The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-10-13
THE GAZETTE.
ALFRED Sanders, LpsroR.
CITY OF DAVENPORT:
THURSDAY MORNING., OCTOBER Is, 1865,
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS


THE SANDWICH ISLANDS
Last Sunday afternoon Rev. Mr.. Hiren-
COCK, Missionary to the Sandwich Islands
for the las, twenty-five years, addressed
very large and attentive eoncouse citour
citizens at the Congregational church, in
relation to the peculiar people among whom
60 much Of the labors OF his lie have been
expended Ills remarks were very instruct
i've and, judging from the marked attention
they elected, deeply interested his audience.
We cannot pretend to give his address in
detail, but a brief synopsis OF its leading
features may tend to throw some light upon
an important work in which years Of labor,
the services Of many philanthroric men. and
hundreds Of thousands Of dollar. have been
expended. A work in respect TO which
few, unlcss practically engaged in il, have
much knowledge.
Some thirty-,hree years have elapsed
since the efIor, was first made by the Amer
lean Board OF Foreign Missions to christian
i've the savages of the Sandwich Isles, by
sending among them Missionaries. ldela-
ny, which had prevailed from time immemo-
rial, had been abolished short time previ-
Gus to the advent OF these selt-sacrifieing
men among them, after periloes voyage
OF nearly $4,000 miles. The speaker mere
II referred to the lubcrs of these men up TO
1912, at which time he took up his abode
and co-opers,ed with them in the good work
in which they we're engaged. Their sue
cess, however. was founded upon the early
conversion Of the Queen, woman Of very
amiable temper, and. from, her station, Of
great influence.
Upon Mr.. Hischcock's arrival in bis far
distant home he vas stationed at Hawaii. or
Owhyhee. a. il was formerly called, which
is the larges, and mos, important OF the
Sandwich Islands, and is in extent about
the si,e Of the State Of Connecticut. con-
taining $500 square miles. Upon this
island, We would remark, is mountain
5000 feet high, lis summit covered with
perpetual snow, and another volcano; AMI
here il was tina. the lamsn:ed Capt. Cook
was killed IN ,7-a.
Though not holsters. the people o. this
group Of Isles, when frs; visited By the
Missionaries, were nation of drunksrds and
pilferers, and il was with grea. difficulty the
chiefs could be retained in state Of sobriety
sufficiently long to listen to the truths of
the gospel The people were emphs,icslly
slaves, especially those Of Hawaii Their
isle was owned b. the residents OF Oahu,
or some other isles Of this interesting group,
and If their services were required, mes.
senger was despatched to them, when in
their own canoes and at their own expense,
they repaired to the homes Of their masters,
where they sometimes passed months in ar
duous, Hnrequited labor. Allwere however
IN as complete subsection to their king, and
no man had aught he could call bis own
They cultivated fields OF .1ro-a root some
what like the potato-bu, if an emissary
Of their king drove down his stake in tina,
held, their proprietorship Immediately ceas-
ed, and SO with any article they possessed
When Mr.. Hitchcock first settled on the
island there was no house erected in which
70 worship God, and be met with the ma
tives in beautiful grove of.bandanas, . en-
bracing about an acre in extent. They
came to his worship clad in the garb Of the
islef; which, for the males, was simply a
twisted cloth of blue maxim bound round
the loins; the females in addition had loose
cloth OF the same material girded around
the waist and falling to the knees; the chill
dren were in state OF nudity. But now
how changed! For two or three years, the
speaker remarked, he had not seen a native
attend worship who was no. clad-he con-
iinued with but too much truth-as soe are,
in garbs manufactured of imported cloth.
The christianity Of the Sandwich Isles is
not such merely in appearance, bat in truth
and IN practice. Ofa population Of about
$4,000 from $4,000 10 10000 are members
Of churches and practical christians There,
or at least al Hawaii, the Sabbath is obsery
ed more strictly than in our own boasted
christian land. Never do you observe
canoe propelled upon the quiet waters on
tina, day, while sports of every kind ce,..
Drunkenness is unknown among them and
the use Of tobacco was made a matter Of
church discipline and even Of expulsion. At
an early day, We believe before missiona-
ries were established there, the natives had
their anti-tobacco organizations, pledged to
abstain from the use Of the weed. We pre-
sumo this applies more particularly to smok-
ing, as their object in abstaning was prin-
cipally on the account or the conbustbility
Of their houses, and the many confagrations
which had occurred from the burning Of to-
bacco.
The natives are warmly attached to their
religion and as self-sacrifcing as the print
tive christians. The whole worldly wealth
of the inhabitants of Hawaii, the Rev gen
tleman estimated, as no. to exceed SIC, 900,
and yet they had recently given 1900 to
repair their meeting house, its matched roof
beginning to leak. The labor of building
house Of worship 10 more difficult there thai.
with US, as the timber and stones for its con-