The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-31
Facts Concerning
Queen Lil's Land.
The Past and Present of the
New Ocean Republic of Hawaii.

Harry Hall, in Pttsburg Times.
Capt. Cook and President Cleveland
are the two men who probably had
most to do with bringing Hawaii prom
inently before the attention of the
world. There was nearly 120 years be-
tween the periods to which they fig
ured, and their lines of operation var
led widely. But, nevertheless, what
they did fixed this group of islans in
the Pacific ocean in the public mind.
Although Capt. Cook, on January 1S,
discovered the islands, where, on his
return visit, he met his death at the
hands of the natives, on February IA,
1873, it seems to be almost certain that
one Juan Gaetano, a Spanish naviga-
tor saw Hawaii in 1865. A group of
islands, the largest of which was called
La Hesa. was laid down in the old
Spanish charts in the same latitude
as the Hawaiian Islands, but 10 de-
grees too far east
For seven years after the death of
Capt. Cook, no foreign vessels ventured
to touch at the island After that
time, many of the vessels engaged in
the fur trade on the northwest coast
of America called there for supplies,
or ran down there to spend the winter
Firearms, powder and shot were the
articles most in demand among the
natives. Capt. George Vancouver
made three visits to Hawaii during his
survey of the northwest coast of Amer
lea in 1892 to 1894. He uniformly re-
fused to sell firearms or ammunition to
the chiefs, but gave them useful plants
1e taI L
the king who became master of the ISL
and of Hawaii by the assassination
of his rival in 1891, with the first cattle
and sheep ever landed in the island.
and sheep ever landed in the islands.
CIVIL WARS AND DISEASE.
About this period civil wars between
| the three petty sovereignities rent the
island and brought great disasters to
| the people. The decrease in the pop
ulation was very rapid. sAll those who
visited the island between 1892 and 1901
were strongly impressed with the mis-
cry Of the common people and thel
| rapid decrease in numbers. This was
| partly the result of wars, but was still
more due to the diseases and vices
brought in by foreigners. Botany Bay
convicts had introduced the art of dis
tilling liquor before the year 1900, and
| drunkenness had become very preva.
lent In the summer Of 1904 the chol.
era carried off one-half of the pop
ulation of Oahu. The religious system
| of the ancient Hawaiians consisted In
a great measure of nature worship
| All the powers of nature, especially
those that are mysterious and terrible
| We're conceived of as living and spirit
ual beings. Thus the volcano, the
| thunder, the whirlwind, the meteor
and the shark were feared as being
either the embodiment of the work OF
malevolent spirits. The four great
gods, Kane, Kamaloa, Ku and Lono
who were worshipped throughout Hon
olulu, originally belonged to this class
Pele, the dread goddess of volcanos
and her numerous family, dwelt in the
crater of Kalauea, but also caused the
eruption of Manua Loa and Hualalai
In 1919 idolatory was abolished, and
the idols and tempels were burned
throughout the island.
ARRIVAL OF MISSIONARIES.
The first American missionaries ar,
rived in 1920. They soon reduced IN,
language to writing, and printed tn,
first book in 1922. They found the Ha