The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-10-17
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
A clergyman's Observations Of Changes
During the Past Twenty-Five Years
Condition of the Native Glasses.

During the Past Twenty-Five Years.
Condition Of the Native Glasses.
Some thirty years ago says the San Francis
co Bulletin Rev. E. G.. Beckwith, now pastor
OF the Third Congregational Church of this
city, was a teacher at the Sandwich Islands.
Twenty-Five years ago he left the islands, and
has not since returned until last June, whea
he was invited to deliver the annual address at
Oahu College, Honolulu. Since his return b
this city he has delivered, at the Third Con-
gregational Church, several Sunday-eyening
addresses upon the subject of the changes
which he observed had taken place in the
islands during The twenty-five years of HE
absence. Sunday night he gave the inallecturt
of the course.
The Golden Age of the islands was from the
year 1910 to 1855, when they were under thu
rule of Kamehame Ill. This king, under the
Influence of the Christian missionaries, enacted
wise legislation, the object of which was thu
benefit of the native race. He gave tho people
a constitution. And perhaps the wi est act Of
his reign was the division of all the lands into
small patches, which the natives were allowed
ia purchase in fee simple upon paying merely
Wan " VI puiNey. ~ SuCCV W uliS w
to give the natives homesteads, and devel-
op among them the beneticent idea of home
life, which before they had almost entirely
lacked.
Since the death OF that King, and during the
last twenty i've years, the changes in the islands
have been most marked, and, so far as the
native race is concerned, painfully disastrous.
And the chief cause has been the increase of
OF the great sugar enterprise. There is no di-
yersity of industry now Everything is sugar,
Potatoes or grapes, for instance, are grown
hardly anywhere or the islands. Every one
has rushed into sugar planting with an idea Of
becoming rich. Yet hardly any fortunes have
been made, andif the Reciprocity Treaty should
not be renewed and present prices Of sugar
should continue, nearly all the planters of the
islands would be bankrupt.
The effects upon the natives of the
growth of the great plantations and the
vast influx Of capital, have been manifold,
The great demand for labor has made it moro
profitable for them to work for others than for
themselves upon their homesteads. AS a re-
suit they are losing their home ties. Twenty
thousand male Chinese without families, have
been flooded IN upon the population, to work
on tho plantations. These have not only their
evil effect upon the morals of the people, but
are gradually ousting them from their little
land holdings.
The increased distribution of wages among
the natives has FASTENED their ruin. They
have more money than evor before. Being
mere children, unfit to manage business, un-
able to save money and easily led into tempta-
ton, their little wealth Injuries them more than
1t benefits. Honolulu is q moral perfect maels-
from to them. There the men so to earn the
troduoed into society," There they find the
best opportunity to spend money, and the
most Turing temptations to vice. To these they
yield. Few ever escape from Honolulu, and
most OF these who do. go away to die.
A general attempt is now being made to
teach the natives English. This is absolutely
necessary i'll order to unity the nation in the
midst of the increasing foreign population.
And yet even this hastens their ruin. For it
enables them to come into closer relations with
that portion OF the foreign element which are
responsible largely for the increase Of vice
among them. They get to know the unscrup-
ulous and vicious foreigners too well,
The deterioration in the morals OF the peo-
pie has been rapid and appalling. The tenden-
cy of the race was always towards gross licen-
tiousness, II the influx of foreigners has not
increased this, it has at least introduced among
the people attendant diseases which are eating
away the life of tho race. Drunkenness has
made alarming increase. frJgC
twenty-five years ago there was q law abso.
lutely prohibiting the sale of liquors to the ma
tives. Now there is a license law. Twenty
five years ago Mr.. Beckwith rarely saw a ma
tive under the INFLUENCE of liquor. Now the
oplOoEa VI IloilDIuiu lStl hltfl ufuuhSu III IFeS,
he saw on this visit of two weeks more drunk
ards than he saw before in eight years.
The present evils are due in lal &c measure to
the utter seltishness of the government The
interests of the natives are entirely lost sight
Of. The king, who owes his sovereignty, not
to his lineage, but to q political trick, cares only
for his W aSrandizements. A short time ago
q resolution of lack of confidence in the minis-
try was lost by one vote; tho ministers all vot-
ing for themselves. Shortly after the resolu-
ton was actually carried in spite of the min
listers, and yet in the face Of that defeat they
have not grace or sense enough to resign. The
natives hate King Kalakuka. But Queen En-
ma, who is Of genuine royal blood, they love.
Not long ago, t~o.propitiats the people, the king
conceded large reductions in the expenses Of
certain branches of the government. And after
the people had made 4 great demonstration OF
gratitude to him for the act, he then asked an
appropriation for the royal stables, which ex-
ceeded the total amount Of reduction. The ma
ton is dying in the bands Of bad and selfish
men. rE .. a. 51g4t al
In 1858 the American Boards of Foreign Mis-,
sions formally withdrew from active work in
the islands, intending as fast as practicable to
place native preachers over the churches. Ex-
perisrce has shown that this course was a mis-
take. I'll natives were not then fit to carry
on the work themselves, and the loss OF. the re-
s~training and guiding hand of the Christian
missionary has proved not the least factor in
fastening the certain doom of the native nation.
.'