Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-19
/. DEyYTsoy, Postmaster General.
COMMUNICATED.
Nns Oy,n noVr.,, r,.. ~. ~.


Our city is honored with the presence of the Riobt
Rev, the Bishop of Honolulu, who preached last
SUNDAY IN our Churches in aid of an English Mission
There Is something so peculiar about this Mission
that we deem 1t worthy of few words of passing
notice 1t is we'll known that for more Than forts
years the Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. have been
under the christianzing influences of American Mis-
sonarles. For nearly half century our self-sacrf
clng piouS men have devoted themselves to the task
OF redeemlng this people from barbarism They
labored zeaously, established schools, taught the
people t0read and to write, reduced the Hawaiian TO
written language translated the Bible into Hawaiian
established laws and government and carried on
their work with such success, that the Hawaiian
ranks among the civilized nations of the world with
more than forty churches, and larger number of
Church attendants in proportion to its population
than we can claim even in our own country.
More than this, they are Christian nation educa-
ting their clergy and sending forth native mission
aries to the less enlightened Pacific Islands,
SO the work progressed, the Islands meanwhile
growing in commercial Importance. At first they
were the great depot Of winter supplies for American
Whalers and more recently American energy and
skill have developed their inexhaustble Agricultural
resources. Sugar, coffee, rice and arrow root are
raised largely. The exports of sugar alone for the
last year was over loCQO,0OO Of pounds
Within the past few years, this prosperity has at
tracted the cupidioqs eye of John Bull self sus-
tainisg colony in the Pacific midway between the
United States and China, was a tempting plum
The United States-the rightful mother of Islands,
was distracted with civil war; Napoleon taking ad-
scbnm yabmtage % OF Mths was Carrying out bis Maxm2n
Bull, shall | not put my thumb on these coveted
lSlands? Then commenced the work of intrigue,
able English dipl0matists sent to the Hawaiian
court, ana in lSb2 an auX ary was added by license
from Queen Victoria, authorizing Bishop Staley to
establish an English Hawaiian Church The Bishop
went to the Islands to carry out this object. He
established what he denominates the Reformed
Catholic Church" sort of religious nondescript
made up OF the English Church service to which is
added font of holy water candles an altar pictures
and outward allurements fascinating to the simple
minded natives. Soon the Bishop becomes tho Kings
cabinet minister and privy counsellor. Then English
influence with the goyernmcnt increased while Amori-
can influence waned. Americans were turned out of
political office and removed from the schools so that
a voice i'll the government affairs
Ihls Is The political aspect of this Mission.
Now what has this Mission accomplished in the
line OF Its legitimate Missionary work-amost moth
ing. Few natives have been converted by its in
fiuence Few natives attend its meetings, except
olncials seeking government patronage. Its members
and officers are almost exclusively Englishmen The
natives do not want what they call "Deformed
Catholic Church. Ii they did the same spirit and
h6eraty that built their forty churches and sent out
missionaries to other POynesian islands, would sup
ply that want. a nation that do such deeds; a
nation that contributed moro than $4,000 to the
Sanitary fund, is not so poor need our aid in this
matter. But If an Episcopal church is needed and
we should assist the work; let il be done through
strongly oil political intrigue. One Of our American
clergymen whom the Bishop says is working in the
Island under his direction has returned to the United
States and says that though High Church he is not
Low Catholic" and announces his conviction that
this Mission is no place for Americans We believe
this English Mission to be purely political one; the
representations Of every American resident on the
Islands confirms this belief and with that conviction
on cur minds we accept the Bishops words that he is
most ObtuSe III his diplomacy and impudent in his
assurance, IN begging for this object at American
doors Let MIN go home wit hout Il penny of our
money in aid of this English scheme.
A CHURCHuAN