The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-05-20
(For the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.)
Bishop StnIey's Pastoral Address.
CONTINUED from our previous issr

In the appendix to his sermon, Note G., which Is destined 70
an unenyiable notore;y, the Bishop unburiens his mind on q
great variety OF subjects connected with the American Mission
to these Islands. Any one, however. who opens his pamphlet
expecting to find these subjects treated from q lev and ee-
waited point OF view, or 20 find any new facts brought out, will
be disappointed. 1t reads very much like a series Of extracts
from the columns of the Argus and P0lyneSidR, interlarded
with quotations from Sir Edward BeIcher, and others OF
that ik. The author shows I surprising degree Of reckless
ness in the selection Of his authorities, fishing for items in
the filthy pages Of the Sanducich Islands Gazette. and
quoting DIR. Rae as above all party bias ~ After this, we
suppose that Richard Charlton himself would be considered by
the Bishop as a truthful and impartial witness. DR.. Raes Bit
ter prejudice against all evangelical religion is sufficiently
shown by the first few paragraphs quoted from him. No no.
tce was ever taken at the Islands of his letters to the Polyne-
sidn until Bishop StaIey chose to rescue them from oblivion by
linking his own name and character with that Of their author.
For here, where his history and character were well known,
nothing that he could write was in danger of exerting any in
1uence. We do not expect to track the Bishop through all his
misrepresentation for a thorough discussion of the subjects re-
ferred 90, together with the accompanying evidence. would fill
q volume. Unsupported assertions, however, may be met with
counter assertions. The general impression which this appen-
dix would give to . stranger unacquainted with the Islands,
would be that RIGHTEOUSNESS is universal, and in some respects
worse than in heather times-that belief in the old heather gods
Is {" the rule rather than the exception that Hawaiian piety is
merely Z" unctuous cant" having no practical influence on the
life, and that the schools have been productive of more harm
than good.
Now the writer's opportunities of becoming acquainted with
the character and condition of his fellow countrynen have been
equal, to say the least, to those of Bishop staley. And even
sIlunS llONC tSiltL wiz Sdid W. dtlSO . NANS vi AH-
waman character as too favorable, there are very few who will
not admit that he is much nearer the truth than his reviewer.
There have been. and are Hawaiian men and women, whose
piety I cannot but venerate, and whose truthfulness, temper
auce and chastity might well put TO shame their traduceTs.
Though their knowledge Of history and exegesis may not be
very profound, yet they have a deeper experimental knowledge
OF the love of Christ, and of the work Of the spirit than many
Christians in more enlightened lands. 1t is true that they have
been taught high views OF inspiration, and that "tley are
ready, ike the old Puritans in scripture adaptations" The
Bible has been to them the word of life, and from that wonder
full book, which is so wen adapted to every race and every age,
they have gained new and sublime ideas and motives, which
have transformed their characters. Has the Bishop ever read
the life of Bartirneus Puaaiki' If he has, he cannot but rec
ognize the Divine Power which changed an idle, drunken, filthy
buFoon into an intelligent, industrious and devoted Christian.
And what is said Of Bartimeus is true Of many other Hawaiian
Christians who have not had his extraordinary gift Of eIoquence.
There are many Hawaiian parents who honestly strive to train
up their children III the nurture and admonition Of the Lord
Among the Hawaiian Missionaries to Micronesia and the Mar
quesas are men who would do honor TO any nation. Though in
ferior in mathematical learning to q Coenso, their faith would
hardly be unsettled by a heather Zulu. Yet We do not claim
for this people, as DR.. Anderson remarks, d" Il high place either
on the religious or social scale" And we have rarely seen any
thing more unfair than the Bishops criticism of the 18th chap
ter uf DR.. Anderson's work. lie tries to fasten on DIR. Ander-
SON the statement that RIGHTEOUSNESS and intemperauce are mere
circumstances 5" not incompatible with piety- he does this,
knowing that in the Protestant Churches Of the Islands indul-
gence in these vices Is considered suihGient ground L Justify Gr-
oC ,hs n.Tt % H. IT, Law members is unheari Of in the Church Of
England. What Or. Anderson does say is, " Licentiousness
still largely exists outsideof the Church, and is one of the easily
S 1sfi is sab stt GT to the It disc i OF of the chuTca. Sc do 'G moth %sS
es any more bury their infant children ahye, nor children their
to show that the same standard of Christian character is not to
communities, in Scotland or New England, for example. Ashe
truly says, The civilization g. centuries enters into the hourly
process by which the minds, sentiments, habits, in fact the
elevated Te@as a3 to a state state % Of Industry, virtue, inteliigence and refine
ment, IN one generation, o. TWO or three. IL Is me WORK ofcen-
fold. and very few of them indigenous. Almost all must be in
troduced from abroad and undergo the slo" aeciuating process.
