The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-06-19
NunnnN NcHonI- be- IInHNnii.

The influence Of well-eonduc,oj Sunday Schools
upon the progress and character Of 4 people is -
marked and important tlat I few notes on this
part of present Hawaiian history may be OF
interes; - the general reader.
No surer proofo f the intimate union between
this and other countries can he found than exists
in the fact tha; tue wave of Improvement and
activity in this department that has rolled over
more civilized lands has also produced is visible
effects here. Although Sunday Schools in the
United States have existed for more than half q
century. 1t has only been within the last eight OF
ten years that Il very marked growth has been
taking place; and 4 renewal Of lie. principally
resulting from the efforts and example of i few
live men in the great ceaters. y very fine ex-
preston of this activity has shown itself IN the
lively songs and tunes OF the present day that,
spreading like magic through the country, have
crowded out the slow embarrassing hymns ofour
earlier recollections.
Some three or four years since Sunday Schools
in Hawaii were in comparatively 4 low state both
as to prosperity and efficiency. \ transition
period was going on in ecclesiastical, political,
religious, and perhaps we may add commercial
affairs. So with reorganization elsewhere, there
was reorganization in the Sunday School The
distribution of scholars into smaller classes began,
also the effort TO secure young and active teachers,
while the translation of question books, such as
they were, and of the modern Sunday School
songs, and the commencement of the publication
of the -4GauIa-s. Daybreak "a monthly Illus
trated paper of the pattern of 1.-The Child's
Paper all these agencies were thrown in,
- l. .aAl. 10 ,- 6Ax-
might. The effect has been unmistakable-
y Hawaiian Sunday School Association was
constituted on a very simple plan of organization,
to hold yearly Conventions, and to secure such
advantages rs could be attained without any
great expenditure of money. Every SuPerin-
tendent OF Il school is regarded rs n member on
the simple condition of consenting 10 fill out Il
blank report Of every Sundays attendance for the
year, and returning it to the officers of the Asso-
citation also the pastors OF the churches, and II
delegate from each school who may choose to
send one. The Convention of this year has been
in itself IN improvement ON those of past years,
and the reports presented show 4 decided growth
and increased organization in all parts of the
country. There We're present 80 superintendents
OF schools, 80 delegates from schools, and % who
were registered merely as pastors of churches,
making So in all. There has been Is Il matter of
course q good deal of crudeness, and some tend
cncy to disorder, but Hawaiians are showing
themselves as not slow in learning how to do
these things, however inexperienced at first.
From the reports furnished we gather a few
figures. There were 90 schools reported with Il
sum total of average attendance of 1861 bows and
l437 girls, making the number of children 3l2S.
Probably the schools unreported, including for
schools in this city, would make up $500 rs
the average attendance and 1000 Us the number
of children to be considered members OF Sunday
Schools. The number of teachers is reported
30, giving a little over six pupils to each teacher.
There is also reported an attendance of adults
numbering 1923, making Il sum total of GOS2 o.
all ages. Il
The largest school in the country is the HAWAII
School. Counting by the average attend
lnce of children for the whole year, which is the
method of comparing different schools,
this shows go on the record Lahaina comes
next with 222, Kaumakapili with l64, Kohala
l4G, Hilo l42, and Waialua I55. These, it
must be remembered, are all children. At Kohala =
he whole congregation resolve themselves into a
sunday School after service, making an average
count for the year of 373. Kawaiahao at pres
mt numbers over 400 every Sunday.
There has been 4 growing fondness for Sunday
school celebrations during the present year,
1artly because the corresponding show ON the
of the common schools mas been discontinued,
II perhaps discouraged, of late. The publicI-
ion Of n small song-book, the % Lira Kamalii,"
ONE years since, gave an impetus to the musical
OF the exercises in the schools; then the 4
songs were translated for the native papers, =
uch as Shining Shore, Marching Along,
&C, and the music procured by the favored ones I
tho could get English books, and thus spread 1
broad. For the last sixteen months, n piece o :
lusic of this style has appeared in each ARauk
} that there is now quite an addition to the adval-
in this line. The Rev. l.. Lyons has labc- :
l indeGatigably in this truly benevolent work, md al
is owing to his diligence, that all over ne :
lands, from among the cane-fields and alonghe
reefs, the pure aud cheerful words of these sngs u
50 great extent, s~upplants what is worse
The principal object to be attained, nov that T
schools are so popular, is to mae the
aching efficient, and properly understooi We :
ust the reform going on in the UnitcjSEtes, dc
this regard too, may benefit us here. .
The reason why. u
The parties who do the Gazette le,iers and
itorial correspondence were doubtless surprised
the Fnl and only Instrumentation with rculd bn :