The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-01-21
The Early Hawniian CkFfsffahs.

To The Editor of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
DEAR Sir :-With your permission. I wish 20 oiier
q few words of explanation upon one or two points
iof your editorial in the issue of Saturday, January
18th. You have referred to the state of things IN
these islands in the first years of the establishment
of the American Mission, and you rightly say that,
in those days, the wishes of Kaahumanu, or, you
should have said. of her and all the high chiefs of
the nation, amounting to twenty. or thirty in all,
were law. Why should it not have been sol for
these high chiefs owned all the lands in the islands I;
they owned the people. The people had no rights.
OF course, the subsection of the people to these
chiefs was of the most abject kind. I have lived in
the islands forty years, was personally acquainted
with Kaahumanu1 and all the high chiefs. and well
remember the doings of those days. Kaahumanu
was converted in 1924, Other chiefs, one after
another, followed her example until nearly all be-
came members of the church. They united in for
bidding all kinds of ~idolatry, established schools in
every part of the islands as fast as teachers could be
found who were able to read, and they encouraged
the people to throng the places of worship. Nearly
all the adults of the nation were in the schools. The
missionaries rejeined to have the influence of the
chiefs on the side of religion, because it brought the
people under instruction. Everywhere they preached
" 1oIEC ~ a NhNAA COWAbh tAN1ND
not their harvest-for they gathered comparatively
few into the churches-not by thousands, as you in
innate. Indeed, their greatest labor in those days
was to keep men out of the church. That the mis-
sionaries did not greatly misunderstood the motives
and character of the natives. that they did not con-
slider the turning of Kaahumanu's day true CONFER
sion, in fact, that they esteemed only q few at that
period sincerely pious, is clearly shown from the fact
1LoA 2Iou odnstfad eo faw IN unan,horehin Tin ~
June, 1882, when Kaahumanu died. only five hun
dred and seventy-seyen had been admitted into all
the churches of these islands. Some have doubtless
been misled, on this subject, by supposing that the
turning of K~aahumanu's time was called the
great revival" We have never applied that term to
the period of Kaahumanu, but only to the three or
four years beginning in 1888 and ending in 1912, a
period which did not begin until more than six years
after Kaahumanu's death.
During those four years there was a great reli-
gious excitement in the islands which extended
to every part even of the most remote districts.
Wherever we travelled, it was difficult to find any
who were not awake to their immortal interests, and
eager to hear the preaching of the Gospel. So far
as we could see, this excitement had no particular
connection with the authority of chiefs. Certainly
no such influence had anything to do with its begin
ming. 1t began in the district of Waimea, Hawaii,
where no high chief then resided. Many thousands
there were soon after received to the church. The
spread of that excitement from place to place over
that large island was certainly not less marked than
on other islands, though no other island was so des-
titute of religious influence from chiefs.
On all the other islands, there were no chiefs so
strong and powerful as was Kashumanu, while she
lived, none who worked SO untiringly, to elevate and
e~nlighten the people while, on the other hand,
eighteen years. attention to schools had raised up
many strong minded men among the common peo-
pie. But whether strong or weak men were at work,
this revival did not seem to be produced by them,
but rather by a power higher than that of man.
This period of four years is the only time intended
by religious writers when they speak Of 1" the great
revival of the Sandwich Islands, and it was a
great revival. 1t changed the face of society, though
many of course deceived our hopes and returned to
their old ways when the excitement was over. Two
or three churches did admit new members literally
by thousands ; all others by hundreds, and whoever
will take the pains to sum up the yearly reports Of
the Hawaiian churches viii probably find that, of
the 55 800 received to them in these fifty years, far
the greater part were received during this period
and a few years Immediately following.
A great work has manifestly been done in the
Sandwich Islands ; in what sense it can be called
90 completed" or FINISHED, I" I have as much
difficulty of understanding as you. sa.s4 -
So much by way of explanation.
Eg~rv . taTrs Yours truly, LIB.