The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-24
VACATION DAYS IN THE TROPICS.
BY REV. I. R. G. PECK.
No. Ill.

Do not let my last letter lead you
to infer the rapid progress of this
people in all that is good merely
from what has been accomplished in
the matter of education. would
go around with you, as DR.. Hyde
has gone around with me this morn
ing, among the native churches of
the place. / would show you large
congregations of native Hawaiians
singing the songs of Zion, and listen
ing to the truths of the gospel, as if
these islands had never known any
thing but the gospel. would show
you their Sunday-schools filed with
the bright, eager faces of young peo-
pie and children. l would take you
into their p"ayer-meetings and mis-
sionary concerts, and let you see
how freely these people, so recently
heather themselves, give of their
substance for the benefit of mission
churches in foreign lands. And
from these churches of the native
folk, l would take you to the
churches devoted TO the foreign
population who have taken up their
abode among them. There is no
class of foreigners here so numerous
as the Chinese. You meet them at
every corner, with their almond
eyes, shaven foreheads, blue shirts,
and braided pig-tails encrcling their
heads. They are the Yankees of this
part of the Pacific, ubiquitous, in
dustrious, enterprising, and persist
ent. They have long lines Of shops,
are honest in trade, exemplary in
practice, and in these respects afford
a strong contrast to their country
men in many other places. In the
houses of the wealthy residents they
are indispensable as servants, and
always, learn, faithful to the trust
imposed in them. Some have come
over from their native country con-
verts of the missionaries there, with
letters of recommendation to
churches here; but the great major
ity have come with no religion at all,
save the superstitions Of their own
land. 1t was natural, therefore,
that they should awaken the atten-
tion and excite the sympathies of
the Christian people of Honolulu,
and that they should seek to bring
the influences of the gospel to bear
upon them. And this they have
done, and large congregation has
been gathered, and church erected
for their worship. Over the door
are the words, in great gilded Chi
nese characters, "Jesus' House."
and entering, L found the goods sized
building full of eager listeners. The
women occupied one-fourth of the
church, and the men the remainder.
Mothers sat on the steps at the en-
trance to the church with their little
babes in their arms, while the older
children, in their neat Chinese
dresses, played on the grass in front
of the door. 1t was pretty sight.
The children played, while the
mothers sat near so they could
watch the children at the same time
that they received the benefit of the
services. Below was the Sunday
school room. and in the rear the fine
large building known as the "Chi-
nese Young Peoples Christian Asso-
ciation," with hospital ward at
tached for any who were sick, and
furnished chambers for those who
were homeless. Hung around the
Walls were tie rules of the Associa-
foh, and maps and prints in the
Chinese tongue. l never was more
pleasantly impressed with any efforts
put forw.sl i for the benefit of any
class than those put forward for the
Chinese here. Mr.. Frank Damon,
the superintendent of the mission,
and who speaks the Chinese lang
mage like a native, is still a young
man, an interchangeable worker, and
in every way adapted to deal with
these people of the Flowery land.
AS such, he more than deserves the
commentator, the sympathy, the
assistance of every society and Or
ganization in our land who have for
their object the spiritual benefit of
this most interesting people.
In long ride which l have taken
with my friend, DR.. Hyde, who
occupies most important position
here ms the head of the "North
Pacific Missionary Institute" and
who seems to have had n hand in
every prominent educational and re-
ligious enterprise connected with
these islands for the past ten years,
he showed me large plot of land
eligibly situated in the suburbs OF
the town which had been donated
for the purpose of establishing a
school for the mental and physical
training of native boys. Already a
fine artesian well has been bored and
the grounds partially worked for the
erection of the buildings. In this,
too, we must acknowledge the lib
erality of the Bishop family, Mrs.
b. having left some four hundred
thousand dollars for this and SINH,
lar purposes. A girls school, of 9
like character, is to be established
on the other side of the town.
And so i might go on and tell you
of institution after institution organ