Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-18
A TALK ON HAWAII.
Rev. 0. P. Emerson Tells of the Bale
full Influences of the Monarchy.
SOUGHT TO STAMP OUT CHRISTIANITY
The Work of the Missionaries Or
posed by Pagan Practices.
CAUSE OF THE REVOLUTION.


Rev. o. p. Emerson, who has had much
| experience a missionary in the Hawaiian
Islands. delivered very interesting ad-
dress at the Metropolitan Presbyterian
Church last evening, in which he presented
some new facts in regard to the efforts
made to Christianize the Inhabitants of
those islands and how these endeavors
were received by the Kalakauan dynasty.
| He drew a parallel between the experiences
of the Hebrews weeping and praying by
! the rivers of Babylon for their subjugated
country and of the Hawaiian people, and
| said: Hawaiian Christianity. during the
| continuance, at least, of the kalakauan
dynasty, has been hanging its harp upon
| the willows, for all this while it has been
| in the presence of most depressing and
harmful, corrupt, idolatrous influences. But
now that this kingdom has. in the kind
providence of God. been taken away, we be-
lieve that the native Hawaiian churches
will be able to do a work which the infiu-
ence of a corrupt heather court has. for the
| last twenty years, prevented them from do
| ing.
Chapter Never Yet Written.
There is a chapter in the history Of Ha-
waiian Christianity which the churches of
| this land know little about. Indeed, IT has
hardly yet been written. But the time has
| come when it shall be written, and be-
lieve IL to be my duty to give you a certain
acquaintance with il, for it accounts, in
| large measure, for the present situation OF
things out there, and 1t reveals the posi-
| bilitles of good which may be hoped for by
the Hawaiian churches as coming out OF
| the late revolution. Many influences have
| operated to corrupt the Hawaiian Christian
| ity ard to weaken the power OF the
| churches which the missionary fathers
established, but here submit that no one
influence in all the land has been SO baleful
as the kalakauan dynasty. No twenty
years in all the history o. those churches
have been more sad and hopeless than the
twenty years that have just passed, and
which are now sIgnalized by the overthrow
| of that power. Permit me here to recount
some of the deeds of that dynasty, and let
| me say that what 1 bring to the charge Of
| the late King Kalakaua i also bring to
| the charge of his sister, the late Queen
Liliuokalani; for though at first she carried
| into her reign q semblance of decency, at
| last, unfortunately for herself, she threw
| of this semblance and appeared in her real
| character. In recounting some OF the evil
| influences eXerted by these two reigns, per-
init me to mention first the encouragement
| which was given to idolotry. the appeal
| which was made to the old heather and
| supcrstitious spirit which was still in the
| land.
| n Cnrtstfun Nation.
After the coming of the missionary faith
ers, and during the reign of the Kane
| hamehas, the determined assault which had
been made upon heathenism had broken its
4 power. The nation became a really Chris
tian nation. The generation was converted
| to the truth. Up to 1858 more than a, 600
| converts had been gathered into the
| churches. Then it was, during a visit of
| nr hap If he
A. B. c. +. NJ. that the policy was adopted
of putting the churches under the charge Of
| native pastors.
The missionary fathers had done their
| work. They had reduced an unwritten
| language to writing; they had translated
the Bible and the hymn book, the spelling
book and the arithmetic, and created
| secular and religious literature, and found
! ed the schools, the churches and the home
| life where this was taught and enjoyed. In
short, they had established in the land a
| Christian civilization, and converted an en-
| tire people, and now, as the fathers dropped
| away to their rest, the policy of maintain
ing a foreign missionary pastorate was to
| give way to that of an Independent Ha-
| waiian pastorate.
The outlook was hopeful; the wisdom of
the fathers approved the change. Before
long twenty large parishes We're divided into
nearly three times that number, and as fast
| as the native preachers could be trained
they were put in charge of these parishes.
The First Attack on Christianity.
| Christianity was made in 1865 when King
| The first marked attack on the Hawaiian
| Lot kamehameha began to issue licenses
TO Hawaiian kalumnas or sorcerers. These
| licenses permitted these men to practice
the healing art as they knew it. Their
| power was the power of the fetish worship
er; of the sorcerer and practicer of the
| black arts that appealed TO the superstitious
fears of the people. Their use of drugs and
| herbs. where these were used, was sup
| ported by heather lamentations and pray
ers to the ancient gods. They leveled these
| lamentations and prayers against their enc
mics. They claimed to be able TO pray peo-
pie TO death, and where prayers did not avail
/ they would sometimes use poison.
! Thus there came to be a power in the
| land that was feared. This power stood for
| the revival of superstition, and became a
menace TO the development of the Christian
| life.
Each village had its kaluma or sorcerer.
who was greatly feared. He was against
the light, against the missionary influence,
| against the white man and the white gov
4 eminent doctor.
He professed to be able to heal the sick
| because he could pray people TO death.
| Every native pastor had his antagonist i'm
a native kaluma. over against the church
the kaluma set up his idolatrous shrine
| Thus there has grown up a heather party
| hating the whites; a party that divides each
parish in the land, and even invades the
| church, and in come cases the parsonage
| L have heard Hawaiian pastors again and
| again tell in pathetic tones how these
| heather influences have stolen away from
them their people.
Increase of Heather Influences.
1 have heard them confess how the Ka-
lumas have gained an influence in their own
homes. How certain remedies have been
recommended TO them for some sick child
of the house, and how, before they knew It.
they would be in the hands of the Kaluma.
l could tell Instance after instance of this
| 1 could tell how Hawaiian pastors have
had their superstitious fears SO worked ON
as to become themselves keepers OF fe-
| tisches. l have heard them confess to this
and relate the story of their final deliver
| ance. L could 20 over the list OF the Ha-
waiian ministry and give the names of
| probably nearly every man who now has
| fetisches in his or his wife's Possession, and
| who is thus more or less under the influence
| of the kaluma or sorcerer OF his parish.
! If l cannot name every man i'm the native
| ministry who is thus under the heather in
| fiuence / can name those who have come
| out of IL to my personal knowledge or