The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-08-05
LETTER FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS
MAKAwAo MANI Nay 8, 1862.
Ia the Editor of the National Era.


To the Editor of the National Era
4" The Sandtcich Islands as they are, mol as
then should be- This il the title of a pamph-
let of 10 pages, by Mrs. +. M. w. Parker,
San Francisco, which now lies before me. You
may see it ere this letter reaches you, for |
suppose the authoress prepared this choice
morceau for her friends of the United States,
and of the South particularly, as she is evil
IDENTITY partial to the institution of slavery.
From a sense of duty hasten to prepare an
antdote to the bane; for though think that
the great majority of your readers will see at
a glance that no dependence can be placed on
the accuracy Of the statements here made
still some may be deceived, and ignorantly
condemn the missionaries mud the people
There arc also found, everywhere, those who
eagerly seize and readily swallow anything in
the shape Of Islander, however gross it may be,
which is told of missionaries am not un.
willing moreover, to let our friends zee how
we and our people arc sometimes treated.
Allow me- then, TO make a few brief remarks
on the said pamphlet; will be AZ brief as pos
sble
find no fault with the title of the pamph-
let" The Sandwich Islands rs they are, not as
they should be" ! think could write at least
ton to speaking and writing Of them in this
style, Just rs we might write or speak of the
United States. or Of the British Islands, M they
are, not as then AouH be- Who believes that
the United States are all that they should be
Who of the missionaries at these islands has
said or limited, that the state of things was as
it should be! 1t is marvellous that any per-
son of reflection should attempt to fix odium
10 HnI in rfv
years from the commencement of labors in
their behalf it is not elevated to the highest
possible state of Christian civilization A for
mer laborer at the islands, writing on the I'M
reasonable expectations Of many in regard to
the speedy regeneration Of heather nation,
employs this forcible language "And if in
twenty, or thirty, or forty years, you can heave
up nation from the uniathomable depths,
and place it on "A firm underpnning at the
same altitude with New England society, we
shall stand aghast with apprehension that the
immutable laws Of Nature are broken and
that nothing can be told us too strange for be-
lief and that no fabric Of night vision is 30
baseless, but that it may be substantially real
lied"
SO much for the title Of the pamphlet
have no objection whatever to the wording IL
used as il doubtless is, as Il term OF reproach,
is has no force whatever.
2 The authorees ascertaipcd what tte islands
were in an incredibly short space Of time She
touched ut Lahana and was there part OF
one day-long enough however, TO learn that
coffee grew wild, and that cotton is indigo
nous---neither of which is true and great
many other things which were all new to me.
At Honolulu and immediate vicinity she re-
NAMED few weeks but with her ntuitive
skill in acquiring knowledge, she felt herself
competent 10 write u pamphlet, The Sand
witch Islands ~ they are" The venerable Mr.
Thurston, who has been on the ground thirty
two years, would shrink from the task Of de-
scribing the islands as they are. DO you mar
vel at this woman's facility in acquiring knowl-
edge can tell you in short compass. She
had, all except what she says she saw-viz
coffee growing wild, indigenous cotton, and the
boughs of the sandal wood, which almost meet
over head, but which, gentle reader, 10 not
found on Oahu, certainly not in the vicinity
of the PALE or Para, as she calls It'll repeat,
she had all what she has retailed a. facts, from
the poor creatures who hang about hotels in
Honolulu, who guzzle beer and New England
rum, wallow in the slough Of licentiousness,
and who will swear 10 as many falschooda AZ
their leisure and their ability enable them to