their discernment so much
more acute, that they are expected to
grasp and understand a subject in less than
twenty five years, which most Europeans
are not masters of after nineteen centu-
rIes of progressive light in intellectual
things has been pouring its rays upon
them Is it to be expected that they will
progress farther in one generation than
Europeans have in sixty:
But as we Judge of things by COMPARE
son or contrast, it may be well to notice a
few examples to illustrate the spirit of the
times in other places than these islands.
M. Dupin, the Attorney General Of
France declared three or four years since;
that to allow foreign missionaries of the
Societies of London and Geneva to gath
er French congregations would be like
having the point of a sword at the heart
of France of which foreigners held the