The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-09
PAST AND
PRESENT
Native Hawaiian Of
Yesterday and
Today.
Continued from Yesterday

This was as late as $50. and no won
der that many natives renewed thei
/ faith in their discarded deities.
y most unfortunate move on the par
of the = n,r.cla ms oaar.ea Wa wbeT
the American Board Of Missions, in 1868
withdrew its paterraI care and, in ce-
gree, it's financial support. from the ma
tive churches. Native pastors were SUP
stituted for the missionaries some o!
whom remained on the Islands without
| the old authority and influence. As a
natural result the churches, left to them
selves in large measure, relapsed into
| comparative Indifference and surreadeTc
| to some OF the old forms of superstition
| The influence OF the court, added 10 the
example of vicious foreigners, was on the
Side of irrelsion, and the original ua-
! tive churches have by degrees diminished
/ in the number of members and in zeal.
AT the present time, while four-fifths
of the natives are able 20 read and write,
| the census OF 1895, giving a total of 3l,Ol9
pure natives, reports 12,Si2 as nominally
| Protestant, SAT- Roman Catholics, and
| 1865 Mormons. The actual native mem
bership in the Protestant churches today
| is 4,G42. The Sunday Schools OF these
churches contain SIS natives, old and
young.
The reasons for this religious decline
may be summed up as follows:
l. The death of many of the older mis-
sionar!es, to whom the natives looked up
as TO fathers and chiefs.
.. The withdrawal % the American
Board of Missions.
3. The decay and disappearance of the
old royal family, which IN the main IA
vored the missionaries.
1. The encoura cement of heather praC-
tees by the last TWO sovereigns. who
were opposed To the leadership in church
and state of the so-called missionary
religious designation.
). The new generation. ignorant OF the
older missionaries. readily lost the ear
lier strict standards; intoXIcation in
creased; vast quantities of liquor We're
imported under King Kalakaua; heathen-
ish practices and the kahunas (medicine
mem were licensed. and resorted 10 with
out hindrance.
E. Descendants Of the missionaries and
other white men, with Anglo-SaXon en-
crgy in various pursuits grew richer and
the natives poorer. thus widening the
breach between the two classes, while
designing white men led the natives to
believe that the missionary party in
spite of its efforts TO improve the condi-
ton of the natives. was wholly selfish
and careless Of any interests but its
own.
:. Lastly. when KalaKaua. in 1857. was
forced by the whites Il accept revised
constitutional limit 70 his authority. and
when. in 1888. queen Liliuokalani at
tempted to obtain absolute power, the
royalist party became avowedly hostile
to the missionary party" and the ma
tives in large numbers left the churches.
religion and politics being connected in
their minds with the watchword Hawaii
for Hawaiiaus." Therefore, when, in
1900. the United States Congress consign-
ed legislation in Hawaii 10 the weak and
incenSed natives, their first thought was
10 destroy the power and overruie the
policy of the detested whites.
The readiness of the kanakas to be be
guiled by smooth-tongued leaders. and
the results which followed the election
(as will be seen further on in this pa
PERI, have proved that the average TIa-
waiian of today has no true conception
of self-governmert. and no capacity for
the exercise Of the duties of American
citizenship
The line Of chiefs legitimately descend
ed from the great Kamehameha had as
pirations and abilities which promised
much for the establishment of Il nation
on a permanent and prosperous founda-
ton. The early missionaries deserve
great honor for their desire and effort to
cultivate the desire for Hawaiian nation
alty and Independence. In those days
it was a struggle OF Lfiputian king
dom against all the nations of the world.
In the teeth of hostile foreign officials
with naval forces at their command and
often Inspired by the Dasest motives. the
little monarchy after many surreuderS.
outrages, threats ana blows. held its
ground; ii had given rights 10 the COM
mon people; enacted laws and consti-
tuition; made treaties with great powers.
until. the great chiefs having died the
natives forgot, under evil advisers, that
but for their friends. the missionaries.
they would long ago have lost all SEM
blance Of nation. They even turned
against these tried helpers, and made it
necessary in self-defense for the best
element among the whites 10 assume the
sole management of affairs OF state
1t was with reluctance that many Am
orleans relinquished the idea OF a mon
archy under native rulers, and turned
to the doubtful experiment of annexation
aS the only salvation OF the land.
1t Is not claimed that the American
descendants of missionaries. and holding
their traditions, have not been apt at
a bargain and ready To seize an oppor-
tunity but il has never been proved that
they acquired wealth or power by the
oppression Of the natives. or by any I'M
derhandel dealings 10y which the natives
have been defraUded OF their rights The
assessed valuations Of the Islanus show
1e0D from thirty-three 10 one hundred
and twenty-one millions Of dollars. and
of this large real and personal property
from twO-thirds TO tnree-quarters are
owned by the whites. many of whom are
children Of the early Christian teachers,
and born on the Islands.
The natives have been urged 70 &C
quire freeholds without cost. In lSGg
much desirable land was sold to them.
The missionaries made strenuous efforts
TO have the common people secure homes
Of their own. and in course of time 1000
natives have become proprietors Of land.
But today the native owns far less than
he might own, because Of Incidence and
improvidence. He is careless even Of HE
rights in property. He allows the land
to slip easily out OF his hands. Too lazy
TO work the soil. no mortgages his hold
Ing N order - h,'ii house, which
soon. with n. lard. is lost
Il X syn or the tendency to deg.u-
crate when mon care little for the pos
session of land. In 1Nsf full-bioedei ma
g .~r-