The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-27
THE ''DESCENDANTS."

condition or missionary WOTK IN these
Islands. seem to have been misunder-
stood by some of its readers. The Ad-
Vertiser carefully confined its discus
sion TO the facts presented in the re-
port of the Hawaiian Evangelical AS
ISOLATION. 1t asked what do these facts
mean? What do we. or should we,
learn from them? There are numerous
facts, not stated in the report, which
have an important bearing on mis-
sionary work here. They were not
cited because they were not included
in the report.
The Advertiser attempted to draw
the line between the constant and ad-
mirable charity shown by all good peo-
pie in all places towards their neigh
bors, and the distinct and exclusive
work of the paid agent or missionary.
1t simply called the attention of its
readers to the fact that, for some rea-
son, the descendants of the early mis-
sionaries had, with few exceptions, de-
clined to engage in either foreign or
domestic missionary work, although
for aid in every direction. If the claims
of these leaders are correct, there must
be something wrong in the spirit of the
churches which refuse to supply this
demand. But the leaders may not be
abreast of the times, and do not de-
tect and realize the modern ideas re-
garding the place of missions in the
worlds evolution. The laity may be,
and should be, capable of taking broad
er views, in these later days, of their
relations to this work than their mis-
sionary ancestors did. New views do
not involve the decline of moral quail
tiles, or the force of religious obliga-
tions.
There has been a singularly tor
pid condition of thought and discus
sion of the missionary problem here,
due to the desire of mot hurting any
ones feelings although this ordin-
arily commendable sentiment takes no
account of the value of truth as an.
Indispensable factor in human progress.
1t is said by friends of the foreign mis-
sionary cause in America, that the re-
iuctance to boldly debate the mis-
sionary problem in all it's bearings dur
ing the last thirty years, is the cause
of the insufficient support it is now re-
ceiving. The laity instead of being led
boldly into instructive study by the
active promoters of missions, have been
encouraged TO avoid Investigations. and
continue in 1.-The good old ways"
So far as these Islands are concerned.
the admirable system of public schools
furnish missionary work of the
highest and most efficient character,
and it largely supplants those who are
strictly designated as missionaries.
Asiatic 'heathen, as we are in the
habit of calling them, the missionary
work is, with the exception of Mr..
Frank w. Damon and Mrs. Damon, so
far as the Chinese are concerned, en-
tirely in the hands of those who are
not descendants of the missionaries.
Among the Japanese with the excep-
ton of Rev. o. H. Gulick, there is no
descendant of the missionaries engaged
in exclusive missionary work on the
different Islands. Yet the Japanese
number nearly 10000 at present.
Among the $4,000 Portuguese, accord
ing to this report, there is not a single
descendant of the early missionaries
exclusively devoted to missionary work
although there are Contributions of
funds for this work furnished by some
of the descendants.
Among the natives, while the de-
scendants have contributed to the sup
port of native churches, they have not
engaged personally and exclusively in
missionary work. The report states
(p. I'D that there are lat least four
teen parishes in need of pastors" and
on page 10, it declares that much of
the work needed to be done cannot be
done as volunteer work. 1t requires
exclusive time and attention.
The Advertiser makes no charges or
complaints or criticisms. 1t presents
the facts as they appear in the report
of the Evangelical Association. These
facts call for close study and profound
consideration. If the present condi
lions are suitable and acceptable, they
should not be changed.
There is, however, some reason for
the existence of these conditions. They
do not exist by chance, for there is
no such thing as chance in this world.
The Advertiser has suggested that
he cause of this declination to enter
into exclusive domestic and foreign
work, on the part of the descendants,
is due to broader, juster and truer
views of the relation of the heather"
to the people of civilized lands, and
the claims which the heather have