Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-10
HAWAII.
(By Rev. George L. CLANCY, in the
Christian Register.)


waiian archipelago. The distance
from Hong Kong on the west of Hawaii
to Panama on the east is $3.50 miles
and 1t is 4400 miles from Unalaska, the
first port north of Hawaii, TO Tahiti, the
first port on the south; and in all that
vast eXpansS" says a recent writer.
there is only one spot where a ton of
coal pound of bread or drink of
water can be obtained, and that spot
is Hawaii" 1t seems as if these ISL
ands had been mercifully dropped from
heaven, or, speaking more scientifical-
ly, upheaved from below, in order TO
make the Pacific ocean navigable. Like
an oasis which harbors the ships of the
desert, this land Of springs and fresh
pastures offers rest and refreshment TO
the caravans of the sea. 1t is the half
way house of commerce and the conVe-
nient coaling and recruiting station or
effective naval operations. Whoever
holds these islands, holds the key to
the North Pacific In this opinion such
competent authorities as the London
Times and Capt. Mahan of the United
States navy agree.
The history of Hawaii and its CONVEX
sion from barbarism to civilization,
through the labors of American mission
aries, is a twice-told tale. What is not
so well known, although it might beta
ken for granted. is the hereditary 10y
atty of the descendants of these early
missionaries to the best interests of the
aboriginal Hawaiians. These men, ike
their fathers before them, are the gov
erning power in these islands. This IS
SO well understood that all who uphold
the present republic of Hawaii are
known as the missionary party, whether
they come of missionary stock or not
If two generations of seryice-the one
q LII Ia af n
intelligent devotion to Hawaiian devel-
opment-may make a claim to conf
dence, these mission families have
earned the right to their influence.
Without it, there is no reason to be
lieve that the Hawaiian Islands would
be any better off than their Polyneslan
cousins in the south seas
When the missionaries landed IN t1a-
wall, in 1920, they found that the KING
and the high priest had Voluntary
given I'D idolatry; and the isles were MT
erally waiting for Gods word How
Christianity, as these men preached
and applied it, delivered the HaWallan
from 'sayagery superstition and brutal-
itv. is a part of established history; ana
nothing but ungenerous preJudlce
would seek to dim this bright page IN
the story of foreign missions. a mn,
lion dollars were given by the Ohlle9
States to the support OF TINS WORK anu an.
the education and comparative elevation
of the Hawaiian people have been the
result. To realize what this means,
we have only to imagine the INDIANS Oh
North America, after FIVE times as long
an anpreticeship, converted to CESls-
tianity. taught in public schools, set
tied on lands held in severalty, pursu-
ing industrial OCCUPATIONS ana quietly
obedient to just authority .,
In 1858, at the end oil thrlyouh illoH,
wears of maintenance, the American
hoard withdrew their support and con-
frol of these missions; and the native
churches, over fifty in number, became
self-supporting and self-governing. II is
worth noting that the withdrawal of the
American control of the church in Ha-
wall was followed by lamentable dlln-
mutton of its efficiency and power, SO
that it became necessary to resume IN
part the religious protectorate by the
American churches to prevent the ma
tives from relapsing into ldelatry ana
confusion.
THE Hawaiians are a childlike race,
retaining many of the charms of child
hood together with its incapacity for
self-care. High-spirited, kind-hearted,
hospitable, generous, and, when they
are not crossed, amiable, they are also
proud, self-complacent, and jealous of
any invasion of their rights. Hawaii for
the Hawaiians is their popular Watch-
word, and not less popular because they
can no longer maintain it. Outnumbered
b, Asiatic immigrants and oyershad-
owed by the paramount interest OF
American and European planters and
capitalists, sensible men among them
see the impossibility Of restricting gov
ernnental control to men of Hawaiian
blood. The population has diminished
from 130319 in 1892 to $4,000 in 1890,
and of these only 1882 are Hawaiians;
and of these 5000 are half-castes. In the
near future the only inhabitants of Ha-
wall will be half-casts nr of foreign
blood, and then the control of the Is
lands will go to one foreign power orr
another Today the island interests of
the United States so far exceed those of
any other nation that no other great
power thinks of competing with us
there The imports of Hawaii from this
country exceed those of all other coun-
tries put together, and the bulk of its
exports come to America. Sugar, eof-
fee, rice, hides, wool, all come here. I'M
der the quickening influence of the rec
iprocity treaty of 1876, the trade between
the islands and the United States has
increased tenfold, so that today Hawaii
stands second on the list of Pacific lands
with which San Francisco has CONNER
cial relations.
II is one of the foremost illustrations
of the obstinacy with which untraveled
people stick to their first impressions
that the average American on the At
lantic seaboard still thinks of Hawaii as
one of the cannibal islands where hui
man flesh is secretly devoured and star
ing idols are worshipped with human
sacrifices They would open their eyes
if they could visit Honolulu and see how
level with the times its modern eonven-
fences are. 1t is the largest patron of
the'telephone in the world. With pop
ulation of $4,000, Honolulu has 1900 tel
ephone instruments in use, or I to every
IS people. Streets and houses are light
ed by electricity. Cars and carriages are
at the travellers service. The involun-
tary exclamation Of strangers is that
this is an American city. If they re-
main long enough, and secure an en-
trance to the society Of Honolu, they
will be even more agreeably impressed
with it's various and charming charac-
ter. Chosen representatives of every
foreign. nation unite with educated ma
tives to form a society which had no
American parallel outside of Washing
ton. And beyond the city, not only
among the planters, but in the native
population of the country, the traveller
finds a courteous, friendly people, whose
company is always protection and a
pleasure, and never a cause for fear
There is not tramp, beggar, or a
poorhouse in all Hawaii. Education is
compulsory. A public school system is
in force which gives an education in
English and the elementary studies to
every child of school age. The present
government is a constitutional republic,
known and formally acknowledged by
DP anuBaEEEa