The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-09-13

minds as far as possible. Of wrong ideas already TO.
widely disseminated by the active clique whose mott,
is Rule or Ruin.
Hilo, Aug. u. 1873.
And you ianst remember tina, less than fort,
years ago, Dr. and Mrs Coan came 70 llilo, the peo.
pie were naked savages, with no church. and bui
one school house, without printed books or knowl
edge Of reading '-HlrpCr's AfoaiAIs Tor .Swgrfrf
p. $50.
This language is used as descriptive OF the inhab-
itants Of Puma and Hilo in the year Is85-aferu
years after the introduction Of the gospel 20 the isl
andS IL relates 20 the moral, civil. educational and
religious condition of the people Of those districts at
that time Ii says-they were - naked savagcs
they had no church there was " but one
school house they we're a. without printed books
or knowledge of reading" This language better de-
scribeS the condition Of the Inhabitants Of Puma ana
Hilo in the year 1928. when first visited by mission
aries. or in the year 1921 when Hflo was first occu.
pied as a mission station.
a few historical facts taken from the early mission
reports. and a few paragraphs from letters written
by those who initiated the mission work in Hilo and
Puma, will correct what may otherwise convey a
wrong impression.
The mission work may be said to have been begun
in Hilo in the year 1928, twelve years before Mr..
Coan came to the islands. In that year a deputation
OF the mission consisting Of Messrs. Ellis, Thurston
and others, made a tour Of the Island Of Hawaii.
They spent about one week ia H:lo, visiting In the
villages and preaching to congregations of the na.
tives. The chief then living at Hlo expressed TO the
members of the deputation his willingness TO have
missionaries permanently located there, pointed out
to them suitable places for the erection of houses.
anu promised TO protect and patroniEe the missiona-
ries. Accordingly in January, 1924. Mr.. Rugglcs.
one of the pioneers, and Mr.. Goodrich OF the first
reinforcement OF missionaries, with their families.
took up residence at Hio. Here they were well re-
ceived and successful in their labors. Two small
schools were Immediately commenced, and n native
house was first used for public worship. Early i'm
March, 1924, a house was completed for the mission
families, and in May Of the same year the church
was finished, the ninth that had been erected in the
islands for the worship of the one God. The inhu-
ence of Lord Byron, who showed himself a decided
friend of the mission during two months Of his stay
here IN the year 1926, was specially favorable to the
mission work ut Hilo, where ht stayed some time.
Writing Of the station at Hilo for that year. the his
torian says: Here at Hilo earnest INQUIRIES after
the way of life commenced in January. The at
tentiveness continued, and increased, till in Noyem-
Der the house Of worship was not large enough 10
hold half the worshipers. In January, 1896. the
new house Of worship at Hilo, 30 feet by 30, was oc-
cupied and attendance on public worship was greatly
increased. In April the habitual attendance AT that
place was at least 1000. In 1927 the Rev. MIR
Bishop-then located at Kailua, Hawaii,-made the
tour of that island, visited Iilo, and wrote Of that
station as follows: Preached morning and even
ing at the usual place of worship the house was
filled and Oaod atfant;on nail q, -. -
Schools are multiplying and knowledge increasing.
There are several who meet regularly for social
prayer, and a few individuals give evidence of piety.''
At n little later period Mr.. Goodrich wrote, after
his return to Hilo from Honolulu, where he had been
engaged Tor a time in the printing department
o landing we were surrounded by multitudes
who extended to us a welcome hand, and were es-
corted to our house by hundreds who appeared 10
weep for JOY at our return. Our house was thronC-
ed meetings for public worship unusually crowded
not more than three -fourths Of the natives could get
into the meeting house. After the exercises of the
morning are through, Mrs. Goodrich meets her Sab
bath school of about 300 or 400 scholars. Numbers
are ready to profess themselves on the Lords side,
whenever it shall be deemed expedient."
The number Of scholars reported for the districts Of
Hilo and Puma for the year 1929, is about $500.
MIR. Dibble in his history has the following language
relating to the district Of Puma, Hawaii I'm the
year 1929, Hoapili sent a young man by the name Of
Moo to be teacher for the district of Puma. lie took
. central post and collected a school. SO soon as his
scholars had made a little proficiency, he sent out
The best OF them to be teachers of other schools, and
he continued this course till every village in Puma
was furnished with n teacher. The schools Of North
east Hawaii come annually together at Hflo for ex-
The scholars and teachers anticipate and
'njoy the examination with much pleasure
in the annual report of the A. b. G. f. NJ. for the
year 1928, the Rev. Samuel Whitney and Mr. Rug
sles are reported as occupying the station. The Rev.
Lorrin Andrews labored for n time at the same sta
ion, and in the report of the Board we find the
names of Rev. j. 8. Green and Rev. Sheldon Dibble
With their families stationed at Hilo. The number
schools reported for the same year is eighty-three,
1887 scholars, and fourteen native churches.
In a joint letter by Messrs. Green and Dibble,
written from Hilo in May, 1882. they say "In
we had q general examination Of schools
to Hilo. We pointed each pupil to q verse
Vhich we had selected, and numbered none but those
Who could read. We found nearly 1000 who could
cad. We have disposed of nearly all our books.
he people have recently erected n large and commo-
ious school house, 30 near our door that our Indies
an superintend their schools with very little trouble.
We have four schools for males and as many for fe-
males every week. We have selected a small class
f young men, of the most promising, whom we
twice q week"
OF itinerary work they write in the same letter
Since November we have visited the districts Of
una and IIilo and have preached the gospel to the
Oor' wherever we have found them. On these ex-
ursiOns we have preached about seventy times
It the close Of this tour, one Of the missionaries
4" In this tour Of seven days / have not put
Fl my clothes except for washing | have with
o little painfulness walked over burning lava under
scOrching sun, have sat, eaten and slept on the
round, yet have been disposed to bless God for the
rivilege of addressing thousands of my fellow men.