The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-06-16

eionafy Institute. where for 80 long .
time Dr. Hyde and his associates have
been lahoring Ia raise up Hawaiian
pastors and missionaries. This school
has kindly consented 20 help ~. IN
order To aid them In representing tbs
way In which they have risen from N,
horrible pit and miry clay ~ heather
ism to plane of Christian civilization
no, to be dcsplsed. they are nov bring.
ing a symbolic ladder of ten rounds. q
stepping stone. az IL were. To Jacobs
Ladder" As they enter, singing In
Gilbertese The Gospel Ship is Sail
| ing" you will see the bottom Of the lad.
der standing In mire. symbolic Of their
former condition; nj the top a NINA
ture plain. symbolic OF n Gilbertess
Christian civilization, on which are o
cross. a church. a school-house, a store
a court house and Jail. How they
climbed this ladder they will try Il
show you.
Upon their arrival In our midst M
teen questions will be asked them b,
| their leader. whose wife Is a Gilber'
Islander. but he himself native o.
| the Tokelau cluster. Several OF thu
questions will be answered in concer'
in Gilbertese In single sentences
TRANSACTIONS and fuller answers &c
most of the questions will be read
from papers which they have In theil
hands, written in English for them.
After the entrance of the Gilbert
Islanders the following questions ant
answers were given:
or what nationality are you?
We are Gilbert Islanders. represent
| atives Of a people numbering some
| thirty thousand. dwelling on eighteen
low coral islands lying on the equa
| tor, some two thousand miles south
west Of Honolulu, as you may see OF
this map before you.
For what object have you come be
fore this congregation?
We desire to aid the Hawaiian
Board in their efforts today to in
| crease your interest in the duty Of
preaching the Gospel to every creature
by showing you some of the results
of their attempt to elevate our people
through the blessing Of God. from bar.
barism to fair degree of Christian
| civilization.
p" nat was tHt CDuultlou VI sOui pco
pie when the missionaries in thu
Morning Star" first came to resid,
among you in 1857?
II was most ptiable. We were saw
ages, living in wretchedness and pov'
| erty. our annual exports not exceed
ing So per capita, and these expended
mainly in purchasing tobacco, rum
guns and powder. Multitudes Of on
men and boys, and even our girls Il
| the age OF ten or twelve, often wore
no clothing whatever, and our wOmeI
| from highest to lowest only wore tn,
riri, a specimen of which you see o,
| uhe woman who stands near me. Tn
riri Is cocOanut leaf fringe whicl
will not bear washing.
Our houses generally had no sides
We sat and slept on mats on tn
ground. We ate fish, cocoanuts, pan
danus, papai "a species of coars
taro, the Hawaiian ape). We wer
not cannibals, nor did we eat mice
but we did eat lice. Our mode of tn
care Of the bodies of our dead wOul
not bear description before you;
was most loathsomc. Our widows
prompted by affection, often carrie,
with them the skulls Of their hus
bands. We worshipped false gods
| mostly rude stones set up in the sand
The wooden idol which you see In tn
hand of my neighbor Is a missionar
trophy which our teacher procured OF
| Marakei, in 1860. We We're exceed
ingly superstitious, dark-minded, IL
norant, without the knowledge O
reading and writing, without books
| yea, so ignorant that we robbed on
of the first mails to arrive for tn
missionaries on Apaiang, distributin
the letters and papers among our
selves, and some of us even eatin
them. having mixed them with cocoa
food from foreign lands. We wer
without the knowledge Of the tru
God. We were in perishing need o
the great salvation OF Christ, for, a
Paul truly says of such heather as W
| were, we were more or less filled witt
all ''unrlghteousness, fornication
| wickedness, covetousness, malicious
ness, full of envy. murder, debate, de
ceit, malignity, whisperers, backbit
ers, despiteful, proud, boosters, in
ventors Of evil things, disobedient t.
| parents, without understanding, GOV
| enant breakers, without natural affec
| ton, implacable, unmerciful," and,
might add, often very abusive of on
| wives.
| How did you treat the Missionaries
in those early days?
Many of our people treated then
kindly, some with indifference, and ;
few with marked barbarity. The kin,
of Apaiang. whose coat of mail | nov
have on, very cordially welcomed tn
missionaries when they came to hi
shores and slept by the little cottag
which had been brought on the Morn
ing Star" while II was being put M
lest thieves should carry of the lum
Der. He was slain In battle thre
months later.
We are greatly ashamed to say tina
after residence of missionarie
among us for eleven years, one of GU
number shot Rev. Mr.. Mahoa in Mr.
Bingham's house, and later on som
of our people tore down the house ant
carried of the boards for building
war canoes. They also destroyed MI
Kanoa's house near by and the print
ing house, the school house, and tn
church, and rihed the grave OF III
first born son Of one of our teachers