The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-04-05
Reply to TRADE of John Shearman
of Brooklyn.
Origin of Term Missionary NATIVES
No More Religious Than Brooklyn
ites-Methods of Dealing Out the
Lands-OppOsed by Traders, Etc.

The virulent attack Of John
Shearman upon the missionaries o.
Hawaii and indirectly the Amer.
lean Board has attracted such
widespread attention, that those
interested in the work and the
truth of what has been done could
not be expected to allow such a
TRADE to go unnoticed. Below is
given the text of letter sent East
yesterday, written by William r.
Castle whose knowledge of the true
worth of the men Mr.. Shearman
attacks is unquestioned:
Honolulu, March 10, 1895.
To THE PASTOR AND MEMBERS OF
THE PLYMOUTH CHURCH, Brook
Iyn, New York.
DEAR FRIENDS: Observing in the
New York Evening Post of the 9th of
February, that Mr.. Thomas @. Shear
man had made certain statements re-
garding the American Missionaries in
Hawaii, which / am sure from the
gentleman's character are not made
Wilfully, but through an entire mis-
apprehension of the facts, / crave
your indulgence for few moments in
the interest of justice and truth.
During a residence of several years
in Brooklyn, I was member
of the Puritan Church, yet L often
heard Mr.. Beecher, and learned to
love and admire him as your people
did. was also impressed with the
fact that Americans loved fair play
and will not willingly condemn with
out hearing both sides. But there is
q stronger reason why you should
hear the truth, and that is because
great wrong has been done to q noble
and self sacrificing body Of men-the
American Missionaries to the Sand
Wich Islands.
It is true that when the mission
aries arrived in 1920, the Hawaiians
were in a transition state. The chiefs
especially who were intelligent to q
degree not to be expected in people
so recently heather, saw that their
idol worship was largely foolish and
they desired someohw to swing into
line with the march of civilization. But
it is mistake to say they were ready
for conversion in the sense that it is
used in the churches and by Christ, or
st. Paul. They were buried in the
tolls of a dark and fearful super
stition and it was not until 1882
that any great and marked
acter of the people took place. For
many years the entire nation remain
ed in the darkest heathenism and
subject to a most absolute despotism.
The courtesy and kindness with
which the missionaries were treated
was remarkable, although they were
subjected to privations and trials of
which you have no conception.
They continuously refused presents
of lands and other things and devoted
themselves to their work with the
same self-denyiDg enthusiasm that
brought them to this distant field. In
1887 a wave of what might be called
religious enthusiasm swept over the
nation, and thousands were baptised
and received into the churches. But
the missionaries of that date, while
thanking God for this great mercy,
were not blind to the fact that human
nature is the same the world over,
and, if darkened by gross heathenism,
is even more difficult to change than
in civilized countries, where one is
surrounded by Bible Influences. Their
fears were justified by events that fol-
lowed closely upon the great revival.
And may say in short, that the ma
tives of Hawaii have not been and are
not today any more religious than
even civilized Brooklyn, with it's
churches, it's strikes, its poverty, and
fearful injustice which is at its very
doors.
The missionaries earnestly sought
the enlightened advance of this ma
ton; they urged upon the king and
chiefs repression of drunkenness, the
recognition of the Sabbath, the estab-
lishment of courts of justice, the
granting of equal rights, the giving
of homesteads to the people, and it
was owing to their influence that a
civilized government was established
and has been maintained in Hawaii.
In these things they were bitterly OPP
posed by the English, American and
French traders, who came to this
country for purposes Of gain only, and
it was from this opposition that arose
the contemptuous phrase, emission
aries," which in q greater or less de
gree exists to the present day, and
has been revived with great bitterness
within the past two or three years for
the purpose of ipjuring and heaping
contempt upon those who desire good
and enlightened government for Ha-
wall, irrespective Of religious tenden-
cies. Let me illustrate: A few years
ago an American, who was speaking
with great bitterness and contempt of