The weekly intelligencer., 1901-03-02
DO NOT KEEP THE SABBATH,
Amertca's new Subjects In the south
seas Are Opposed 90 sunday
Regulations

Possibly no other.nayal man ever had
to take action upon so radical a meas
ure as that which has been proposed to
Commander Tilley by the newest
Americans Of all, the Samoan people OF
Tutuila.. After much debate the ma
tive population have asked Commander
Tilley, who is their governor, to repeal
the fourth commandment They do not
want TO keep the Sabbath holy, says
the New York Sun.
American Samoans, those OF Tutuila
and Manua, have lost no time in relin-
gushing their former monarchicai
ideas and becoming what they are
plsssed to consider the real thing in
the way OF fellow citizens OF the great
republic which in formal deliberations
they call the "Unaike' sekake Meleke,
or Meleke for short After the king
the only system of restraint upon
them came from the church, or II not
from the resident missionaries OF the
London Mission society, at least from
the far less prudent and responsible
native ministers of "faifeaus."
There is no better job in Samoa than
TO be faifeau OF village church
Where all are idle he is conspicuously
free from all necessity to work. His
duty, is to conduct the village school at
dawn and sunset OF secular days and
to preach three sermons on Sundays,
and one at the Wednesday evening
prayer meeting. In connection with
his general duties he considers himself
a special officer OF the moral law, and
at the village council he reports all Of
Tenders and demands that they be pun
ishsd. No other offense, In his opinion
can be half. so beinous as failure to
observe Sunday with a Etrictness only
to be matched In the Plymouth and
Massachusetts, bay settlements OF the
Puritans. Fine, hard labor, and
deprivation Of church privileges await
the offender who stays contumaeiously
away from church, who sings on that
day other than hymns, who tells sto
ries except those in the Bible.
Now, when the Americans Of Tutuila
found that this first plunge into re-
publican form Of government freeC
them from the necessity Of sending
their most treasured possessions TO I
king In distant Apia, they began to sec
their way TO another nibbe at the ex
cellent cake OF independence, and thu
Sunday observance was the next rally
ing point for patriots. The news wal
carried from village to village and wa
secretly discussed In every village ant
every household Except by the nativ'
pastor, the idea met with a ready ac
ceptance all over Tutuila and the vii
lage chiefs found themselves practical
ly instructed on the point by their con
stituents. In due time, and nothing il
s---.>-- = -ii~.s-.A- q. he AAmAged hH ex
cess Of haste, the chiefs met at the vii
lsge Of the high chief Naunga in Pago
Pago. 1t was found that they wer
unanimous that It was an outrage 4
accept any longer the restriction
which the falfsau had SO long placed OF
Sunday.
Despite their courage In declarinI
their opinions on this important mat
ter there was not a chief In .Tutuil
who dared to violate single one Of th
Sunday observations. So they decide
TO appeal to the governor. In wha
form to ask remedial action from tn
governor a recent instance had taugh
them. An early ordinance of the ne'
government, one really based on ten
porary conditions of the state OF wal
had been but a short time before r,
pealed and proclamation Of that actio
duly made. Accordingly the chiefs a
sembled in Pago-Pugo invited Gov. I'll
ley to debate with them on a matter {
great importance. There were N
J usual concomitants Of such Samoa
meetings, the wearlsome round Of kav
drinking, Of dancing girls, Of baked pi
and other food aud OF hours OF compl
mentary speeches. Last Of all, whe
! they got down to business the chic
described TO the governor the offensi,
I customs and besought him TO rspe
the fourth commandment aud the
! would be happy for evermore.
II 10 net known whether the power
! Anavd oficer In command Of a COLI,
like the Aborenda and A colonial d