The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-25


we have therefore opportunity, let US
do good unto all men, especially unto !,
them who are of the household of
faith" and as quite a number of this
people are members of Kawaiahao /,
church, and some eight or ten are ex-
pecting to unite with this church at the
next communion, / feel sure that for
the sake of 1.-THE household of faith
YOU will give me opportunity to furnish
you with some facts which may cor
rect any incorrect impressions which
NAV have been made in the minds of
YOUR readers from the account alluded
to above.
It should be borne in mind that in
addition to the thirty-six rooms occu
pied by some one hundred Gilbert ISL
anders, rent free, on condition of their
observing the laws of the land with
reference to temperance, purity, gam
bling and good behavior generally, some
two or three rooms in another part of
the great Detention Camp are hired by
Gilbertese, living there in defiance of
some Of these laws. Their number is
comparatively small. 1t may be these
of whom your reporter speaks. If so l
have nothing more to say except that
1 am sorry that they still harden their
hearts against good instruction. But
your reporter begins thus: "a happy
crowd of people constituting the South
Sea Islanders colony occupy one portion
of the Kalihi Detention Camp, and they
have recently inaugurated a novel way
of getting up what they call a. feast.
These feasts are held once a week
50 He adds: 1.-THE feast starts in the
open air at about three o'clock every
Saturday afternoon, and keeps up in
varying ways until Monday morning
$50 The South Sea men buy but
little clothing, purchase but few pro-
visions, live on fish and spend the
greater portion of their earnings on beer
and gin. But each man manages to
keep dollar in his possession until the
end of the week, when he throws it
into the feast pool to be used in buy
ing beer and gin and other things for
the gathering. The women carry out
the same system as the men. They
spend all their time when not sleeping
in making hats 3 The agent, usual
ly native, who sells them, must have
little profit, and the rest goes to the
hat-makers, who spend a portion of it
for cheap finery and the remainder for
booze AS from fifty to seventy
five dollars are collected for these
feasts one can easily imagine the large
quantity of "wet goods" that the party
gets.
"Old and young gather around the
feasting resort, and there is consider
able fun during the earlier part of the
s AS fast as a feaster
becomes too drunk to continue at the
affair others drag him away to quiet
place where he can sleep off the results
of his carousal"
crowd as constituting THE (the under
scoring is mine) South Sea Islanders
colony stranger would naturally gath
er the impression that your reporter
was describing what is known here in
Honolulu as the Gilbertese colony in
this city. 1t is in behalf of the many !
who in this colony are trying to live as
sincere Christians that L write these
lines and invite friends and strangers
to visit the colony on Saturday after !
noon and see for themselves what pro- |
portion of the colony indulge in such
revelry and debauch as is described in
the above quotation. We feel sure that
if they would visit the three long build
ings containing thirty-six rooms and
which are known as the South Sea
Islanders quarters they would find an
orderly community, where the great
majority are leading respectable lives, |
and not a few of them sincerely striv- !
ing to show their love and gratitude to
the Lord Jesus Christ who died for
them. We invite a careful inspection
of the colony, and will be very thank !
ful for correct information which shall
help us in our efforts to lead this people !
in paths of righteousness. The Ameri- |!
can and Hawaiian Boards of Missions
have done much for them in the past. I
and are still continuing to do for them,
and we trust that their efforts for them
have been and will be in many cases /,
truly blessed. Who of your readers will !
help US in our efforts TO save? Trust
ing that you will find room for the
above that any possible wrong impress
sions may be corrected, I remain,
Yours very respectfully,
HIRAM BINGHAM.
Gilbertinia, Oct. "a, 1902
-@<>S
In a letter to the Boston Transcript
on the subject of Interpretations a cor