The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-03-12
ABOUT MISSIONARIES.

EDITOR BULLETN:-During a resi-
dence mt these islands for about
twenty years, | have known more or
less intimately a large number of
people of all nationalities, and of all
varieties of religious and political
opinions, and have come to know
pretty accurately what they thought,
what they professed and also what
they practised. The fact that | am
an American, as well rs other eX
cellent reasons, has caused me to
know, and associate freely with, and
in many respects to admire the class
Of people. against whom there is so
much TRADE, known as American
missionaries.
1t seems to me that this TRADING
against missionaries is as senseless
as it is unjustifablo. While / am
not and never have been believer
in Calvinism, and / do not know
that there are any to-day who do
believe in it, and l have no SYM
pathy with cant or loud-mouthed
professions of piety, or with loud
mouthed professions of any assumed
virtue, l desire TO say, that when it
comes to hospitality, to generous
and unostentotious giving of money
or work, whether for public or pri-
vate charities, or for the public in
| terest, or when it comes to sincerity
and purity of life, to earnest en-
deavor-such as we all admire, and
whether we are willing to avow it or
not, mean and desire for ourselves
and our friends-to make our out
ward and inward lives harmonize and
accord with worthy IDEAL know
no set of people in any community
in which | have lived, who are, as
general rule, more worthy of respect
than are the families OF American
missionaries.
When the old Puritans left Delft
Haven, whittier political and religi-
Gus persecution had driven them
from their native England, their
aged pastor Robinson advised them,
il is said, to disclaim the appellation
of "Brownists' which had come to
be a term of reproach. The Puri-
tans had their evident faults and
short comings. They were largely
such as would be likely to be de-
veloped in men of the stern ideal
morality and religious conviction for
which they had been ready to sacri-
flee friends, home, property and life,
and which were intensified by the
hardships of New England climat
and soil, and by constant contact
with savage foes. But the time has
long since passed, when their higf
virtues, their faithfulness to duty as
they regarded it, have failed to Sc
cure the homage of men of opposing
beliefs.
Now whether one does or does no
drink, dance, play cards, attent
theatres, or churches, he does in hi
heart believe in living on principle
and not recklessly. If the line i
drawn between reckless and con
sciencious methods, and if that i
the demarcation between anti-mis
sonaries and missionaries, commen'
me always to the latter, and call j
cant, hypocrisy or what you will.
The fashion has gone SO far, t
sneer at this public-spirited, unset
fish class, known as missionaries
and to accuse them of mercenary
selfish motives, of driving shar
bargains, and of cxclusiveness, tina
) | think it is high time to protest, a
| now do, against it.
Instead of deeming it reproac
to be called "missionary," if a
are meant to be so classified VIII
either profess or pretend to Cover
: themselves by high ideals, / beg t
, be set down as a missionary, and
ones acts fall short of his hopes i
that behalf, SO much the worse fo
him. ALFRED S. HARTwELL.