The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-11-04
FORT STREET CHURCH.
Mi 7ional !. Conc, rt Essay by the
Chanoellos Opium Fort Street
Missionary Enterprise.

last evening, on the occasion OF the
monthly missionary concert Rev. ].
A. Cruzan conducted the devotional
exercises, also gave brief address on
the work of the Hawaiian Board Of
Missions, and called on Rev. DIR.
Baldwin to offer special prayer on its
behalf.
Hon. A. F. Judd, Chancellor of the
Kingdom, read an intensely interesting
paper on, "rhe Present Condition OF
the Hawaiian" apologizing at the start
for its hurried preparation on account
of the recent press of judicial duties.
The native Hawaiian was not by nature
a sceptic, his ancient superstitions
fixing in his mind belief in a supreme
Power. He was never troubled about
the story of Jonah or the Mosaic account
of creation. nor ever heard of the writ
ings of Renan or Strauss. The reader
never knew Hawaiian to be thor
ough infdel. Yet the native was fond
of discussion, delighting in his huency
of tongue. The disputations INDUCED
in by Hawaiian Christians were not
only proftless but dangerous to spiritu-
ality. An instance was related where
the reader was addressing congrega.
ton of Hawaiians, who, while very list
less duringthe discourse, had engaged in
an animated discussion as to what was
the objectionable sin before he began,
resuming it with vigor when he had
finished. Sunday school exhibitions
had become a rage among the native
churches to an extent that was alarm
ing When the churches in one dis
trict held one of these celebrations,
chartering a steamer to bring invited
schools from other districts, those in
another felt bound to reciprocate.
When SIX hundred people Of all ages,
sexes and characters were thus hud-
died together on an nter-island steamer,
it was too dangerous to health and
morals to be counterbalanced by any
good in those celebrations. Sunday
schools should be undc' more strict
supervision. There was a Sunday
school superintendent who distributed
sin on election day,yet held his position
without challenge. The difficulty was
remarked of making Hawaiians distin-
guish between mere profession OF reli
gion and morality. Possibly the early
missionaries had made too much i'm
portance of the amount of contribu-
tions as test of devotion, and even
with diminishing population the
natives made a good showing now.
Forty-two churches reporting had CON
tributed $S,4o3 last year for pastoral
support, and 81, 247 for missionary pur-
poses. Fifty-eight churches had con
tributed for all purposes, including
church building, $2S,r4a.6o, which for
their membership of 5,387 was an
average of So apiece. His Honor de-
scribed the firm hold pagan supersti-
ton still had upon the Hawaiians, Civ
ing cases where even ministers held the
most absurd notions, for instance, that
shark never attacked anyone except
to punish sin. He cautioned more en-
lightened Christians against setting a
presumptuous example in this regard,
by attributng commonplace events to
special Providence and assuming favor
able occurrences to be in answer to
prayer. A certain native church was
named after the seventh heaven in
honor of the seventh King of Hawaii.
The paper dealt with kahuna practices,
among other things saying that it was
almost impossible to find Hawaiians
willing to admit that they were kahunas,
while there were some reputed to pro-
TESS the arts who were innocent of such
thing. A change of the system of
native church government was sug-
gested as necessary, in order to secure
efficient white SUPPLEMENTARY of the
churches something in the nature of
bishoprics. In conclusion, His Honor
referred to the usefulness of the Laha-
inaluna and Kawaiabao girls semi
naries and the Hilo boys boarding
school, expressing favorable anticipa-
tons of the Kamehameha schools for
boys and girls in Honolulu.
In answer to a question from the
pastor, Mr. Judd said that he meant in
his paper that there should be white
superintendent of the native churches
to take the place of the first mission
aries, who had now all but passed away.
He was also asked if he thought
opium would have great hold on the
natives under license, and replied that
he thought SO, that it had hold now.
He was here when license was in force,
and thought it was dark day for Ha-
wall when the license law of last SEES
sion passed.
Miss Rice, of Kauai, being asked
about opium on that island, said PEG
pie there had been using it for years.
They could not abandon it; it was
their god. If the new opium law went
INTO effect, its tendency would be to
make the drug easier for the natives to
Obtain