The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-20
THOMAS G. SHEARMAN SAYS THAT
1T Is A FAILURE AND
A MENACE.
ITS ACTION UNDER REVIEW.
THE PROPOSITION OF ANNEXATION
DENOUNCED AS FULL
OF PERIL.
From The Nsnn York Times

Slonary work IN HaWan, which has led to
considerable discussion in religious circles.
Mr.. Shearmans remarks were not re-
ported in the local papers, and as some
misstatements have been made concerning
what he really said, the New York Times
gives what he has to say about the matter.
more than year ago" said Mr.. Shear
man, 81 told Dr. Abbott that in my opin-
ion the proceedings in Hawaii reflected
great discredit, not only upon the Ameri-
lean name generally, but especially upon
our American missionaries and the Con-
gregatlonal church, which had sent them
there and seemed generally disposed to sus
tain the actions of the missionaries sons"
AT that time what appeared to be DIR.
Abbott's opinion?"
'He never told me what he thought about
1T, and expressed doubts as to the correct
ness OF my information, and mentioned
some names of persons who had been to
Hawaii and approved of the action taken
there He was opposed to any interference
by the United States, although admitting
as understood, that it was dueto the inter
ventIon OF the United States troops that
the Queen and the native authorities had
been deprived of power.
This was at the time when there was an
active controversy whether the United
States should intervene or not. | rather
oSSA1Ou w oECoh OIl Gllt SupjSCt cA GldG llIHp
at some of the minor-church meetings, but
deferred to DIR. Abbott and to the advice of
some friends, who, however, agreed with
me In my general views. Remained silent
Tor much more than year, but the recent
establishment of court-martiali in Honolulu
and the violent measures taken to suppress
an incipient rebellion determined me to
speak without consulting anybody.
ION Friday evening, therefore, l rose
and said | proposed to speak my mind
on a subject which l would not name,
leaving it to DR.. Abbott, who led the meet
| ing, to say whether L should speak then or
a week later"
And what did DIR. Abbott say to that"
He very courteously expressed his pref
erence that | should speak then, which |
did. said in substance that while it
would not seem advisable to bring into the
church meetings purely political ques-
ton, yet where grave moral questions
were involved and action taken which
affected the honor and good faith of the
Christian churches of our own order it was
proper to bring such subjects into church
meeting.
II said that had Mr. Beecher been still
alive l felt perfectly certain that he would
long ago have expressed from Plymouth
pulpit most emphatic opinions upon this
| subject; that he would never have allowed
a weaker race to be practically enslaved by
white Americans-esp ecially Congregation
alists and sons of Congregational mission
aries-wlthout making protest which
would have been heard all over the land,
did not expect DIR. Abbott to do all that
Mr.. Beecher would have done, but thought
some member of Plymouth Church should
take the responsibility of saying, as we'll as
he could, what Mr.. Beecher would GER
talnly have said with much more eloquence
and far more effect.
Il then said, in substance, that seventy
years ago the American Board of Foreign
Missions sent few Congregational mis-
| slonaries to the Sandwich Islands, who
We're received by the people with enthusi-
asm. They did not really have to convert
version.
/ THE chiefs and the people threw away
their idols and embraced Christianity with
all their hearts. So complete was their
trust In the missionaries that, practically,
all government was placed under mission
airy control, and the missionaries and their
sons or their nephews had ever since had
the practical government of the islands
| What had been the result?
''They found 10000 people there, and
now they report that they are only "a Co.,
But of these "a 900 they recently reported
that 5000 were members of Congregational
churcheS-a larger proportion of church
members than can be found in any other
Protestant country in the world. The mis-
sionaries boasted that those natives were
better educated, better behaved and more
peaceable, orderly and religious, in proper
ton to their numbers, than the people of
many parts of the United States.
"The triumph of religion, and especially
OF ngregationalism, in Hawaii, was made
the subject of endless boasts by mission
aries and managers of missions, and was
| made the ground of appeals to American
Christians for fresh subscriptions and aid
for missionary work.
Suddenly their whole tone changed.
The missionaries sons and some returned
missionaries yehemently asserted that the
native Hawaiians were filthy and ignorant
and debaSed, hcentious and idolatrous
race utterly unfit to be trusted with liberty,
but must be kept under the control of a
firm and INSCRIPTIONS but pious Congre-
gational despotism.
Assuming this to be true, then the re-
suit of between fifty and sixty years I'M
broken missionary government in these
islands has been that the population has
been reduced in number by three-quarters
and that these three quarters are as de-
based, licentious and brutal as they were
when the missionaries began their labors
and that the whole missionary enterprise
has been disgraceful failure.
Meanwhile there are some other facts,
which the missionaries do not mention,
but which cannot be disputed. During
the fifty years the government of these
islands was under missionary influence
most of the natives were deprived of their
rights in the land, excepting about 1900
acres, and all the rest was divided among
the King, the chiefs and the families and
friends of the missionaries.
The missionaries sons and their asso-
GATES boast that they own four-fifths of all
the property of the islands. Nearly all the
rest is owned by the descendants of the
former chiefs. The great mass of the
people own nothing The missionary gov
eminent, finding that the natives would
not work for less than % cents day, COM
planned of the want of labor, and insisted
on the importation of scores of thousands
of the scum of the human race, including
Chinese and what are called Portuguese, a
mongrel race, who never saw Portugal, but
who speak something resembling the Ian
guage of that country.
"In this manner the missionaries sons
cut down the wages of the native Ha-
waiians and compelled them to work ON
their sugar plantations at such rates as
seemed good to their masters.
Before the missionaries gained control
OF the islands leprosy was unknown. But
with the introduction of strange races lep-
rosy established itself and rapidly in
creased. An entire island was very prop