The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-03-03
I-".Aa..NI..--E--A.T
Not One Dollar for the Bishop,

Our city is honored with the presence of the
Right Rev. the Bishop Of Honolulu, who preached
last Sunday in our Churches in aid Of an English
Mission AZ the Hawaiian Islands.
There i something - peculiar about this Mis-
SION that we deem II worthy of Il few words Of
passing notice. 1t Is We'll known that for more
than forty years the Sandwich OF Hawaiian
Islands, have been under the outstanding infu-
ences vi American Missionaries. For nearly half
a century our selfsacrifcing, pious men have
devoted themselves to the task Of r~edeeming this
people from barbari>m. They laborei zeaI6uSlv.
established schools, taught the people 10 read
and u write, reduced the Hawaiian to a written
language, translated the Bible into Hawaiian.
established laws and a government. and carried
on thelr work with Such success. that now the
Hawaiian ranks among the civilized nations of
the world, with more than forty churches. and a
larger number OF church attendants in proportion
u Its population than We can claim even in our
own country.
More than this, they are a Christian nation.
educating their own Clergy and sending forth
native missionaries u the less enlightened Pacific
Islands.
81 the work progressed, the Islands meanwhile
growing in commercial importance. At fist
they were the depot of winter supplies for Amer
lean whalers. and more recently American ener-
~ and skill have developed their inexhausti5le
agricultural resources. Sugar, coffee, rice and
arrowroot are raised largely. The exports Of
sugar alone for the last year were over 10, 600, 600
of pounds.
Within the past few years, this prosperity has
attracted the c%upidious eye of John Bull. \
self sustaining colony in the Pacific, midway
between the United States and China, was a
tempting plum. England longs for IL naval de-
pot in this favored spot. The United States,-
the righttul mother OF the Islands,-was distracted
with a civil war Napoleon taking advantage Of
this, was carrying out his Macmillan scheme in
Mexico unresisted. Why" says John Bull,
: shall not | put my thumb on these coveted
IslaHds?" Then commenced the work Of in
trigue, able English diplomatists were sent to
the Hawaiian Court, and in 1862 an auxiliary
WAS added by license from Queen Victoria. ai-
thorizing Bishop Staley to establish an English
Hawaiian Church. The Bishop went to the
Islands to carry out this object. lie established
what he denOuimates the - Reformed Catholic
Church. Il sort of religious nOndescript, made
up OF the English Church service, 10 which is
added u font of holy water, candles. an altar.
pictures and outward allurements fascinating to
the simple minded natives. Soon the Bishop
becomes the Kings cabinet minister and privy
counsellor. Then English influence with the
government increased, while American influence
"aned. Americans were turned out of political
Office, and removed from the schools, 50 that
to-day there is not Il single influential American
with Il voice in the government affairs.
This l. the political aspect of this Mission.
Now what has this Mission accomplished in
the line of its Legitimate Missionary work-almost
nothing. Few natives have been converted bv
its influence. Few natives attend its meetings,
except officials seeking government patronage.
Its members and others are almost exclusively
Englishmen. The natives do not want what
they call Il Deformed Catholic Church." If
they did, the same spirit and liberality that built
their forty churches and sent out missionaries to
other Polynesian islands, would supply that
want. y nation that can do such deeds a
nation that contributed more than SIS, 900 to
the Sanitary fund, is not 50 poor a. to need our
aid in this matter. But if an Episcopal church
is needed, and we should assist the work, let i
be done through Americans, and not through
EngIishmen savoring 50 strongly of political in
One Of our American cl~ergvmen whom
he Bishop says Is working in the islands under
his direction, has returned to the United States.
md says that - though High Church ne is not
Catholic" and announces lis conviction
hat this Mission is no place for Americans. We
lclieve this Mission to be Il purely political one:
he representations Of every American resident
IN the islands confirms this belief, and with that
conviction on our minds we accept the Bishops
words that he Is most obtuss in his diplomacy
md i%mpudeut in his assurance in begging Tor
his object at American doors. Let him 20 home
without a penny Of our money in aid of this
scheme. \ CHURCHMAN.