Take, for instance, the family institution, which does more than
any other towards forming the character OF a people. What
-h-p i II bR g. raCtgi from i nation in which ySn The uia
mental ideas and sentiments on this subject have TO be intro
duced from without? Can anything more than a gradual i'm
:" Consider as DR., Anderson says, 9" the absence of almost al!
sence of words even to serve as pure vehicles Of holy thought
all H. ne fadint nresenre "f nonutine degrading, soul -des,roying;
easily fall before temptation than those of otle; lands? 1t is
more charitable views of Hawaiian Christianity.
The comparison which DR.. Anderson makes between the cor
ruptions OF the early Cornthtan Church and those of modern
Mulens ami others, before him. The Bishop expresses the
character, and that a complete reformation had taken place be-
fore the second epistle to the Corinthians was written. This
may have been true Of the majority OF the Church, but not of a
large minority for, near the end OF the epistle, Paul expresses
'he fear lest when he should come again he should "be~ail
many which have sinned already and have not repented OF the
uncleanness, and fornication, and iasciY:onsness which they
sins" The primitive Christians were human and, though it
was a pleasing dream which represented the Apostolic Church
as a society OF angels, yet it was only = dream. Isaac lay
lor's work on Ancient Christianity" shows what fearful cor
ruptiOns prevailed aterward in the so-called Hicene Age. The
ing 4 gross injuStice 70 the country men Of Socrates TO suppose
that before conversion they had been as aeoased as the ancient
Hawaiaus.
writings of men like Lord Ashley ana Joseph Kay that the
state of morals among the lower classes Of the agricultural dis
trcts is truly appalling. About one-hag Of our poor" says
an eminent English writer. q" have never been IN any school,
aud know little or positively nothing of the doctrines Of the
Christian religion, of moral duties, or Of any higher pleasures
than beer or spirit drinking, or the grosseSt sensual indulgence"
antry. especially in Wales. But for the shocking details I must
G Tamt 54S gsa . 70 The SG sesi,I e cogi i EgPo Of 10. 10 81 E9rn ihiy Tropis. %
published in 1850. tuantCld. prevails TO a fearful extent J
ccbieav fr the nnrpose OF obtsininr " burial Money" and tbat'
paupersm Of England and Ireland has since then steadily in
creased al the rate Of about five per cent; 4 year.
Shall We Hawaitaus, therefore, deny that England Is q
" Chrstiauized natos." and sneer at the existence Of English ;
riety , Far from il but we claim that if so much remains to /
be done in England, after many centuries OF Christianity, and
with the advantages Of Reformed Catholic teaching, We may
claim to be Judged charitabiy II, in forty-fve years, We
have not entirely rooted out evil habits and propensiies which
had been growing more and more inyeterate for thousands OF
In comparing the present condition OF the Hawaiian people
with the past, the tact should be taken into consideration that
for forty years before the arrival Of The first SiIssionaTjes, the
natives had been exposed to foreign influences o: the most de-
moralzing kind. There was hardly an island in Polynesia on
which cOuyicts from Australia or " beachcouhcrs' had not set
ted, il the early part of this century. These men taught the
groups causei sahSuilary "Ar among tNfa' aHi IN several u
stances insugated them 10 capture foreign vessels and massacre
their crews Il IS true that among the early settlers on these
is!arcs There were some hoLorab!e EXCEPTIONS bGl Aey were
far from being able to counterbslaEce tie demorahzing infu-
art Of d!sl!hns had been introduced, ana drunkenness and
gambling were universal before the pioneers Of the Cross ar-
o. 'ts @Ate OF things I" mo. very hL'I+ces "iHch nave pro
duced so great a change for the better. In the same way Or.
enacted against Uc-ntCUsuess. when BE must know that II was
going on before Fancouver's visit. IN 1892, and is a universal
ShaIer, who was here in IsO4, and other early visitors mention
all those signs Of dePopulation which are remarked at the pres
eut day. From the testimony OF natives, II would appear that
it never was going on 50 rapidly ss IN the carly part Of tis
70 be continued