The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-03-21
1.-THE QUEENS ALLEGED IDoLATRY.

"THE QUEENS ALLEGED IDoLATRf.
"For the Rev. S. E. Bishop to pro-
claim from the housetop the Queens
lapse into idolatry (if fact), is not
only bad taste, but a breach OF that
charity which should cover multi
tude Of sins. But as q straw will show
which way the wind blows, so the
artless witness of child will often be
a better guide at arriving at the truth,
than loud and persistent assertions.
The following counter testimony
should be weighed against the letter
of the Rev. S. E. Bishop in the New
York Post. In a country school, a
teacher was giving q reading lesson,
| and, the word sacrifice" occurring,
by way of explanation of its meaning
he told the class that in the old time
their Aliis used to throw pigs into the
volcano as an offering to Pele, and
that that was ia sacrifice" One child,
thinking that'the teacher had spoken
of the AIii-the Queen-indignantly
exclaimed, No, she didRt"'
will pass by the question OF
"taste." As to that OF charity" my
critic seems to think that charity
should cover all sins whatever, and
not merely "a multitude" may be
allowed to refer to all public mention
which 1 have made Of the ex-Queen
prior to her dethronement, in proof
that have never before made mem
ton of her idolatries, or of other mat
ters of public scandal. / will mention
an article in the Review of Reviews
for September, 1891, and a Thanks
giving sermon of November, 1892, as
well as numerous articles in The
Friend, where l have endeavored to
place the most favorable construction
possible upon her actions.
Why then, is it asked, have [ since
the revolution, exposed and denounced
those idolatries as to which l previ-
ously thought fit to be silent? The
answer is that those practices were in
timately and directly associated with
her crime of destroying liberal con-
stitution, and substituting an auto
cratic one. The idolatry and sorcery
which Kalakaua Systematically
taught and fostered, was for the pur-
pose of subjecting the people to the
will of the Sovereign. The party of
Royalty, the Palace party, was also
the party of Heathenism. 1t is i'm
possible properly to understand and
weigh the elements concerned in the
late revolution, without taking full
account of the systematic cultivation
of heathen superstition for the past
thirty years by royal influence for the
purpose of increasing the natural sub
servience of the people to the Mon
arch.
The present contest is more than
else, that of the enlightened
and progressive civilization represent
ed by the large white population, with
the best of the natives, as against a
revived heathenism with all its besti-
ality and despotic tendencies, as re-
presented by the court and, fear, a
majority of the native people.
The fact of the Queens personal
in idolatrous practices !
has therefore become an essential
one, and it becomes a public duty to
make it known.
My Right Rev. critic appears to |
challenge proof of the facts, setting |
up an infants petulance as if ample !
rebuttal. "She didn'tn is probably |
all the answer that will ever be at |
to the notorious and over
evidence in the case.
As the lady's worship of Pele is
specified by my critic, / will give as
IN example of her conduct, some evil
1ence which 1 had at first hand
During or about the year 1885, Mrs. |
Dominis supervised a large and en-
thusiastic Sabbath School Convention
ut Hilo, gathered by chartered steam
ers from all parts of the island.
Thence she proceeded to Kilauea,
where she descended to the then J
New Lake, and threw in a living I
pig and living cock, as sacrifices to
,he goddess Pele. The unhappy ami
mails fell upon the hot crust, where
with fearful screams, they roasted to
leath.
This fact was verified to me by eye
and confirmed by Mr..
Maby, who kept the hotel in 1856.
Prof. J. d. Dana heard the above
also DR.. J. NJ. Whitney.
At a recent visit in April, 1892, l
was informed by eye-witnesses, that
lbOut one year previous, the then
Queen, during her royal progress,
anne to the Volcano House. Being
weary, she did not personally des-
,end, but sent down as sacrifices to
oele, two pigs, which she had brought
rom Hilo for the purpose. Mr.. Peter
Lee confirmed the truth of the above.
During the same visit of mine, a
arge party of natives from Honolulu
odged at the hotel, including two
eading kahunas and prominent
of the "Hale Naua" Society.
They spent an evening at the fiery pit
below, during which they performed
.lamorous incantations to Pele, cast
ng in handkerchiefs, locks of their
lair and silver coin to the amount of
bout forty dollars. 1 subsequently,
Iscertained that this party brought
pecial letters from the Queen to the
Governor of Hawaii, who supplied
hem with horses for the journey to
If my critic desires evidence of other
Kinds of idolatrOus proceedings he can
.asily be supplied 1 should be re-
DICED if the Bishop of Honolulu could
,e made to understand that he is de-
initely allying himself with the
leathen party OF these islands. For