The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-12-02

Minerva Ciarissa Brewster of North
ampton, Mass. became the wife of the
young missionary, Rev. Hiram Bing-
ham; and on the LIST ofaDecember they
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-z
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 heri But this gentle soul
was also brave; she had made up her
mind to live among these people and do
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 cheerful spirit she had: what
| loving patience: but how her house
wifely soul must have been tried when
her savage neighbors, animated by
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 were abundant
enough to remind one of the plaques
of 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 annoyanees;
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
all her own was denied her.
| Immediately on their arrival in Apai-
ang Mr.. and Mrs. Bingham began the
study of the new language and here
she showed herself especially gifted fol
her new work. She was born lin.
guist and quickly acquired proficiency
in the strange tongue. She opened
a school, prepared school books laugh
the children to read, to sing, to sew ant
any and all the useful arts of civili
: cation which they were willing t.
learn.
Often it was necessary for her hus
band to go on journeys where it wa:
impossible to take her with him, thei
she must stay alone with these un
.amed savages. She needed all he
bravery then but we can never know
the anxious fears which beset thi
brave, patient woman. She never suf
, fered personal violence though at time
; the natives were very rude and inso
lent.
The only Christian companions the
had were Mr. and Mrs. Kanoa, the Ha
waiian missionaries; for two years Mrs
Bingham never looked upon the face c
white woman.
The ideal missionary at such an out
post should possess great diversity {
gifts. Mrs. Bingham was equal to tn
emergency. She was cook, house-naid
| seamstress, laundress, teacher, aman