The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-02-22

or public opinion, the seapoFts We're
turned into pandemOniums during
the shipping season. The sandaIwo0d
trade greatly increased the oppression
of the common people, who were
forced 30 spepd months at time Ia
the mountains To procure this wood
TO pay their chiefs debts.
1.-TWO other causes have had baae-
ful influence, especially during the
last twenty years. One Of these is tils
influence of the kahunas or medicine
men, who combine sorcefy with the
ignorant aud pefnicious use of drugs
and cause many untinely deaths,
The other is the immigration OF great
numbers of Asiatics, who debauch the
natives and aggrayate the evil al
ready existing"
GLOOMY AND TERRIBLE RELIGION.
"What was their religion ?"
"Gl0omy and terrible. To them
the earth, the air and the sea We're
full of invisible aud malegoient
beings. All sorts Of disease were be-
lieyed to be the work Of evil spirits,
with whom sorcerers held eommunt-
cations. A complicated and rigorous
taboo system covered the entire daily
life OF the people with network af
regulations and penalties. Us was
taboo for men and women 10 eat to-
gether or even 10 have their food
cooked ia the same oven. Women
were forbidden TO eat pork, bananas
cOcoanuts and certain kinds of fish,
on pain of death. There were certain
taboo days when no canoe could be
launched, no fire lighted, and when
no sound could be made on pain Of
death. Even dogs had TO be nuzzied
and fowls shut up In ealabashes s1r
fear that they would break the magic
spell. There were times when many
people fed TO the mountains from
fear Of the mu, whose business IL was
To procure human victims for saeri-
fce.'
'fWho was the mu?'
f'The unknown man who knocked
people on the head from behind. he
is still tradition and until lately the
natives feared his coming on certain
occasions, as for instance the building
OF house. In former days the conn
pletion of a new structure called for
human sacrifice. This was aceomp-
lished by the mu."
"When did the first missionaries
arriye?'
''The pioneer American missionaries
arrived at Hawaii on the 3lst of March,
1920. A year before Kamebameha l.
had died, and as soon as his iron hand
was withdrawn, the whole impressive
system Of taboos and idol worship
crumbled away. The first news that
the missionaries received was. tLiko-
liho is King; the taboos abolished;
the idols are burned; the temples are
destroYedn All public worship aud
sacrifices ceased, and Hawaii pre-
sented TO the world the strange spec
tacIe Of nation without a religion.
This event and the union OF all the
islands under one strong government
prepared the way for the rapid spread
of Christianity"
A HIGHLY RECEPTIVE RAcE.
"What did the missionaries accomp-
lish?"
sit is difficult 70 answer in few
words. They found in the Hawaiians
an aniable and highly receptive race.
eager for knowledge and capable Of
great advancement under enlightened
control 1t is hard 10 realize the
wonderful change that has been ef-
fected Few of the present generation
OF natives have any idea Of the con-
dition OF their ancestors seventy years
ago.
"The missionaries reduced their
language 20 writing, and translated
the Bible and a considerable number
of religious and educational books into
it. They taught the whole population
to read, TO write and 10 sew. Each
mission station was center Of civiliZ-
alton, an object lesson Of Christian
family life, which could be taught ia
no other way. Several Of the first
generation of chiefs were wonderful
examples of the Transforming bowers
Of Christianity
drunkenness and gambling be-
came extremely rare, and the same
may be said OF theft and crimes of
violence. Christian marriage became
established, Christian family life was
developed more and more, and vice
was driven into secret places. Life
and property became as safe as any
where in the world, and primary edu-
cation was universally diffussd- By
the benign influence of Christianity
the poor serfs were enancipateG, were
made land owners in fee simple, and
were freely given the right Of suffrage
anG all the rights secured by our fore
fathers at Runnymede-"
How was constitutional govern
ment evolved and what causes led to
the late revolutions?n
DIFFICULT EXPERIMENT.
'.It was a difficult experiment 10
carry on constitutional government
of the Anglo-Saxon type with mix
ed population like that Of the islands,
but it was undertaken by group OF
men of rare ability; and for thirty
years it appeared TO be fairly success
ful. Both King Kamehameha Ill
and his advisers saw that in order To
maintain an independent government
it was necessary TO combine the na-
tive and foreign elements IN one COM
mon organization for the good Of all
He and the two next kings OF the ka-
mehameha dynasty had some concepts
ion Of their position as constitutional
sovereigns and Of the proper policy to
be pursued toward foreigners. They
did not regard themselves as merely Z
kings Of the native Hawaiians. and
thew generally exercised their powers
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