The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-07

~OIs nearly an nOur yesterday att
around -the-world" missionary
and evangelist, held large audi
ence at the opera house in close atten-
ton and interest. The sincerity and
eloquence of the speaker appealed
strongly to those present and a num-
Der of persons We're visibly affected
During Miss Murcutt's address many
wept, and when the lecture was finish
red, dispensing groups talked together
seriously, speaking of the religious
helpfulness of her words and making
resolutions for a more devotional fu-
ture.
A large chorus sang a number Of
songs and the opening prayer was Of
|fered by Rev. E. A. Cory. Rev. S. P.
Perry made a few remarks and Mrs.
DIR. Mcdonald sang Holy City,
Miss Murcutt, whose manner is very
graceful and self-possessed, appropri-
ately greeted her audience and at once
took earnestly hold of her subject. Her
|topic was 'Honolulu's Greatest Need
|and the substance of her address was
las follows:
"It has been my lot to travel through
many countries and to see strange
things; I have been the honored guest
in palatial residences and l have stood
in prison cells beside men condemned
to death; have climbed the Alpine
heights and have seen the glory of
the tropics I have visited the grand
T old burying place of our departed great
ones at Westminster Abbey, and I have
visited the Great Tower of London,
where poor Anne Boleyn was pehead-
ed These things and many more
have seen, and they all have furnished
me with much food for reflection but
I think I have experienced the thing
that impressed me most since my ar
rival in this city.
ST suppose there comes to all of us
moments when we want to be alone,
shut out from the world.
Yesterday I climbed yonder noun
tain AS l ascended the valley widen
ed, and the city grew smaller, slipping
down beneath me. Still higher up L
looked about me and lost sight of the
city in it's vegetation. I gazed upon
| the waving leaves of the plantations,
and away in the clear distance to Pearl
City, with it's shining waters opalescent
| in the SUM-. Off to my left Diamond
Head reared its loftiness into the sky.
| looking like a great lion crouching by
! the sea- Below me lay the city OF
Honolulu, at the feet of Punchbowl,
and all about in the wide sweep OF
the circle the sentinels of the ever
| lasting hills kept watch, silent In their
dignity and grandeur. Out over the
! sea / looked and 1 saw the water turn
| to gold, with the white-capped waves
kissing the sands<at its shores.
great peace stole over my SOU. In
| the whisper of the wind through the
palm trees l heard the word, God
Well may the artist have received his
inspiration here; we'll may great writ
ers have gaZed upon beauty sucn as
| this and dipped their pens; well may
the muses. have almost exhausted them
selves in praises. MethinkS the Great
Architect of the universe has conceiv-
ed no nobler plans. He has made the
! great blue jagged mountains and the
| lowly gentle valleys into one vast
cathedral, singing the praises of God.
-
The great nineteenth century with
| it's wonderful progress has now passed
| into history, but / think it will always
be referred to as the wonderful nine
teenth century. 1t brought US our
| first steamboat, it taught US how to
light our fires, it gave US our telegraph
lines; thousands of cities have
sprung up in our republic, and things
that have surpassed eighteenth century
belief have come to pass. 1t has been
equal to the epics Of heroic ages. My
! friends; oh, my friends, it is a glorious
thing to be living in such time; 1t is
a sublime thing. It has been said that
commerce is the soul of progress. A
few years ago the Hawaiian Islands
were solely dependent upon small sail
| ing vessels for news from the outside
world. Now there are something like
eighteen mail steamers within a
| month. Only few years ago the first
missionaries came to the Islands; be-
| hold the fruits that are, and that are
still to come. With the coming Of the
| missionaries foreign immigration began
and commerce sprang up and grew.
Now we have our great commercial
industries, our great productive plan
| tations, and we have reached a stage
of independence. Our imports are de-
lcreasing and our exports are increasing
ten-fold with the years.
THE other day / visited one of the
plantations. They showed me there
tract of thirty-five acres that had pro-
duced 141s tons to the acre. There may
be places in the world where there has
| been such a yield, but I don't know
of it if there is.
| tHonolulu's greatest need is not COM
/ mercial activity, my friends, for she
| has plenty of that. 1t is religion; no,
worlds greatest need is not religion,
| there is too much religion, and not
enough Christianity; too much goody-
goodyism. / mean the kind of religion
| that people have who go to church on
| Sundays and forget to think of Christ
on week days. The difference
| (ContinIed on Page 21