The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-07
KA|LUA IN
OLD DAYS
Memories of Rev.
DR.. Serene E.
Bishop.
WORK OF THE FIRST
MISSIONARIES
interesting "reminiscences of the
Times When Religion Was First
Taught the Natives.
C1he Friend.)

of 1885, removed with his wife and two
children from Kailua, Hawaii, to Eva,
oahu. a chief cause for the change
of parish was the impaired health of
Mrs. Bishop, in whom hard work as a
school teacher in a very warm climate
had produced some degree of nervous
prostration. This gradually abated in
the cooler breezeS of Eva with alb
stinence from school work, although the
energetic missionary still applied her
self to active labors among the wo-
men, who met on our premises in
great numbers.
Our predecessors at Eva were Rev.
and Mrs. Lowell Smith, specially ca
pable and devoted missionaries who had
been only two years in the field. Mr..
Smith had built a comfortable house
of adobe bricks, matched with grass,
and well plastered inside and out. He
had also erected the adobe walls of
a church, capable of holding an aud
fence of about one thousand people l
think the roof also was on. Mr.. Smith
took up his residence in Honolulu, at
first engaging in organizing and SUI
perintending day schools, but soon or
ganizing a second parish in the capital,
and building the old Kaumakapili
church. The architecture of this as
we'll as the Eva church was simple
and homely. The adobe walls fifteen
feet high were covered by a steeply
pitched roof, which extended Quit in a
verandah on all four sides. in order to
protect the base of the mud walls from
being destroyed by rain drip. The tim
bers- of the roof We're long beams drag
ged from the mountains entirely by
human strength, the labor being Sc
cured by volunteering. under the lead
ership of the chiefs.
Our removal from Kailua was with
many impedimenta There were four
cows and heifers and a flock of a
dozen goats. A good-sized canoe was
brought for use in transportation be-
tween Honolulu and Pearl River.
Among other things were a few cut
tings of tree-figs from Kaupehu, the
ends of which were inserted into sweet
potatoes to prevent drying. From these
proceeded a small grove of fig trees,
which afterwards yielded abundant
fruit. The mission house was located
on the west bank of the Waiawa
creek. about one-fourth mile northwest
of the present railway station at Pearl
City. There was nearly an acre of
ground enclosed in an adobe wall. Some
distance seward was a glebe of a
couple Of acres of taro swamp. a little
below where the railway bridge now
crosses the creek. A small cattle pen
An old wall of thee natives separated
-t1a t11 AZ 1+ol IL, d. "a
kept out the pigs and afterward the
cattle. Copious springs of most deli
cious water abounded throughout the
district of Eva, small one being in our
own grounds
Adobes furnished an excellent mate
rial for cheap building. The rich soil
was very clayey. A species of bunch
grass called makuikui thickly covered
the lower uplands. The dry fibre of its
leaves lay in great accumulations of
many years growth. The very tough
/ fibre was gathered in great quantities
and trodden Aby the natives into the
wet clay. Wis ffbrous mortar after
standing over night was retrodden and
moulded into huge bricks to be dried
| in the sun. So tough was the result
ing concretion, that it was nearly inn
possible to drive nail into a we'll made
adobe I have always fancied that
! makuikui grass to be worth study as a
! fibre plant. Tt has nearly become ex-
tinct being favorite food of animals.
Probably it can still be found in Eva
among the cliffs.
My fathers cows We're the first cat
/ tie that had ever run on the Eva up
lands. Waiawa Valley above US lay
knee deep with the richest of grass,
where our cows rioted. Our goats took
TO the higher ground, where they
hourished, being driven in and penned
| at night. This flock of goats was sud
denly multiplied in a remarkable man
! ner. One day they were found missing,
aud no trace discovered by any search.
! A flock of 200 goats had been driven
over from Waialua to Honolulu, and
our poor little drove of thirty absorbed
on the road. The skins of ours were
speedily identified in town by peculiar
mark on the ears. The thief was
brought before Governor Kekuanaoa,
who sentenced him to make scriptural
! reparation. namely fourfold. He had
to sell fine horse, buying with the
proceeds 120 goats. which he very hum
mad to be built for their accommoda-
ton The kids would often stick their
noses between the poles, when hungry
hogs on the watch would bite off their
Imuzzles.
We made constant use of goats milk
TOT the table and cooking. Kids flesh
was savory diet Goats mutton was
100 rank and went to the use Of our ma
i've servants. Cows milk was all re-
served for butter, some of which was
contributed to our hospitable friends al
the capital. The herd gradually multi
ipiled, and in few years became large
MRS. Bishop, finding herself incapaci-
lated for teaching, finally devoted her
sell to butter-making, which brought
IN good income, relieving the Ameri-
can board of their support. AS re-
suit the missionary couple when aged
mad accumulated enough for their sup
port, and left about $500 apiece Il