Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-02-09

burned; that the men are all '.Inoahsn
they eat with the women; that but
one chief was killed in settling the
government and he for refusing to de-
stroy his gods The next dav the
message was confirmed Kamehame-
ha. remarkable man. had passed
away. On his death-bed he asked an
American trader to tell him about the
American 5 God.
The meeting between Tamoree and
his father was very affecting The
old king, for his sons sake, adopted
Mr.. Ruggles, gave him tract of land
with the power OF chief He pre-
pared him house. built him a school
house and chapel and followed him
with acts of kindness which were of
great benefit to the mission.
The missionaries settled down to
work. They found a nation sunk in
| ignorance aud vice. The king aid
the chiefs with their families were the
first pupils. Within three months
they could read the English language
both read and write. In less than
two years the first sheet of native
spelling book was printed, followed by
the second in less than six months.
The leading personages were the first
to adopt the suggestions of the mis-
sionaries. In 1924 the principal
chiefs formally agreed 10 recognize
the Sabbath and adopt the ten COM
mandments as the basis of their gov
eminent.
The gravest troubles encountered
came from the captains and crews of
English and American vessels. They
became ferocious toward the influence
that checked their vices. The house
of Missionary Richards was twice as
sailed by the ruffins of the ship Daniel
encouraged by their captain. They
threatened in the presence OF the feeble
wife to destroy his house, his proper
ty, his life and the lives of all his fam
lily. Two days after they returned
with black flag and forty men. The
chiefs at length called company of
200 men armed with spears and mus
kets and drove them off. The crew of
Dolphin assailed a small relie ious as
sembly on the Sabbath with knives
and clubs. Many terrible outrages
must be omitted here for want of
space.
The missionaries labored on I'M
daunted. Eight years from their
landing found them at work, some 80
in number, with 440 native teachers,
10000 Sabbath hearers and $4,000
pupils in their schools. The people
would come regularly fifty or sixty
miles Saturday to attend Sabbath
worship. All the converts were kept
in training classes year before they
were admitted to the church. During
two years $50 persons were received
to communion at the several stations.
In 1886 the whole aspect of the field
was so inviting that the Board sent
out strong missionary reinforcement
of thirty-two persons, male and fe-
male. For year the missionaries
were singularly drawn out in desires
and prayers for the conversion not on
ly of the islands but of America and
of the world.
And scarcely had the new laborers
been assigned to their places and
learned the language when in 1888
there began and continued for six
wears one of the most remarkable
awakenings that the world has ever
witnessed. Wherever the Word was
preached conviction and conversions
followed. During the six years from
1888 to 1843, $4,000 persons were adj
mitted to the churches. The next
twenty years up to 1868 some $4,000
souls were received. At length the
time came when the islands were to
ne recognized as nominally Christian
nation
The history of the Sandwich Islands
will stand forever as the vindication
of the worth of Christian missions if
prosecuted with vigor at all pro-
portionate to the nature and extent of
the field and crowned with the bles-
sing of God.