The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-06-18
THE PACIFIC
Commercial A6bettiser,
SATURDAY, JUNE Is.
The Jubilee Festival.
l82O--I8ZO

The present week having been designated fol
the Observance Of the fftieth anniversary of the
landing Of the first American Missionaries OF
Hawaii, in April 1920, the exercises have par.
taken of a character designed to celebrate the
event. The very idea Of such a festival stirred W
great enthusiasm among the native population
who have been eager to manifest their apprecia.
ton of the efforts Of the missionaries, and their
JOY at the improved state and nearly FIVE hun
dred dollars were contributed by them during
April to aid in the celebration. The exercises
opened on Sunday morning, when both the native
congregations in this city united at KawaiahaO
Church TO hear
Rev. Mr.. Kuaea's Jubilee Sermon.
On our arrival, Il few minutes before ten
O'Clock, the church was already well filed. Crowds
were still hocking in at each door, and continued
till every seat was taken up, and benches were
then carried in till every available space in the
church was filed. There could not have been
less than twenty-five hundred persons seated,
while many stood outside the building, unable
to get in. The audience was an unusually select
one for a Hawaiian congregation, consisting in
part Of pastors, delegates and strangers, and
probably it was as fine an assemblage, in appear
ance and decOrum, as has ever been convened in
this kingdom. Foreigners who happened to be
present were fortunate. One could not witness
the scene without recalling the contrast afforded
by assemblages, forty, thirty or even twenty years
ago, when strangers could hardly endure the
noise and confusion that generally prevailed. In
this respect the native congregations have made
great improvement
About half past ten, the officiating clergymen,
-o-.- = - .vS.r.I NIa rrl,Tf auI tho
powerful organ which adorns the church, burst
forth its swelling notes IN a voluntary. under the
skilIful hands Of Mrs. GOVERNOR DomNIs. who
presides with great credit over the choir. The
exercises commenced with 4 short prayer from
Rev. b. W. Parker, followed by n jubilee hymn
sung by the choir, numbering OH this occasion
about fifty Hawaiian singers, who, as may be
imagined, made a powerful chorus. The execu-
ton Of the second hymn, IN particular, the chorus
Of which ends =
The year ofjubiIee has come,
Return yc TausDned sinners home"
was very fine; and fully equal, in power and
harmony to that of any foreign choirs. After
the usual preliminary services, Rev. NJ. Kuaea
rose and took for his text, LEV. XIV: IL. "a
jubilee shall that fftieth year be unto you"
The entiSf sermon will, we learn, be printed in
the KUOsLG newspaper, but we can only find
space for a brief synopsis. After setting forth
the reasons why all men should rejoice in the
privileges of the gospel and IN the light which
its preaching shed upon fallen man, ne took 4
retrospective view of the condition of the people
and the country fifty years ago, and then conf
pared 1t with the present. His picture of the
old heather times was a vivid one, such as only a
native Hawaiian familiar with the history of his
country could draw. lie then called attention to
the wonderful change that had been brought
about in the short space of half 4 century.
There was no nation on the face of the earth
which had ever made such progress in so short
L time. HaWaiians were a law-abiding Sabbath
keeping people, and education was SO general
that it was extremely rare 4 man or woman could
be found who did not know how to read and
write. Even in the United States, there were
thousands who could not do either. As to keep
ing the Sabbath holy, he had lately read that in
the great city of London, hundreds of shops were
kept open on the Sabbath for the sale of mer-
chandise, and this was in Christian England,
where the gospel had been preached more than a
thousand years. In France, too, 1t is stated that
eight millions of voters had gone to the polls to
cast their ballots on the Sabbath. What a
difference between this and the quiet and decorum
of the Sabbath in Hawaii nei, where only a hall
a century ago the holy day was not even heard
Of Truly the Nation had great cause to be
thankful to God in this year Of jubilee for the
progress made in enlightenment, in
Christianity and civilization. The speaker was
listened to with the greatest interest and atten-
ton, and but for the restraining recollection of
the sacredneSs of the day, the audience would
undoubtedly have broken out in applause.
The reverend gentleman's peroratiOn was one
Of the finest oratOrical efforts We have ever listened
to. There were no l~istless hearers present, for he
kept them all-old and young-spell-bound asby
with his stirring description, of the rapid
from heathanism to civilization, and of
the peaceful blessing Of Christianity, as witnessed
in Hawaii. To those who do not know Mr..
we have only to say that be has been
called by some the Daniel Webster of Hawaii.
The Hawaiians are natural born orators, but
education, culture and training have made him
1ne of the most conspicuous among them all.
Ills discourse occupied one hour, during which
he did not refer to a note or memorandum of any
Kind. At twelve the vast audience retired,
having enjoyed an intellectual treat worthy Of
the occasion.
On Sabbath evening, the Fort Street Church
vas filed with a large foreign audience TO hear
Rev. Dir. DamOn's Jubilee Sermon.
The exercises opened with an appropriate an
hem sung by the choir, Mr.. Havell presiding at
he organ. This was followed by the reading OF
he Scripture by Rev. d. b. Lyman, of Hilo,
whose snow-white locks showed that he was a
Ieteran in the mission service. Rev. Artemas
Bishop, a member Of the first reinforcement of
1923, then offered a fervent prayer, and the choir
ang the beautiful hymn commencing
Head Of the Church triumphant,
We joy fully adore thee:
Till thou appear, |
Thy members here,
Shall sing like those in glory !
We lift our hearts and voices, I
In blest anticipation, I
And cry aloud, |
And give TO God |
The praise vi our salvation.
This hymn was sung at the ordination of Rev.
Messrs. Bingham and Thurston at Goshen, CT,
Sept. %, 1919 at the Park street church in