Evening star., 1895-06-08
Restoration of the First State Church
in the Islands.
EXPECTED fILIBUSTERS EXCITE FEAR
How Claus SpreckeIs Kept the Ha-
waiian Silver Seigniorage.
A 30 IT Pc ARL HARBOR


Hawaii is already old enough to possess an
old church needing to be made over; and
Mr.. TheophiIus Davies, the well-known
guardian and champion of the Princess
Kaiulani, has just sent over his check for
1900 with that of his wife for 500, to
help the good work. 1t is the great old
stone Church, more commonly known
now "Kawaiahao (Qui-ah-how) Church.
1t was the royal cathedral of it's time, built
in the palmy days Of the old native mon
archy, when the chiefs and people were just
launching into the new Christian civiliZa-
tion and constitutional government. 1t was
about equally the work of the king and
chiefs and of the Missionary Bingham,
whom scoffng foreigners used to call King
Bingham" because of his great influence
with the chiefs. He left in 1910, before the
edGce was complete. and Is nearly for
gotten name here now.
In those days there was SwarnEng
population of natives who nearly all went
TO church. as we'll as most of the portly
chief men and women. The immense old
matched church was nearly gone to decay.
A proud and massive structure
solved upon and erected. The king gave
$1,000 and the chiefs as much more to start
the work. The ediIice Is HI feet by IS,
with walls three feet thick and forty feet
high from the coal rock which it
stands. 1t is of the Yankee meeting house
order of architecture, with a solid square
stone tower The walls are made of the
porous coral of the reef. cut while soft in
massive blocks. There for twenty-five
years WOrSnipeQ kings, governors ana
chiefs. until an Anglican bishop arrived
with a form of reli ,ion more suited to roy
atty. A few of the chiefs still adhered to
the old missionary church.
LtIiuokninni'a Elastic Religion.
Notable among these was Kanaina and
his son, Lunalilo. who became king in 1873,
dying the year after-also Mrs. Bernice
Pauahi Bishop, who endowed the Kane
hameha schools. And Mrs Dominis should
ia, w hn o1np DaH w bo ci,Ipp To he
old Church of the Missionaries. although
che WAS never admitted to membership
therein. Her frequent attendance at the
stone church endeared her to the large
body of natives attached thereto Liliuo-
kGlani queen always had a native chap
lain of tfat persuasion to conduct family
wUis snip. She interested herself much in
81 hoOls, and was fond of ratronizing Sun
Gay school conventions. Ten years ago she
presided at such a convention at Hilo
gathered by steamers from all parts of the
island of Hawaii. l regret to state from
personal verification of the fact that three
days after the convention she descended to
the lire lake of Kilauea, and caused her
servants in her presence to sacrifice a fowl
and pig to the Goddess Pele. by throwing
them alive upon the red-hot crust of the
lake Her religion is singular mixture of
Christianity and pagan idolatry. as her
moral code is combined from civilized and
heather ethics, in all this resembling three
fourths of her people.
But to return little more to the old
CHURCH The walls. after 1fty-five years.
sound as ever but a while ago an cleo
trician started to lay wires in the roof for
HghttnS, and discovered that the timbers
We're IN an alarming state of decay, COM
pleteiy honeycombed by white ants" The
iarther use of the edilice stopped. 1t
has since been as completely eviscerated as
a fire could have done 1t, except the win
COWS ana roof The roof is now nearly
moved. The condition of the timbers is
strange to behold. Apparently there is not
one 1oot IN length OF any stick that is not
more or less destroyed; most of it seems as
thoroughly honeycombed any teredo-
eaten plank of old ship. 1t is a marvel
tnat the entire sugerstructure had not long
ago crashed down upon the worshipers.
The work of Restoration.
These timbers are found to be of eastern
pine, brought around Cape Horn. 1t is
now less than forty years since the saw
mills of Puget sound began to displace
our importators of Maine lumber In
1880 l bought eastern fence pickets at S
cents foot, which could now be replaced
Dy Seattle lumber at cents. For the
new roof of the church are being prepar-
ed the trusses with eighty-feot stringers
of clear stuff one foot square, all of north
west lumber. The church was handsomely
seated some years ago with slips of Califor-
hla redwood. This cheapneSs and abund-
ance OF lumber has filled these islands with
neat cottages as well as made the fortunes
OF our lumber importers. The native
peared, as well as the stone and adobe
buildings of forty years ago
y rev building material has recently
come INTO use quite largely in Honolulu
1t is cut stone. usually ashlav, of the blue
vascular lava composing the greater part
OF our noun aims Its use Is due to the
cheapness and skill with which lately ar
rived portuguese stonecutters turn out the
docks. Several elegant structures have
been built of ths-the Bishop Museum,
the kamehameha School Hall and the
,bo
also both curbing and square pavement
hiScks are cut from the blue lava Such
sldewaiks are fast replacing the old and
uisale ones throughout the city.
Fear of FiIibustcrs.
The foregoing are themes belonging to con-
ditions OF peace. We believe that peace has
permanently resumed sway, yet some alar-
ums of war have sounded from abroad the
past fortnight. 1t was probably a wholly
false alarm, but the government received
from their agents such very definite reports
of d hiibuster expedition coming down to at
tack US that it vas thought prudent TO
employ q chartered boat, the Lehua, as a
revenue cutter, partly to intercept opium
smugSlers, but also to watch for the re-
ported hlibusters. She has been cruising
In and out, especially around Maui the past
ten days. The cabinet do not believe il
possible that any such expedition large
enough to be formidable in the slightest
degree could possibly fail of being stopped
at the coast. They do not believe that any
one would supply money to embark In SO
helpless a venture. CO.. Mclean, our new
head of the military, who all agree is an
expert i'll his business, assured me that our
forces can handle with ease any sl:n force
possible to be sent here. He gives the high
est praise TO the quality our military
He pointed to wee but wicked" pair of
Hutchkiss Guns that would NOW down a
very large force in a few minutes Such a
force could rally to it's aid no native or
white recruit here until it had proved its
success. The risk ci failure would be too
great and the reward Of success too small
ala indefinite to induce competent men at
the coast TO embark in such an undertake
Ing. And who would contribute the funds
necessary for such an cxpeJiitiou2 There
have be"G vagGe runors on Maui about
Rudolph Spreckels undertaking it. 1t will
be rccolitcted that John y. Cunlrnins tes-
titled before the military commission last
January that Rudolph supplied the funds
to purchase and ship the arms landed here
from the Wahiberg. But that gentleman is
Just now very busy in litigation With his
father, Claus Spreckels, and, notwithstand-
ing the elders dtpara cement of his sons
business qualities, it may be doubted