The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-09-28
WORSHIP THEIR OLD IDOLS
Missionaries and Their Children Own
ing the Land Given One
Reason for the Decline.

Wakefield, the rector, after an ex-
tended vacation spent on the Ha-
waiian Islands. AS was expected,
DIR. Wakefield delivered an interest
ing discourse, dealing with his obser-
vations while abroad. His text was
from III Kings xvii: 80, 81. "They
(the Samaritans) feared the Lord and
served their own gods
and unto this day they do after their
former manners"
"In my remarks this morning." he
said, al desire it distinctly under
stood that no reference is made to the
cultured and educated Hawaiians,
who differ as widely from the class /
speak of as do the inhabitants of Fifth
of the Five Points, or the Mandarin
class in China from their countrymen
in Chinatown, San Francisco.
'The possibility that our govern
ment may assume certain response
bilities in connection with the Sand
witch Islands gives a present interest
to all that pertains to the Hawaiian
people. In my recent visit to these
islands / found the opinion current
atrous worship from which, seventy
years since, they had been emanci-
pated. First, then, let us briefly
glance at what that faith was. They
deified the powers of nature. To
them, the earth, the air, the sea were
filled with innumerable beings
Akuas. The volcano, the thunder,
the whirlwind, the mysterious and
dreaded Il seaseS were each either the
work or embodiment of a malicious
spirit They had in common with
other PoIynesians, four great gods,
which were believed to have existed
since primeval chaos or night, power
full, invisible beings dwelling above
the clouds, but also appearing on
earth in human form. Kane, the
most powerful of all these, was be-
lieved to be the father of men, the
founder of the world. Kaualoa asso-
ciated with him as his younger bro
Their was supposed to have created
springs of water, in many places, in
his tours through these islands, also
as introducing the banana and other
useful plants. Ku, a dark and male
VIOLENT being, delighted in the suiier-
ings and immolation of human We
Tins. Luno, specially invoked for
rain and on certain family occasions.
Aumakuas were innumerable deltleS,
often spirits of departed ancestors at
tached to particular families, and
sickness or q failure to fulfill their
vows caused their displeasure. Lulu
ne. the name of the deity who assisted
their chiefs after death to a heaven be-
yond the clouds. These deities were
worshipped under the form of stone or
wooden idols, which they were sup
posed to favor, and to whom they
offered sacrifices. They had also their
L
their sorcerers, not unlike the witches
of the middle ages, believed in, hated
and feared.
"Human sacrifices had ceased be-
fore 1920. So these people, as found
them, gentle, generous to fault and
so obliging, were said to be relapslng
into their old ways and ldolatrous
practices, that attendance at puoilc
Worship was declining, that the mis-
sionary preachers had lost their infiu-
ence over them, that when sorrow
came or sickness laid its hand upon
them. or death stared them in the
face IaIi seasons which try mems
faith they employed the lamentations
of their sOoth-sayerS or sought by the
sacrifice of fowl or pig to appease
the aumakua, whose wrath they had
incurred. So, seeking for reason for
the collapse of what for half century
has been heralded as the most notable
and decided triumph in modern times
of the gospel at it's missionary meet
ing5 and in missionary publications
in fact these islanders were repre-
scented as "a nation born in day. and
the authorizing of the spirit upon
them likened unto that Oh the day OF
Pentecost-the following were some OF
the conflicting replies received:
"First - The withdrawal by the
American Missionary Board twenty
five wears since of their missionaries,
and placing the congregations unuer
the charge of native pastors
Second This from a Hawaiian
source-an awakening to the TACT that
the missionaries and their chlidreh
had become possessors OF the Ianus
which they, not knowing their value,
had disposed of for mere song, ana
left them (the natives) poor whilst
they had become rich, and that these
descendants of their former teachers
were now seeking to deprive them OF
the right to vote.
sHThird-A great lack of Judgment
had been shown by translatlng the
entire bible into their vernacuIar,
making it difficult, if not impossible,
for the heather mind to discriminate
between the morality of the earlier
and later dispensations. My inform
ant reminded me that one OF the most
devoted missionaries in South Africa
found it to be a serious hindrance to
his work amongst the Zulus who
could not understand why, Tor IN
stance, polygamy, ETC., should have
been permitted to the Patriarches and
they 1.-THE Zulus) required to put away
all but one wife.
"Such are few of the many rea-
sons given for the collapse of Christi
anity in these islands, but there can
have been no collapse if these people
had never been converted to Christi
anity, and investigation has con-
WINGED me they never were. Gentle
ness. a predominant feature in this
race makes it almost impossible for
them to say may Thus, when the
of devoted and earnest lives, sue
ceeded in winning over many OF the
chiefs to Wha ate was Their wont, fol.