Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-03-08
kAHUNA AND SCIENCE.

ure may be introduced in the Legisll-
ture looking to the removal of the ban
against Kahunas.
Here is problem that the people
of so-called modern ideas can dispose
Of with much less ease than their
Puritanical forefathers People of tho
present day are less disposed to feel
that they are acting under the special
dispensation of God. and all opposed 10
them are heading, straight for eternal
damnation. hell with real birthstone
In 1t. The stiff neck of the Purit IN
lie less in evidence. except in individual
cases that prove the rule. There Is
more of the spirit of live and let live.
Furthermore. some supposed civiliz-
ed thinkers In search of cure-alls have
given birth to sect knows as Chris
tian Scientists. so-called science
known as Christian Science; and the
priests or doctors. or whatever you
may call them, OF the faith eXpound
their ideas. practice their precepts and
make record of their accomplishments
with all the ardor that marks an honest
conviction or fanaticism
Christian Science spurns the utility
of modern drugs as rheumatic does
clutches after taking one bottle Of some
Dr.. Tommy RIOTS patent rheumatism
l 4, I.n1g n.fth hn t,,tnl nj
through that avenue claims to reach
human ills.
The Kahuna does the same thing.
His methods may date back to barbar-
Ism OF more recent date; he may pray
to a god OF his own ideals instead Of
the civilized Infinite, but he reaches
the same end. deals with the same
characteristic of the human race and
acts upon an established sentiment
among his own people. as firmly
grounded by centuries of practice, a
practice as old. so far as any man OF
today knows. as the teachings OF Jesr,
Christ and the Bible. ...
The only marked difference between
the Christian Scientist and the Kahuna
Is that the former works through Il
civilized god and the latter deals with
what the Puritans called idolatry; the
Christian Scientist works with the sole
idea Of prolonging life and easing pain
while the Kahuna sometimes adds to
this the effort to hasten the departure
Of an individual into the next world.
How much the mind assists med!-
cines. men OF the medical fraternity
know full well. The physician whose
patient has lost confidence in him, Of
whose mannerisms or presence is dis.
tasteful might deal out all the drugs
in Christendom without avail
Considering then that civilization aC-
Cepts Christian Science. that racial
characteristics inbred for centuries
cannot be eradiCated in less than one
century. that the mind does have some
power over matter. is it Just or is it at
all times advisable to put the Kahuna
on the criminal schedule and set him
aside as not only useless but danger
Gus?
or course the great civiliZing people
know II all. Yet II Is forever changing
/ front Only n short time ago IL deter
mined to send all heather who had not
heard of the Bible. straight to hell:
now It is thinking Of being less harsh.
Again It was disposed to send all chill
dren not baptised to the same future
punishment, but It now inclines to be
more lenient. Finally. this same
straight laced people that Is giving the
world its present civilization is finding
by experience and thought that there
Is something good in all beings created
by the ruling Infinite power. also that
barbarsm has Its conscience and civil
cation has its idols.
1t is then possible that this SAME
people may find even the Kahuna not
exemplfying all that is bad by thu
same reasoning with which II reaches
the conclusion that Christian Science
has not solved the problem OF perfcS
ton. The world is full OF contradic-
lions but 1t has found that the Golden
Rule is a very effective motto.