The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-11-26
3araiiail 6azette.
wrpSEspAT. NoTRNBER 8 &C.


y the Rev. Z. P. Baker, and is pubhshed al
tho reQues, Of many -frierds Of the deccased
HILo, Oct. 4tI, 1854.
"a Kings, Is:IL IL c. Ny Father my Father.
the charisi Of Israel and the horsemen therof.
Words which come to my lips with an ire
pressibiliiy which really compile The utteranee
Of them! as behold the Beg-inads grave Of
the last ministerial, and except Mother Lyman,
| Mother Hitchcock, DR.. Wetmore and Mrs.
| Reed the last missionary At present living in
Hilo district, Hawaii.
David Belden Lyman was born at New
Hartford, Conn.,, On the 18th 81 July, ls0S,
united with the church 10 1871, entered VIII
liams College in 1924, graduating from the
same institution in ISIS. The date OF ms
graduating from Andover Seminary, where be
pursued his theological course, was 1881, the
same being also the year Of his ordination at
Hanover, \. H., 10 the gospel ministry: Of his
union by marriage to Sarah Joiner at Royal
ton, VI, and of bis setting sail from New Bed
ford, Mass, as missionary TO the Sandwich
Islands. He reached Hilo July 10th, ls32-
The missionaries already on the island when
he arrived being Messrs Goodrich, Green and
Dibble. Those were The days when the great
meeting house was standing, near the site OF
the present Court House, and large native con-
rreEutions assembled 10 hear the word Of God.
The great revival was even then going on: the
era Of that remarkable religious interest baV-
ing begun as early as 1925. And as soon
after as his knowledge o! the language would
allow, Father Lyman began to preach, make
missionary tours, and do the general work Of
pioneer evangelist After the advent OF
Father Coan, even, and along with the latter,
he still continued 20 do the work of pastor and
preacher in connection with the Hall Church.
&. La Hal
thereto. be. IN 1856 became the founder aud
1 Principal Of the Hilo Boarding School for Boys,
devoiirg himself after this date more especially
10 the work Of teaching, although for long
years he continued TO preach more or less un-
| I'll 1874, when, laid aside from active service,
lie became TO the region where he lived Tor the
| last ten years Of his life, the venerable Mis-
sionary Father, whose very presence has
seemed to be blessing on earth, and whose
| PRAYERS l am sure have been q power in
| Heaven.
And surveying the career which has Just
reached its earthly terminus and the character,
which always beautiful, has just been touched
and gilded with a celestial glory-the hrst
things that meet our view are the quiet sieadi-
ness, unbroken uniformity and lack Of yicissi
tudes which have all along marked the earthly
life which has just closed.
Father Lyman did his entire life work IN
one place, and that place Hilo, Hawaii, and on
almost one spot, and that spot the grounds Of
the Hilo Boarding School.
| Like Dr. Emmons, who began his irst pas
/ torate in Franklin, Mass, continued in il more
than fifty years, and died in the same place
when be had performed his life work. Father
Lyman began his missionary work in Hilo,
/ Hawaii, continued in that work for about fifty
years, and then ended his days in the same
place where he had toiled and labored. BE
| did not change about from one field TO another;
he did not frdrsl even, except to do little
missionary touring on the island OF Hawaii,
and TO 60 to and from Honolulu. In these
days when many are running to and fro," he
was one who abode in his nest. He did not
even revisit his native land, during his more
than fifty years absence from it, upon foreign
shore.
Indeed his work as an educator and Princi-
pal Of an important Missionary School, kept
him quite confined TO one small spot. His field
was not whole district one hundred miles
| long and fifty wide, but the schoolroom not a
hundred feet long and fity wide-ieaching one
single school, and on one single spot, being
properly speaking, the life work OF him who
now rests from his labors.
And that this work which he performed
stands out before US SO beautifully uniform and
impressive, there being no break or desultori-
ness discenible in it:-tbai he, who saw 50
many changes continued on in the midst Of
them, himself mostly unchanged; thus he, who
passing through Boston on bis way hither be-
held it city Of 10000 would have beheld it,
had he passed through it in going hence up
ward, a city Of 800, 900; thus be whose lifetime
has covered the last part Of the nineteenth
ccntury-ihat era Of mechanical inventions
Except at Waiakea Plantation and tho Hilo
Telephone) never saw Railway or Telegraph
in his life-although those appliances are now
the largest and most important factors Of our
modern civilization; that be whose memory
we revere, has made himself revered in some
other way than by striving crying or letting
his voice be heard in the Streets" All this l
cannot but remark; cannot but fondly dwell
on, at least for moment, it is SO beautiful in
itself, and so rare thing in these times of
change in which we are living.
Far from the maddening crowds ignoble strife,
His sober wishes never learned TO stray,
Along the cool sequestered vale Of life
He kept the even tenor OF his way
A man too, Father Lyman was, singularly
modest aud difident Of himself; be stood much
higher in the esteem and good opinion Of his
friends than in his own esteem and good opin
ion. Many kindly and complimentary things
having been said Of him and Mother Lyman at
their golden wedding, his simple and self-re-
mandatory reply was, that ''if one tenth part
Of what had been said were true, he ought to
be ashamed Of himself that be had not been
better man and accomplished larger results"
He took no pains to secure publicity for him
self or his work; though he did not refuse to
appear in public when such putting himself
forward was clearly duty. He was one Of
the rare ones Of earth, who could work on
gladly and joyfully in obsCurity. The end his
ondeavors seemed to have in him was charac-
ter not reputation, well doing, not mere credit
for well doing. You could depend on him
always and evermorc; he was more and better
than he appeared to be; basket of fruit with
the choicest and best at the bottom and no
more than sn average on top; the eye of the
observer, certainly in his case, did not alight
on the choicest and best FIRST. His children's
attainments were in his estimation next to
uauEht. He hoped for Heaven at last, simply
as the gift Of Gods free grace. lie was saint
who regarded himself as a great sinner, and
who was prevented from being lost sinner
only because through the mercy Of God in
Christ, he had become fgrgirsa sinner. Father
Lyman always looked down when he looked at
himself. But worth, real worth, which never
sounds trumpet before it, is quite sure to be
followed lin the person Of the results it has
achieyed) by many trumpet voices sounding its |
praises; after itself has relapsed into the |
silence Of the tomb. "Their works do follow |
them" Father Lyman's works follow him.
He is singularly fortunate in leaving that |
behind which proclaims in tones distinct aps
audible to all that lie was one toiling on sot |
earth whose bones are now resting beneahery /
lie might have tolled on and left behieptlon [
no such monument; his activities i time aElo |
the realm of invisible charactt or the ling to
enhance the glory and auH boat rasweeten
the praises Of Heaven. v ougbhoweyer, his
activities have told on el.., j. 'rel as Heaven,
artist-like he walked on and on in nOiseless
obscuriiy, but at length, the piece on which he
has busted himself, is unveiled to the general
gaze, and all admire the high order Of effort
put into it.
For Of all the Missionary achievements on
these islands that now meet our view, the Hilo
Boarding School is the one, which more than
perhaps any other, presents the most unmis-
taxable marks Of present prosperity and future
permauence. Very fortunate this institution
has been in its recent management; to Hilo the
decayiug churches all about it from which SO
many redeemed souls have gone up TO glory,
have been UlfOT1,nidis in having to struggle
fCr existence amid decreasing population.
Much true and good work is done here on earth
too, which shows no tangible results. As re-