The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-06-22
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
Some Interesting vital Statistics.


The Hon J. y. Cation, who passed portion
Of last winter IN the Sandwich islands, and AZ
is his won't Kept his eyes open and wits ahou
him, contributes to the Chicago Uejica' JoHr
nal the following interesting vital statistics II
regard 10 those islands
Among the interesting observations have
been enabled to make in these Island, | have
gathered such facts ~ were within my reach
of vital statistics, with some extraordinary re
suits, which may prove of interest. My attcn
ton was first attracted to The subject by listen
ing to II septcnnial sermon prt...ucd by Rev
Mr. Frccr, pastor of the CON rcgatiOnal church
in Honolulu on the last ,ui lay # ~. liz
stated that during the seven ye.,l, in which he
had had the charge of that church, there had
been born to its members eighty children, and
that of those under his charge, five under fii
teen years of age had died of disease and one
from accident and that during TIE same time
fourteen adultmcmbcrs of the church had died
These statistics were not sufficiently full to
satisfy me, so took an early opportunity to
call upon the reverend gentleman and told him
that his discourse had awakened an interest in
me which it did not satisfy, and that he would
lay me under great obligations if he could in.
form me what was the average number, during
the seven years Of the children under fifteen
years Of age of whom but five had died Of dis
ease, and what was the average number OF
adult members Of his church, of whom fourteen
had died in the same period, and also how
many of the eighty children born during that
time were still living. Heexpressed great will
lingncss to do tins as soon as he could make
the necessary investigation, and when practical
BILE he obligingly informed me that the average
number, for the seven years, of the children
from whom the five were taken, was 300. That
the average number of the adult members OF
the church during the seven years, OF whom
the fourteen had died, was two hundred That
three of the five children who had died were of
the eighty born during that time lcaviag sew
enty-scvcn ofthem still living. He then added
that no death had occurred during his time,
among either class, of person between the
ages of six and eighteen years, so that the num-
Der of Juveniles might have been largely in
creased by including all in that class under
eighteen years Of age. ! remarked that |
thought his statements most extraordinary, as
| had seen it stated by high authority that one
halt of the children born IN the United States
and in Europe die before they attain the age of
five years. | asked HIM if he had ever applied
figures to his facts so as to enable him to COM
never had, for ii had never occurred to him to-
DO So | then said, let us assume that the three
hundred children represented 800 years Of life
each year, then during the seven years there
were represented twenty-one hundred years of
juvenile life, and if we divide this number by
five, the number of deaths from disease, which
has occurred among them during that time,
then there has less than one death occurred for
four hundred years OF juvenile life in his con
yregation, and by applying the same mode of
to the adults of his church and
he fatality among them during the same time,
hen there had occurred one death for each one
hundred years of adult life
These results seemed very extraordinary Ii
admitted, but that could not change the facts.
At the first opportunity | laid these statements
before DIR. McGrew, physician of very extern
live practice in Honolulu, who said that he
lid not doubt the truth Of the statements, and
hat he did not think the results exceptional
lmong the white population in the Islands.
Thatthc congregation ofthc Fort Street Church
consisted of white people with very few eXcep-I
iGns, and that the few natives who worshipedI
n that church were of an exceptional class
That while the death of a white child IN the
Islands was of very rare occurrence the veryI
everse was the case among the native popula-
ion | asked the doctor how he explained the
cmarkablc difference in the health of the chill.
lren in the two races. He ascribed the differ
nee to two principal causes: first the lack of
constitutional vigor or vitality in the native
children, or inherited weakness or disease, and !
ccond a lack of that care which the white
hildren' receive, or in other words Il lack of
maternal affection. He stated that all children
lere are subject to those juvenile diseases
which afilict children in other countries, such
IS the whooping- cough, measles, and the like,
,ut that here they are of much milder type
han in any other country ofwhch he had any
aAd when proper care was taken
If the patients, they very rarely proved fatal.
That indeed the death of a white child was OF
cry rare occurrence, so that parents become at
east partially Invested of that deep solicitude
II rather apprehension which is felt in other
Countries, that the new born infant may not
i've to muturity. | then inquired if he could
discover that this immunity seemed to have Il
endcncy to beget in the white mothers, an in
inatIon to neglect their children lie very
answered, not in the least; that the
white mothers here are rs devoted to their off
pring as in any country in the world, only
hat they were more richly rewarded here for
uCh aflcCuonate care than elsewhere.
While upon the Islands have neglected no
opportunity to push my inquiries on this in
eresting subject, and found the results nowhere
ess favorable than the first statements given.
n conversation with DR.. Eldor, formerly of
Il, Louis, now pracucing physician at Wall
lku on the Island of Moni learned that by
applying the same mode Of computation first
dopted To his facts, there were SIX hundred
ears of juvenile lite to each death of a child
mong the white population within his prac-
ice, while his observations correspondent with
hose of DR.. McGrew as To the native popula-
ion.
Rev. 5. &. Damon, scamCn's chaplin ut Hon
lulu for these many years whose hand seems |
o be in every good work, asked me to visit the
'unahou school and Oahu college which is |
ituated just beyond the city From II histori-
al essay, read at a meeting of the alumni of
his institution 10y Hon. \. F. Judd, in 1866, | |
earn that the school opened on the 18th of
uly. 1871, with an attendance of thirty-four
,upils solely the children OF missionaries. "
The greatest number (of pupils in any one
ear was in 1853, when there were ~. In 1861 |