The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-02
ARMSTRONG'S
BUSY LIFE
Continued from Page 81

NCOnIInuSQ rage 81
ing to get saving establishment going
as there is plenty of koa timber close
by, and l can get boards from no other
quarter for churches and school houses"
With the people he would spend days
in the mountains, cutting timber, sharp
ening the axes and directing the pull
gatherers. This pulu he shipped in bags
to a friend in San Francisco, who sold
it 10 the miners for pillows, and turned
the money into window Sashes locks
and furnishings for meeting houses and
school houses of which he built twenty
five in his extended parish. 1t was a ire
mendous strain upon his energies to keep
things going, as the natives were very
destructive of tools, and looked to their
"Kumu" for direction in everything. AT
this time he writes: My work is pleas
ant but arduouS. l attend a meeting
every morning at dawn of day and speak
to an audience of about two hundred,
visiting schools from eight to nine, then
| attend the sick, bleed, cup, poultice,
dress wounds with all the airs of a noto-
rious quack, then go to my study till
| some one calls for books, advice, etc,
which is very often in five minutes, and
repeated till ten o'clock at night. I am
numbered with many cares. In the after
noon 1 teach singing and lecture again.
On the Sabbath I preach at sun
rise, speak to the children at
ten, a sermon at eleven to the
people. Bible class at one, lecture at four
and on Mondays l am somewhat blue.
L spend every third Sabbath at the out
stations, where the labor is greater
than at home" The difficulty of build
ing up a Christian civilization out OF
such childlike people pressed the early
lTT,i- faf Inrc W.
1 have heard father tell of truly pious
deacon in Haiku who awakened him in
the middle of the night to ask him il
he could take part in the communion
service the next day without his trous.
ers, because a recreant son had stoler
the only pair he owned.
After this strenuous life chapter his
health gave way, his lungs became in
volved from exposure and fatigue, anG
it was thought his work was done, but
horseback riding, free use of cold wat
er and a dauntless spirit pulled him
through.
Waikiki was his next field, where he
built the first comfortable home the fam
lily ever knew. In this house Samuel C
Armstrong was born. His life was cas-
in a strong mould. Both parents were
laboring nightly to work out the indus
trial as well as spiritual salvation of the
Hawaiian people In church and school
house, saw mills, sugar mills, agricul
ture and domestic training, the boy alb
sorbed the gospel of work and the value
; of industrial training, and in the logic
of events applied those lessons will
''Sanctified common sense to the eX
slaves and Indians of America. They ar,
still living force in Hampton Institute
and in the work of Booker T. Washing
ton a Tuskeegee The methods of La
hainaluna and the Hilo Boarding Schoo
furnished seed thought out of which
grew these widespreading trees of knowl
edge.
In 1910 came a call to take charge O.
Mr.. Binghams church in Honolulu. II
his journal he writes: Severe is the tria
of parting with people whom I haC
adopted as my fellow travellers to the
grave" The stone walls of KawaiahaC
Church which was to hold three thou
sand people, were only partially com
pleted; and there was much plumbing
and paipai-ing to be done. The building
stones were the gift of the people, who
cut them from the reef at low tide ant
brought them in volunteer companies
which involved delays and inconvenience
In July. 1912, the Stone Church. or King
Chapel, as it was then called, was dedi
Gated, ITO the worship of God and the
use of generations" and Mr.. Armstrong
preached to congregations of twenty-five
hundred and often three thousand PEG.
pie. The grounds about the church look
ed like an encampment when the people
came from valley and shore on horse
back and spent their noon hour in the
Undiscovered basement, waiting the aft
ernoon session. Before the church was
occupied a delicate question arose about
seating royalty. The person of the king
was held sacred. Any commOner who
climbed a tree under which a king or
high chief reclned was liable to penal
ty of death. The king and chiefs did not
like the galleries. How could subject
sit above an ali without serious risks?
Mrs Judd. in her book Honolulu, tells
how Kamehameha III settled the mo-
mentous question by saying: "Old things
have passed away. 1 prefer a seat by a
window, so I can have fresh air. ! do
not care who are in the galleries. if they
do not break through" This declaration
of human rights was a tremendous
break in the walls of superstition that
enslaved the people and made way for
the teachings of brotherly love in that
pulpit.
From this time Mr.. Armstrong was
more and more identified with public
affairs on account of his nearness to the
king and chiefs as their pastor and coun-
sellor and Bible class teacher. His
preaching was direct and practical, more
like familiar talks of a father to his chill
dren. He had perfect command of the
Hawaiian language, and waxed eloquent
in his zeal to lead his flock through
Christ to better and purer living. There
were few sleepeTs in his congregation.
| In 1S4S he was made Minister of Pub
lie Instruction by Kamehameha III, fol-
lowing Mr. William Richards, who died
after serving one year in the office. The
family moved to stone House." now the
Preparatory School. where the king and
Chiefs Paki, John II and Kekouanoa and
others, often in those early days took
tea in a friendly way and discussed the
affairs of the nation. Here began a ca
reer of great activity, planning and or
ganiZing out of crude material a public
school system. examining and training
teachers, writing and translating school
books, organizing AGRICULTURAL and indus