The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-01-25
AN APPROPRIATE DISCOURSE.

Last Sabbath evening, the Rev. Mr.. trear
preached n sermon in Fort Street Church from
the text And who knowcth whether thou art
come to the Kingdom for such a time as this"
The Reverend gentleman gave a graphic ac-
count Of the position in which Esther, the Queen
Of Ahasuerus was placed upon the issuance. at
the instigation Of Haman, of the cruel decree
that condemned the entire Jewish nation to death.
Esther was herself 4 JeWess, and though a Queen
had lost none Of the love of her people, one for
the other. that has always bound them together.
She had been appealed to by MOrdecai to obtain
4 remission Of the stern mandate of the King,
and though she risked her life in doing so. she
made the appeal, and Was successful IN ayerting
the doom pronounced, and saved her nation from
extinction. 1t was the powerful argument Of
Mordecai addressed 70 her in the words of the
text that persuaded her to brave the Kings anger,
and save her people
The speaker went on to say that a new King
had been raised up for this people, and bad
assembled the Throne under peculiar circum-
stances circumstances that enabled him to set
aside the ancient traditions and restrictions ct
the dynasty Of the Kamehamehas, and to take
such steps rs would lead to the abolishing Of
existing evils, and the encouragement of good
influences and that under his reign, with wise
counsellors around him, this nation would revive,
and be restored to a healthful state, morally,
physically, and politically.
The new Kings desire to do good to his people
had been shown in the choice that he had made
in calling to his Cabinet men of integrity and
high moral standing in this community and the
people had u right to expect that these counsel
lors would actively exert themselves in promoting
the best interests Of the Islands. The speaker
hoped that he would not be understood as dealing
with this subject from a political stand point
there were many evils existing in our midst,
which an efficient enforcement of existing laws
would go far towards discriminating. and it was
clearly the duty of the Kings advisers to see that
those wholesome laws were vigorously carried out,
1t was quite time that n new departure was
taken, and il was to be hoped that the new ad-
ministration would not slip back into the we'll
worn ruts of the old. Every man, be he high or
low, had a mission to perform. In the economy
of God there is no such thing as an entirely
useless man and at no time could any OF US be
sure that we were not specially called to n great
work that might have its commencement in what
seemed to us u commonplace incident of every
day life. 1t behooved us then, to do whatever
our hands found to do, with all our might.
In the present time, it seemed as though the
way had been made plain, in order that n new
era might dawn upon Hawaii and in the course
which late events had taken here, the speaker
recognized the hand of God, who had placed
those who now give direction to public affairs in
this Kingdom, at their posts of high trust, in
order that the nation might be lifted out oc the
slough of careless Indifference in which it had
been plunged for years, and be aroused into a
state of healthful moral and physical activity
that would enable it to keep pace with the en-
lightened intelligence and prosperity of the other
clIristianized people of the earth.
The above brief summary of the leading points
in the discourse, goes to show how all engrossing
with us is " the future of Hawaii - and how
imperatively the present Ministry are called upon
to inaugurate such measures as will relieve them
of the charge of too much conservatism, -
50 timiditp - and 80 old Eneyism - ~~hinh we heaI
SO freely INDUCED in. No one doubts their abil-
ity, but many are fearful that they will suffer
public matters to stagnate; and that they will,
under the plea of g economy discourage any
new efforts made to permanently benefit the
country.
AS an initiatory step in the right direction, we
would say, in the words of the Reverend gentle
man whose sermon has suggested these remarks
enforce the La,0S?