The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1896-08-19
READ BOTH SIDES.
Rev M Alexander's Reply to
Father Yorke's Attacks On the
Hawaiian Missionaries.

haWullan nlSSlOnHTlSS.
To the Editor of the Examiner
Sir Permit me through the columns
Of your paper to give a brief reply,
which will be my only one, to Fa-
ther Yorke's four long diatribes
against the Protestant missionaries
OF Hawaii.
Father Yorke has generally dodg-
ed the questions at issue between us.
The occasion of my former article,
to which he replies, was his charge
that Protestant missionaries expell-
ed Roman Catholic priests from Ha.
wall Instead OF fairly discussing
this matter he has gathered the
testimonials of transient, uniform
ed visitors at Hawaii, some of them
enemies of missions, or libertines, or
infdels, to show that the mission
aries did no good to the natives,
that they spoke against the Roman
Catholic religion, that their teach
ings influenced the action of the
Government, and that it was believ-
ed that in some instances they actu-
ally directed the action of the Gov
eminent. When he has quoted from
Jarves' history he has garbled what
Jarves wrote or quoted what refutes
himself.
The charge that the missionaries
did no good is singular one for a
Roman Catholic to make. Father
Yorke has we'll said: "By their fruits
ye shall know them" Compare the
results of Roman Catholic missions
with those of the Protestant missions
in the Pacific. In the Philippine
Islands Roman Catholic priests
labored continuously since the year
1865, and the natives there are still
in the most wretched degradation.
In Nukuhiva, of the Marquesan
group, Roman Catholics have had
exclusive jurisdiction for over forty
years, and it is there the common
remark that "the natives would kill
and eat a man tomorrow if the
French police should be withdrawn"
Compare with these results the
re 1T -
the Hawaiian, Harvey, Tongan, Fiji
and New Hebrides islands. / would
ask where in all the world during
the last 200 years Roman Catholic
priests, by their sole unaided efforts,
have raised single pagan people
to genuine Christian civilization?
AS to the charge that missionaries
spoke to the Hawaiians against the
Roman Catholic religion | reply
that the Protestant preachers have
always and everywhere felt free to
speak against that religion, that
they should do so, and doubtless
ever will do so while that religion
retains it's paganism.
AS to the charge that the teach
ings of the missionaries influenced
the Government / reply that they
indeed did so and also improved the
whole state of the people, causing
purer morality, more honest trade
and happier social relations, and
thus it came to pass that where
there had before been barbarian
RIGHTEOUSNESS and savage tyranny a
well-ordered civil government was
established to the great grief OF
plotters for papal usurpation.
In contrast with Father Yorke's
quotations from irresponsible, unin-
formed travellers we have the state
ments of the standard histories Of
Hawaii, which l have quoted show
that the Hawaiian Government act
ed Independently OF the missionaries
and even against their advice, in ex
polling the priests, and that the
chief reasons for the expulsion o.
the priests were their efforts to over
throw the Hawaiian Government
and the introduction of idolatrou'
ceremonies, which by law, enacted
after the war with idolaters, were
reasonable. Mr.. Jarves tells us