Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-09-05


does it require any further proof to
show that they and presumably all other
similar tribes are capable of civilization ?
1t seems to me to be fully proved: for
If the labor of one missionary among q
whole tribe and surrounded by such
adverse circumstances as we know to
have existed then, accomplished so
much, it is certain that more methodic
effort, longer sustained and strongly
supported, could not fail to convert
the wild aboriginies into at least toler-
able citizens.
have in my possession few speci-
mems of the work done on the old press
at Lapwai. There is the gospel of Mat
thew printed in book form, and very
well printed too. The Rev. Mr.. Walker
tried his prentice hand" on a trans
lation of scripture into the Spokane
Flathead, and performed quite credit
ably, excepting for turned letters, etc
AS for his spelling, it OF course was
subject to no rule and followed no ma
tive Webster or Worcester.
When the press came to Oregon there
came with it Edwin o. Hall, Yankee
typo Of these wandering sort but very
respectable man. He was accompanied
by his wife, whose failing health in the
islands had induced them to leave
Honolulu. Hall did the work on the
native books Of which have spoken,
and was thus the pioneer Of the art of
printing, in Oregon, and, except for one
circumstance, in the whole of the
United States west of the Rocky
Mountains. That circumstance is the
fact that the earlier Mexican governors
of California had small American
made press at Monterey, their capital,
upon which they printed their state
documents and Pr0nnneiamenfoS. AT the
beginning of the war between Mexico
and the United States, Commodore
Stockton seized Monterey and put his
chaplain ashore to act as alcalde (police
judge. The chaplain-alcalde was named
the Rev. Walter Cotton, and one of his
first official acts was to take possession
OF the press and begin to print news
paper upon it. This was the Californian.
This fact, however, has no bearing on
the matter under discussion.
In the year IS4o, Hall returned to
the islands, and subsequently went to
the eastern states. have notice of his
having died year or two since. After
his departure several people had charge
of the old press in succession, and
turned out considerable printing in the
way of Indian translations, etc. N. G.
Foisy was compositor for some time.
He died at French Prairie, Marion
county, on June II, 1879. When, on
November 90, IS47, DIR. Whitman was
foully murdered by recreants Of the
tribe he was tryining SO hard to christ
ianize, the mission stations were aban-
! doned, and after the close of the Cayuse
war the printing material were taken
to the Tualatin plains in Washington
county. Here the Rev. John Smith
tGrITfiil, UTTy or trrC rTrUsr mag SrIurTfrr1ous
of men, and at the same time one o.
the most independent, established {
newspaper, the second in Oregon, (the
Spectator was the first, named the ore
gVntan american and Eaungeittal Un
iOnist, and printed it upon the old
muchuaveled press. Tie Orsgon
Ame,zcan and E0angelieal Union
ia did not long survive, and the
press supernaruated and rusty,
went out of use, and in 1860 was
advertised fer sale A few years age
Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Spalding, widow
Of the Rev. H. H. Spalding, and her
selfa missionary of unsurpassed energy
and fervor having long since acquired
title to it, presented the press to the
state of Oregon to be retained in trust
for the people | leave it to whoever
reads this sketch to say whether the gift
is not valuable and appropriate one.
IL o. Langm the O,egonian.