Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-10-18

lie people VI hdNhu ~ W SiuiCAi
not, however, from anything approach
ing what long. established civilization
calls religious feryor. That element Is
totally lacking in the native character.
/ speak, of course, from my own obser-
vations, which. although limited to a
couple of months time, have been var
led and persistently pursued. 1 consider
the constantly repeated assertion that
these people-the common people, al
ways-are Christians to be observed,
and that makes their great church-going
prediction all the more curious. " hen
one of the Kamehamehas ''broke The
kapu. which is the way history expresses
the circumstance that pagan worship
was abolished, he also royalty ordered all
natives to become Christians. Most OF
the natives had at that time become i'm
pressed with the advantages of Christi
anity over the worship of idols and my
theological gods as had kamehameha l.,
and that was in this way: When Van
couver showed the first king of all
HavaiIans the difference between mus
ket and spear for purposes OF warfare,
and the difference between sharp steel
carpenters tools and stone axes, for
purposes of canoe building, sndtold him
of the difference between European
cottage and native grass hut, he i'm
pressed him that all the advantages re-
suited from Christianity. Being anxious
to convert the the old heather, he said
Christianity, mind you, not civilization
and sceince, brought the advantages he
pointed out. Promptly, and upon that
idea, Christianity was proclaimed and
adopted, not with change of heart, but
from conviction that a Christian mus
ket would kill an enemy at a greater
distance than native spear. and that a
sharp steel adze would hollow out q
canoe quicker than stone ak. Conse-
quently the idols were broken, the mis-
sIonaryies were welcomed. churches were
built. and the strong, hearty nation OF
400, 600 happy people dwindled to 45, ,0OO
diseased servitors OF the people who
christianized them.
How deep the Christian ethics tney
pretend to believe-and doubtless think
they do believe-are rooted in the hearts
of this simple people, was illustrated
by an incident that occurred while We
were In the volcano, which purposely
refraiued from mentioning in my last
letter, because 1 can make better use OF
it here. Our party, was accompanied
into the volcano by anatIve servant o
Col. Macfarlane. When we stood oil
the brink OF the burning lake. in speechle'
admiration of the terrific phenomenon
that native withdrew to one side anC
with a simple earnest dsyoutness W,
could not but respect took from his bel
a piece of tobacco and half-dollar silve
piece, both OF which he threw into the
tossing lava anofferingto Pele, goodies,
of volcanoes, the worship of whom wa.
still stronger IN the heart of that MAJ
than the Christian belief which his az
cestors had adopted by royal edIct. Yet
that native will go to church on every
possible opportunity because he meets d
crowd of other natives there and he Is
intensely gregarious, because it please:
his vanity to he thought of sufficient
importance to be talked to aud prayed
for by foreigner, speaking native. aud
above all because he loves the singing
and music of the service.
One of the most remarkable super
stitions-once universal among til,
natives and not yet wholly extinct-ii
the belief in the power of certain native
priests to pray any man or woman t.
death who may b. selected for that un,
pleasant operation. 1t is a fact to-
perfectly well established to admit of /!
question that it was once not an uncom
, mon occurrence for mans enemy t
employ a priest (the cuff happened to b.
wash on which had written the native
name of the priest to pray the man +
death, and that the victim, hearing o
this, would certainly die on the day tn
priest had appointed for that consum
nation of ths bargain. L have talke'
with old white residents who have ell
deavored toreasOn with natives suppose
to be under the death-spell. No amour
+ of ridIcule of argument could convinc
, the natives that they might Just as wei
continue to live as die for all the prizes
could do. The natives always wtre, an
still are, absolute fatalists, and the.
demonstrated the extent of their inbor
belief that certain men were given tn
power to hoodoo to death, by dying l
compliance with the exercises of tina
I