The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-11-19
A NEW MORMON PROPHET.
Walter VI. Gibson Rebels Against Brig
ham Young Heyoluttontfing the
sand witch I.iandz-Preaeh New
Hell gion Brigham Victorious aud
hipikona Sadly Hetires.
From the san Francisco Chronicle j

RrIigion- brigham Victorious aud
hipisona sadly Hetirss.
Prom the san Francisco Chronicle.
The struggle for religious supremacy
i'm the South Seas, and especially Ia The
Sandwich ISLANDS, forms a chapter in
history which il fun of the essence Of
romance. The natives 81 the latter
group al the timeof their discovery were
mourning for their god Lono, who will
return in the shape Of "a white man.
This lingering superstition has been
used 10 advantage by adventurous whites,
who, az one time on another, have at
tempted 10 gain the religion, mastery
IF The llawaiians. And in two instances
-hrewd natives east OF all missionary
influence and set up religion Of their
own more adapted. a. they believed, 10
the wants Of the llawaiian-. Their am
bilious schemes will be developed in
time 10 our readers, but we will intro
duce the modern Sandwich Island Mo-
manned IN the person Of Walter Muir
ray Gibson, editor of the NuohOu. This
remark able man was educated for the
Catholic priesthood. but sweet-souled
Eve walked in the garden, pointed at
the forbidden fruit. and like Adam, our
hero fell Then, like Ulysses, he wan
dered about on the great deep, tempest
tossed. After various adventures he
became a Mormon, and was sent by
Brigham Young to the Sandwiches
lands. The natives heard that his name
was Gibson, and this they translated in
10 kipikona. as being the sound nearest
resembling the English.
RAPID PROGRESS.
In three months from his arrival Mr..
Gibson spoke the Hawaiian language
quite well; i'm six months he addressed
native congregations in theirown Ian
guage with astonishing fluency. Other
missionaries had been on the islands for
twenty years, and but few of them
could address the kanakas in native;
some, like old Father Damon--the old
est Protestant missionary ON the islands
could not speak il at all. Gibson's
mastery of the language in SO short a
time WAS proof to the natives that he
was inspired. Kipikona looked upon
this idea Of inspiration like all learned
men who know that inspiration means
ceasless labor TO accomplish certain
purpose. He made converts rapidly.
The first four years of Mohammed's la
bors brought him only four followers,
while the first four months Of Gibson's
missionary work gathered TO the fold
$50 Hawaiian Arabs.
I He announced To his followers that
he would retire for seven days and sew
en- nights to secluded spot on the isl
and of Lanai, where he intended to
commune with his own soul and the
k'ahun0 0 Ia ldni, or prophet Of heaven
+ (God). Then he would return and
bring them glad tidings. lie did re-
turn, pale and cmaciated from fasting
and praying, and calling his followers
together, announced that he had re-
ceiyed new revelations.
kipikona was to be the only prophet,
and he there and then announced him.
self a that prophet. A chorus Of
amens, in solemn chant, greeted the an
nouncement. Gibson readily perceived
that he made ten-strike. which he fol-
lowed up by making twelve-strike, in
the way Of naming his twelve disciples.
These he selected from the wealthiest
and most intelligent natives. He sent
lutiu lDIlu tiHoi- Aut i~ldlhS va Ah'
archipelago, and they preached with
great success. Gibson acted rs the
true and only representative Of ST. Peter
on the Sandwich Islands or elsewhere,
and held the keys of heaven in his grasp,
so far rs earthly mortal could hold the
mysterious articles. His ambition so
far was realized in its fullest extent
After "A few years of preaching he had
over thousand converts.
A SACRED TEMPLE.
Kipikona determined to build grand
and imposing religious temple, and Sc
lected the Island of Maui, being the
most central of the group, as the place
for his sacred ediiice. This temple was
TO be modelled after Solomon's, As far as
il was possible TO do So Ii threw them
into ecstatieS. They went TO work with
a will. and in very brief time the
foundations of the temple were laid.
Over one thousand kanakas. men, wo-
men. and children. all dressed in white,
with Bibles in their hands, were in at
tendance. Among the religious works
imbeddcd in the corner stone were the
Book Of Mormon and the Bible, in the
Hawaiian and the English language,
and the Koran. in the native Arabic AS
written by the Prophet After the cere-
monies were over a splendid feast fol-
1,,VnI Tho gbnigasf i.I Ia tha 500 III.