The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-09-14

kingdom,-not from the Government of France.
as has been stated, (slthough that Government
has taken a lively interest in its establishment
here,) but from a general Mission Society called
The Institution for the propagation of the
Faith" This Society. which is established under
the auspices of the Holy See, has two Central
Committees, the one at Paris and the other at
Lyons, in France, whose especial duty it is to
direct the missionary labor, and to receive and
disburse the necessary funds. Branches of the
Society are established throughout the civilized
world, for the purpose of directly overseeing and
carrying on the work. As Oceanica comprised
too large a field for the efforts of a single branch
Society, it was decided, some thirty-one years
ago, to divide it into two "Vicariates Apos-
tolic'-called Eastern and Western Oceanica.
Western Oceanica was assigned to the Society of
Mary, and the evangelization of Eastern Ocean
lea, including the Sandwich Islands, was con-
6ded to the " Congregation of the Sacred Hearts
of Jesus and Mary, known under the name of
Picpus."
The funds of the &c Institution for the propaga-
ton of the Faith are raised chiefly by small SUBJ
scriptions. In the English branch, for example,
each member is required to pay a half penny a
week. One person is charged to receive the sub
scriptions of ten, the amount of which he hands
over to another, who receives ten similar con-
tributions-equivalent TOT hundred subscriptions.
The funds thus raised, swelled by such voluntary
contributions as may be received, are transmitted
to the Central Committees in France, and by
them distributed among the fields of labor
throughout the world, according to the necessi-
ties of the different missions. In the year 1858,
the total receipts of the Society were 81 1866 ,o13.
The amount paid out was SOAPS some of
which went to different parts of Europe, some to
Asia, some to Africa, and some to North and
South America. The missions of Oceanica re-
ceived for their share, $50, S2l-or only about
two-ffths of the amount stated in the above let
ter to be paid over to the Hawaiian Islands alone.
The amount actually disbursed to the Hawaiian
Island Mission was about ga 900, some $4,000
of which were devoted to defraying the travelling
expenses of the Sisters of Charity and two of the
priesthood who landed on our shores a few months
since-leaving but S., 900 for the expenses proper
of the Mission. The amount appropriated for
the Mission in the previous year, 1857, was
S1O.O 900.
We have said that the ramifcations Of the
parent Society, under the auspices of which so
many Catholic missions are carried on, extend
throughout the world. They reach even to the
remote corners of the globe, including China and
Tartary. In the list of contributors to its treas
ury, and recipients of its bounty, we find the
names of most of the South American States, the
Ionian Isles, the Levant, Madagascar, Algiers,
Cayenne, Senegal, Ceylon, and the East Indies.
pays in regularly about 5000 a year
to the common fund.
Probably most of our readers are familiar
with the present position and progress of the
Mission in our group. 1t comprises
nineteen priests. at the head of whom stands the
Ri. Rev. Lewis Maigret, d. D., Bishop of Arathie,
and Vicar Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands.
this body, eight are on the Island of Oahu,
FIVE on Hawaii, four on Maui, and two on Kauai.
Seven Sisters of the Sacred Heart also reside in
Honolulu. There are scattered among the ISL
ands twenty-five regular mission stations-besides
many other stations. supplied with native chapels.
and visited occasionally by members of the priest
hood.
The I" Institution for the propagation of the
is, we think, the largest missionary es-
adjustment in the world. Its organization is
very perfect, and its working, managed as it is
by one central body, is very effective. The Soci-
ETY. is a notable illustration of what . systematic
oenevOlence Will DO, when FULLY acted out. In
a promising field of labor occurs in any part
Of the world, men, selected with a view to their
itness for that particular field, are Immediately
sent to the spot. Devoted. as many of them are,
to the religion which they profess, and JEALOUS in
the work of promulgating a faith which, from its
surroundings, is peculiarly attractive to
The untutOred mind, it is no matter of surprise
that they should succeed as they have done.
Religious prescription has been tried in some
,ases, to counteract their influence, but proscrip- |
for opinions sake, is, as Mr.. Maclay says in
MS letter, Z" bad policy-it is sure to react"
Misrepresentation, too, is bad policy-for it is
to be exposed in the long run, and in many
Eases creates a feeling the very opposite from
was intended. Truth is the most effective
Weapon against evil. Patient perseverance in
we'll doing is sure to receive its ultimate reward.
Educate men to think for themselves, and of two
divergent religions placed before them, the great
mass will choose the one which is purest and best.
NOTES Of THE VEEK |