The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-01-18

he burned the temples of Hawaii, to-
gether with his own temple, Mookini,
and destroyed the idols; so when the
first missionaries went there in 1920
they found people without relig-
ion. In some respects Hewa-hewa
that ever lived. No other heather
ever renowned his temple and idols
before christianity had been preached
to him. 1t is pleasure to note that
as soon as the missionaries preached
Jesus to Hewa-hewa he accepted the
faith and lived and diod most de-
vout Christian.
Thus we have examined little in
to the history of our Samoan broth
ers, who, in many respects, are a
remarkable people. True, their le-
gends are embellished with good
deal of imagination, yet they have
left unmistakable evidence that the
main points are true. They say they
early colonized the Hawaiian islands,
which is true, because both people
speak the same language, worship
the same gods ana teach their chill
dren the same legends. They trav-
eled all the long distance in log
canoes, which also is true, because
they had no tools but sharp stones
and no material with which to build
anything better. Historians and
poets never tire of extoling the BRAY
cry of the old morse vikings who
sailed forth in their great ships, and
from the eighth to the eleventh CEN
fury were terror to most of the
coast af Europe.
They say these brave navigators
were the first to venture out of sight
of land, that they founded colonies
in Iceland and Greenland and sailed
southwark along the coast of Amer
lea as far as New England. But the
historians were ignorant of the fact
that thousand years before the vik-
ings in their great ships ever ven
tured away from shore, these Samoans
were going everywhere over the vast
Pacific, making voyages of more than
1000 miles, visiting the island of Ha-
wall and the western coast of Amer
lea. 1t is not at all improbable that
these people founded the great en-
pires of the Astecs and lucas
Columbus when he sailed from
Palos had tolerably we'll equipped
vessels. He hoped by aid of mis- COM
pass and nauticle instruments to be
able to steer straight enough to strike
the continent of Asia or some of the
East India islands.
But these Samoans, 1900 years be-
fore Columbus, would sail forth in
their open canoes and with no COM
pass or any mathematical knowledge
of the stars, would traverse unknown
seas as far as Columbus ventured
and strike little island only 80 miles
across.
Like the ancient Greeks and al
other heathens of fine intellects, they
were very religious and had many
gods; but no people ever put Their
religion to more practical use. When
on their long voyage the god of stars
would tell them the points of the
compass; and when the stars were
hid the voice of the winds would
speak to them of the same things
for in the northern tropics the trade
winds always blow from the north
east. The god of clouds, when they
were fringed with smoke from the
VOLCANOES, would tell them the direc
ton of Hawaii. The god of the sea
would speak to them of the approach
of land by sending drift wood and
fish that never go great ways from
shore. The god of winds would bring
them word from the awful Halemau
mau, "house of everlasting fire." by
sending them fumes from his lake o.
fire and birthstone. This was an in
fallible voice Judging from the night
spent with this god in his own house
for certainly no other chemical lab
oratory on earth could manufacture
such perfumes.
/ cannot close this article without
asking, What are we going to do with
these people? And shudder when
think of what we have done with
the people of Hawaii.
have already spoken of the high
priest Hewa-hewa, who became dis
gusted with his heather religion and
in 1919 destroyed his temple and
idols. 1t has been a puzzling ques-
ton to many doctors of divinity how
man, stepped in heathenism, could
ever make up his mind to renounce
his religion without the light of the
gospel. The reason is simple enough.
These people are the most kind, hos
pitable and confiding people in the
world. When white people from
America began to visit the islands
and Hewa-hewa saw their ships and
guns, he thought the gods they wor-
SHIPPED must be better. than his. So
he cast his religion aside and was
teaching his people that somewhere
in the world there was better way.
When our missionaries landed in
Hilo, year later, Hewa-hewa and
many of his people eagerly accepted
their teachings. TWAS a great work,
as / can testify after having attended
the native church and Sabbath schools
conducted by the children of these
early converts. How glorious this
would be if there was no dark side