The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-04-17

Vofman ID. Gilman has taken VI
the gauntlet thrown down by T. G
| Shearman and has rendered the re
suit of his observations and ex
perience as follows:
1t is scarcely possible to conceive o.
| any one cOnVersant even in the mCst
cursOry manner with the work of the
American Board in the Islands to have
! been so misled. He (Shearman) states
that the whole race were practically
! enslaved by white Americans, es.
| pecially by COngregationalists and
| sons of congregational ministers. The
missionaries of the board reached the
| Hawaiian Islands in the spring of
| 1920. Up to that time commerce had
unrestricted possession of the field for
over forty years and had failed utterly
in any attempt at the elevation of the
race. The American missionaries
sought at once to teach them the Cos
pei and the duties of the Christian
life. There was no need for slaves for
there was no requirement calling for
severe labor; in such tropical climate
the necessities of life were reduced to
q minimum, which may be inferred
from the fact that the American Board
only allowed $3.50 for each man and
$50 for each child that was born. So
it would be impossible with the
utmost frugality, to accumulate any
amount of money to be used for the
purposes of acquiring an ascendency
whereby the natives could have been
made to act as slaves. At the time of
the agitation of the slavery question,
when the subject of the admission of
We're 'fe made Is natVes 4TfigntEFa eft @stfngts nEgg1tSs,
Islands also come under tho P+ot~~
tion of the American Government.
The missionaries were opposed to any
thing like annexation. They feared
that under the influence of slavery
the Islands might be brought into
state Of serfdOm, and consequently
protested most vigorously against any
alienation of the political privileges
of the Islands.
Again Mr.. Shearman said that "the
American Board sent few COngrega-
tiOnal missionaries to the Islands who
were received with enthusiasm"
They were very kindly received, but
for some little time it was question
whether they would be allowed to re-
main or not. Influences that were
always antagonistic to missionary
work did their best to prevent the
landing of the missionaries. In re-
gard to their embracing Christianity
simple people that had ostensibly dis
carded their idols and were without
God. The message of the gospel
found d ready entrance, and it may be
questioned if in the history of the
world there was ever another such in
stance of the speedy recognition of the
principle of right and wrong. 1t is
not the first or only case where the
ten commandments formed the basis
of a code of law, which in this in
stance worked to the advantage of all
concerned, both to the native and to
the foreigner who was living on the
island doing business.
In the matter of population, Mr..
Shearman said that in place of 10000
people there can now be recorded only
10000. That the missionaries are in
no wise responsible for this diminu-
ton of population is almost too appar-
ent to need any explanation. The
grave of the nation may be said to
have been dug by their first inter-
course with foreigners long before the
disease which were then produced
have proved hydra headed, and have
so undermined the physical cOnstitu-
ton of the Hawaiians that they have
fallen an easy prey to the most simple
of diseases. The missionary by his
earnest efforts in saving bodies as well
as souls, did his utmost to stay the
tide of disease, and from one island to
another, including the leper island,
with all it's responsiveness, went visit
ing the people, caring for them and
doing all that was possible to stay the
ravages of disease. The missionaries
are no more responsible for the de-
cline of the Hawaiians than is Mr..
Shearman for the decline Of the Amer
lean Indians.
With regard to the physical and
spiritual condition of the people re-
ported as "peaceable, orderly, and
very triumph of religion" no special
claim was ever made for COngrega-
tionalism in the matter; and yet it is
worth while to notice that from the
establishment of the mission in 1920
up to 1870, period Of fifty years, the
happy effects of the labOrs of the mis-
sionaries could not be called in ques-
ton. Such travellers as Sir Alexan
der Simpson, the governor of the
Hudson Bay Company, such keen
and critical men as James Jackson
Jarves and Richard II. Dana, Jr.,
gentlemen we'll known here in BOs-
tor and whose views theologically
were with the Unitarian denOmina-
tion rather than with the Congrega--
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