The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-01-05
HOW HAWAIIAN PEOPLE
WERE WON FROM SAVAGERY

Rev. Dr. S. E. Bishop contributed the
following interesting article to the cur
rent Friend
When Bingham and Thurston, with
their associate missionaries, arrived in
Hawaii in 1920, they found the 100000
| Hawaiians a nation of depressed serfs.
under oppressive and arrogant chiefs.
They were deeply degraded in morals.
Social impurity was universal, and en-
HANGED by the presence Of multitude
of careless and dissolute seamen.
, Drunken rioting was prevalent; the
royal princes and their consorts were
very commonly found debauched with
, liquor.
While under the lead of the wise and
able Kamehameha civil order pre-
vailed, and life and personal security
were generally safe. The common
people were exceedingly poor; they
owned no land, and no property that
their chiefs could not rob them of at
! will; there was no inducement to save
or accumulate.
Worst of all, over the whole people,
and chiefs as well, spread the dark and
abject fear of the sorcerers, whose
power to bewitch and destroy held all
in constant dread. Such was the bar
barian depression of the Hawaiians
when the Gospel of Christ arrived here
to deliver and elevate them, and the
missionaries fell actively to work. aid
ed by many successive bands of help
ers.
What was the result of those labors?
No labors were ever more fruitful no
result more wonderful and gratifying.
Within two decades more than one
third of the adults had come into
personal and joyful allegiance to the
Lord, and the rulers had earnestly be-
gun to frame civilized statutes. Be-
fore the third decade was finished the
whole people had been set free, and
endowed with lands and advanced Civ
II Rights. A Liberal Constitution had
been enacted. Parliamentary Govern
ment had been fully organized. The
common people had all received pos
session of their lands in fee simple.
In less than thirty years Hawaii
stood before the world as n substan-
TALLY civilized nation. Before 1850. so
complete was the development of CIV
ilized institutions, of Legislature and
Courts, of Law and Justice, OF system
attic and economical administration,
that the Great Powers of the world
gladly united in the acknowledgment
of the independence of Hawaii, and In
treaties with her as favored nation.
Now, We have to ask, how was this
reform and renovation accomplished? |
What was the method of healing ap-
piled to cure the deep and destroying
malady of heathenism? How was a |
barbarous and hopeless people lifted SO
quickly into light and hope and lib
erty and prosperity? How did they
become in thirty years clothed and en-
riched, and free? And what is the !
lesson taught by this marvellously sue
cessful process of the reclamation of
a nation?
The answer Is one that sends confu-
sion upon this new modern cry, that
mems minds are not to be turned upon
their own personal salvation after the
religious way, but are to
set Directly upon saving society from
Its evils. and uplifting one another To
seek ones own salvation. We are told
is pure selnshness. The first thing
is TO BET men altruistically to lifting
one another out of the mire. It was
not by any such doctrine OF practice
that Hawaii was lifted out OF the mire
IF heathenism and set upon Its feet az
an enlightened people.
The missionaries at once wrought
zealously in the old-fashioned Gospel