The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-04-06

At last Friday nights prayer meet
ing in Plymouth Church Thomas O..
Shearmap, in his enthusiastically
forceful way, had something TO say
condemnatOry of missionary work in
Hawaii, which has led to considerable
discussion in religious circles, says the
New York Times.
Mr.. Shearman's remarks were not
reported in the local papers, and as
some misstatements have been made
concerning what he really said, the
Times gives what he has to say about
the matter.
"More than a year ago. said Mr..
Shearman, 81 told DR.. Abbott that in
my opinion the proceedings in Hawaii
reflected great discredit, not only upon
the American name generally, but es-
pecially upon our American mission
aries and the Congregational Church,
which had sent them there and
seemed generally disposed to sustain
the actions of the missionaries sons"
cat that time what appeared to be
DR.. Abbott's opinion"
"He never told me what he thought
about it, and expressed doubts as to
the correctness of my information,
and mentioned some names of persons
who had been to Hawaii and approved
of the action taken there. He was OPP
posed to any interference by the
United States, although admitting,
as understood, that it was due to the
interference 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 would intervene or
not. rather desired to speak on this
subject at that time at some of the
minor meetings, but deferred to DIR.
Abbott and to the advice of some
friends, who, however, agreed with
me in my general views. 1 remained
silent for much more than q year, but
the recent establishment of court mar
tiai in Honolulu and the violent
measures taken to suppress an incIpi-
ent rebellion determined me to speak
without consulting anybody.
"On Friday evening, therefore, L
rose and said [ proposed to speak my
mind on a subject which / would
not name, leaving it to DR.. Abbott,
who led the meeting, to say whether [
should speak then or a week later"
"And what did DIR. Abbott say to
that?"
"He very briefly expressed his pref
erence that / should speak then, which
/ did. I said in substance that while
it would not seem advisable to bring
into the church meetings purely po-
Htical question, 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.
ST said that had Mr.. Beecher been
still alive, felt perfectly certain that
he would long ago have expressed
from Plymouth pul pit most emphatic
opinions upon this subject; that he
would never have allowed weaker
race to have been practically enslaved
by white Am mericans-especially Con-
gregationaIists and sons of Congrega-
tional missionaries-with making
a protest which would have been
heard all over the land. L did not
expect DR.. Abbott to do all that Mr..
Beecher would have done, but thought
some member of Plymouth Church
should take the responsibility of say
ing, as well as he could, what Mr..
Beecher would certainly have said
with much more elOquence and far
more effect.
81 then said, in substance, that sew
enty years ago the American Board
of Foreign Missions sent few Con-
gregational missionaries to the Sand
wich Islands, who were received by
the people with enthusiasm. They
did not really have to convert the
people, for they were all ready for
conversion.
''The chiefs and the people threw
away their idols and embraced Chris
tianity with all their hearts. So COM
plete was their trust in the mission
aries that, practically, all government
was placed under missionary 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 81 900. But of these 81 900 they
recently reported that $4,000 were
members of Congregational churches
"a larger proportion of church mem
bers than can be found in any other
Protestant country in the world. The
missionaries boasted that those ma
tives were better educajed, better be
haved and more peaceable, orderly,
and religious, in proportion to their
numbers, than the people of many
parts OF the United States.
"The triumph of religion, and
especially of ongregatiOUalism, in
Hawaii, was made the subject of end
less boasts by missionaries and man
Il II q