The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-08-26

The following letter from w. H. Gu
was read at the last meeting Of the
| Hawaiian Mission Children's Society,
and is of interest to the old residents
on the Islands:
SAN SEBASTIAN, April 80, 1896.
Mrs. l.. B. Coan, Corresponding Secre-
tary H. M. c.. Society, Honolulu:
My Dear Mrs. Coan-I think that l
may truly say that never before in my
life have 1 been so pressed with work
and cares as l have been the four
months of this year. The reduction on
the appropriations for our missionary
work has been so great that much time
and strength have been spent in seek
ing funds outside of the constituency of
the American Board, so as to be able
to retain the work that we now have
in hand. In this, however, we have been
only partially successful, though hav-
ing received two or three very generous
gifts. One of these was from the Ha-
waiian Islands. We have, in the main,
held the work intact, but It has been
at the cost of personal sacrifices that
we could i'll afford to make, and by as
suming obligations that have yet to be
met-but how we do not yet know
And then, this embroglio with the
United States has brought it's peculiar
trials and cares. Without attempting
to decide as to the merits of the case,
we may say that until the controversy
respecting the recognition of the bel
ligerent rights of the Cuban insurgents
was precipitated by the discussions in
the Congress at Washington, it was a
decided advantage to us to be able to
hail from the United States But since
this question has been under discussion
commencing the first of February
it has been the part of wisdom for us
to keep as much as possible in retire
ment
The explosion of feeling throughout
Spain was something wonderful. In
stantly the f1oodgates of wrath were
opened, and such a torrent of abuse
was poured out upon the Yankees as
for fortnight or more made it seem
probable that before it stopped it would
sweep us across the frontier into
France. In no other place in Spain are
Americans at all sin evidence" as we
are here-Our school being known
throughout the country as Ell Colegio
Norte Americana.
But, while for a month the tension
was very great, 1t was evident that only
a little more and there would be a cat
astrophe, by exercising great prudence
the crisis was averted, and we are now
sailing on more quiet waters.
And just here I must say that, per-
sonally, no one of us has suffered any
harm, nor hardly an insult. In this
family of some fifty young Spanish
women and girIs-than which more
patriotic group could nowhere be found
the self-restraint and the considera-
tion for the feelings of the unfortunate
Americans in their midst has been
something very beautiful and notewor-
thy. No better proof could be given of
the genuine love and respect that they
have for those whom they gratefully
recognize as unselffshly giving their
lives to bring the benefits of the Gospel
to Spain.
And the same must be said Of the
pastors and evangelists and other en-
ployes of the mission. Not a word has
been said or written by any one of
them but in the kindest and most CRATE
ful spirit.
In view of all this we most deely re-
gret that the reduction of remittances
from the American Board should come
just now. for in spite of our best eff
forts all the laborers have suffered for
lack of funds the last two months, and