Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-16
bow KABU sPREAD THE GOSPEL.

bow KABU SPREAD The GOSPEL.
The news which comes from Tapitawa,
one of the Line Islands, is sufficiently SEN
sational. 1t is to the effect that native of
the Sandwich Islands, named Kabu, was
some years ago installed there IN charge of
branch of the London Missionary Soci-
ETY.. Kabu was Christian, and he sue
ceeded in converting the entire population
of the island. Whenever anyone EN-.
braced Christianity he insisted upon the
surrender of their weapons, and SO in ti.ne
he disarmed all the people. At length,
however, the residents on the so,.th side of
the island became impatient Of his inces.
SAINT demands upon them for contributions,
and concluding that they we're paying too
dearly for their new religion, they aposta-
tlzed. Upon this kabr4 preached crusade
against them, quite N the old.fashioned
orthodox way, and srming his followers,
led them to the att Ack. AS the apostate
islanders had all been deprived of their
weapons they OF course could offer but a
feeble and vain resistance, and the account
says that not less than thousand men,
women and .hildren were massacred with
every clrcu nstance of cruelty. This ex-
hioition OF Christian spirit was concluded
by gra sG bonfire, in which the dead,
dying and wounded were consumed
togeth r. Such is the story which
comes to us from Tapitawa. The
1nst' gator of the massacre has, it is said,
Dee n arrested and taken to Honolulu, there
10 answer for his crime, but tke deed is
ferSe, and hanging K&bu will not restore
hiis Thousand victims to life. 1t is very
Euch to be regretted that Christianityin the
Line Islands should have been associated
with so thoroughly unregenerate perform
ance as this. Intact the Old Testament Jews
never gerpetrated more ruthless slaughter,
and the medieval Christian Church car
boast OF few more sanguinary episodes
The massacre of the Albigenses seems tt
approach it most nearly, and it must be
admitted that the doings of that Christian
commander, the Duke of Alva, in the
Netherlands, under the instructions of that
Most Christian King, Philip the Second
of Spain, were not less thoroughgoing IL
their way, and were even more efectual ii
/ disposing OF heretics. 1t is to be feared
4 that Kabu had been diving too deeply
into Biblical and Christian history, and
that he had fallen into the not altogether
unnatural error of concluding that VIVA!
had been done of old with the
approval of Christian Churches nigh;
be repeated without blame. In judg
| ing his conduct it will therefore be
proper to remember that his wholesale de-
struction of hereto islanders, however
shocking it may seem to the modern OBJ
server, would not always have been re,
garded as criminal CT even as deplorable,
while few centuries ago he would quite
| possibly have been rewarded by canoniZa
ton for his jealous maintenance of the
| true faith. The moral Of the event seems
to be that when missionaries put the Bible
into the hands of savages, they ought tc
instruct them that there are many things
recorded in it which must not be taken foI
examples to be followed, and that the
history of Christianity presents abundant
instances of deeds which, though regarded
at the time of their commission as praise
worthy, are by no means in accord with
modern ideas of morality.