The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-12-04
WOMEN LAUD LIFE Of
M|CR0NESAN MISSIONARY
Tributes to the Memory Of the Late Mrs. Hiram
Bingham by the Woman's Board
of Missions.

nam, ana on the ISL OF december tney
sailed from Boston in the first Morning
Star, bound for Honolulu, and thence
/ to Micronesia. The voyage around
Cape Horn in the little missionary ves-
sci covered more than five months;
they arrived in Honolulu in the latter
part Of April, 1857.
They remained here till August when
they sailed away to their isolated home
in Micronesia. Visiting the mission
stations in the Marshall and Caroline
Islands they were assigned with Mr.
and Mrs. Kanoa, Hawaiian mission
aries. to the very unattractive station
in the Gilbert group and, on the 18th
of November, 1857 just one year from
their wedding day they landed on the
island of Apaiang.
Here they built tiny house. twenty
four by sixteen feet, and calling it
Happy Home they set up their
household altar.
Imagine the sensations which rolled
in upon this modest, refined, cultured
New England gentlewoman, at finding
herself in the midst of fierce. stark
naked savages! What a shock it must
have been to her! But this gentle soul
was also brave; she had made up her
]
what she could to teach them the way
of life; so she put aside her wounded
delicacy and timid fears and knowing
in whom she believed, faced these new
conditions with a courage worthy of a
soldier.
What a cheerful spirit she had what
loving patience: but how her house,
wifely soul must have been tried when
her SaVaUa Deiphhorc animated
curiosity, presented themselves, in sea-
son and out of season, and seating
their well oiled bodies on her clean.
fresh mating, left huge grease SPOTS
as witness of their prompt recognition
of these strangers in their midst.
Mosquitoes held high carnival night
and day, and flies We're abundant
enough to remind one of the plaques
or Egypt, but we hear of no complaint
from her: the sunshine of her face was.
not clouded her CHEEKY voice was not
stilled by any of these annoyances:
with unfailing patience she kept about
her daily duties careful only for the
comfort of those about her. She seems
to have been an embodiment of that
love which "seeketh not her own"
When she had been about three
months in her new home her first child
was born; but of him it must be said.
He was not for God took him." and
the comforting presence of a little child
at hi. lown was denied her.
Immediately on their arrival in Anal.
ang Mr.. and Mrs. Bingham began the
study of the new language and here.
she showed herself especially gifted for
her new work. She was a born lin
guist and quickly acquired proficiency
in the strange tongue. She opened
a school. prepared school books, taught
the children to read, to sing. to sew and
any and all the useful arts of civili-
cation which they were willing to-
| learn.
| Often 1T was necessary for her hus-
band to go on journeys where it was
impossible to take her with him. then
she must stay alone with these llu-
| tanned savages. She needed all her
bravery then but we can never know
the anxious fears which beset this
brave, patient woman. She never suf-
fered personal violence though at times
the natives were very rude and inso-
lent
| The only Christian companions they
had were Mr.. and Mrs Kanoa. the Ha-
waiian missionaries; for two years Mrs.
Bingham never looked upon the face of
a white woman.
The ideal missionary at such an out
post should possess great diversity of
gifts. Mrs. Bingham was equal to the
emergency. She was cook, house maid,
seamstress, laundress, teacher, aman-
uensis, physician, amateur dentist,
companion, friend, anything, every
thing, where her ever willing hand and
brain could render service. She was
eyes for her husband when under the
physical debility brought on by life
in this trying climate his eyes failed
him. Night after night she sat read
ing to him never saying, II am too
tired" always forgetting herself when
there was anything needing to be done.
But with the mercury at LAG in the
sun almost any one of northern birth
will give out in time: and this devoted
pair were obliged to return to Homo
lulu for rest and change. In 1866 the
second Morning Star was built and
Mr.. Bingham became her captain. He
brought the little vessel safely around
the Horn" to Honolulu and from here
they sailed to the Marquesas and Mi
cronesia, visiting the mission stations
in these groups. Mrs. Bingham al
ways sailed with her husband; as he
lovingly expresses 1t, she was his ''pri-
vate mate" taking daily observations
and working out the reckoning with
the accuracy of a skilled navigator.
In 1868 Captain Bingham gave up
command of the Morning Star his
health being unequal to the task. La
ter when partially restored they re-
turned to their old station on Apaiang.
1t must have required a large stock Of
bravery and unselfshness to go back
to the trials and privations which she
knew so well, but Mrs, Bingham met
the call with her accustomed cheerful
ness. Both of them, however, failed
in health again and not daring to await
the arrival OF the Morning Star they
took passage in n trading vessel for
Samoa and from there to Australia and
Honolulu.