The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-24
M6ros Sy wiLki7MS

/ thereby mere 1aC1lS TOOL, TACT OF
which Kinau was perfectly cognizant
The regent, not without cause, had
conceived a violent perjudice against
the Roman Catholic missionaries, who
celebrated their first mass in Honolulu
in the month of July, 1928. She did
| her utmost to prevent the spread OF
Catholicism and unJustly countenanced
the persecution of the priests and their
converts, as Kaahumanu had done be-
{ fore her. She carried her prejudice to
! the extreme of imprisoning two priests
on board brigantine in the harbor,
keeping them supplied, however, with
what provisions they required.
The queen consorts, the wives and
daughters of high chiefs, were, also,
/ many of them, women of powerful ply
sique, inclined to ernbonpoint from lack
of exercise and fondness for poi-the
chief article of diet with high and low
alike. They were lawgivers, prophets
and poets, and with few exceptions ia
vored civilizations of paganism To
Kapiolani, one of these great reformers,
for whom the wife of the late King
Kalakaua was named, the ancient idol
airy cruel, gloomy and bloody, owed
its final overthrow. It was based upon
dread belief in ghosts and malevolent
spirits, and of the latter Pele, the pre-
siding genius of the volcano Kilauea
was feared most of all. 1t was believed
that she inhabited the lake of fire in the
center of the crater. Priests lived on
the adjacent cliffs and received offerings
from the people with which to placate
the deity, plantains, fowls and black
pigs, which were supposed to be duly
sacrificed. Kapiolani visited the volcano
and, notwithstanding the warnings of
the priests who solemnly asserted that
she world be stricken with instant death,
marched down into the crater to the
brink of the burning lake. She first
gathered the ohia, berry sacred to
the goddess which it was customary to
throw into the crater, but which, instead
she boldly ate, saying; "Pele, here are
your ohias: | offer you some, some I
also eat"
AS she stood beside the fiery lake
surrounded by her retinue, she cried
aloud: "The God who has made XII
lauea is my God, and he alone has
kindled the fires of the crater I do not
fear Pele. If l perish through her, then
continue to stand in awe of her But
if | come away unframed I hope you
will believe IN the true God"
The company waited in breath1ess
silence, but there was no manifestation
from Pele; from that hour her power
waned and her priests were scattered.
The wives of the American mission
aries who went out to the Hawaiian
Islands early III the last century, were
also remarkable women and left lasting
impression upon the minds and man
ners of the people. Foremost among
them were Mrs. Thurston, Mrs Bing-
ham, and Mrs. Judd. Several have Civ
en- graphic accounts of their excellences
and they are certainly of a nature to
dispossess one of the ideas that their life
was one of ease and indulgence
Mrs. Judd arrived in Honolulu in
1896 in the Thaddeus which was
months making the voyage from Boston
by the way of Cape Horn The vessel
was dirty and crowded, and she and her
friends were obliged to wash their own
clothing and cook their own food. The
ship encountered several gales and at
other times was becalmed for days.
Finally. one bright sunday morning they
anchored in the harbor of Honolulu. /
The people had already embraced Chris |
tianity, and from the deck of the Thad- |
deus she saw, to quote her own words, |
"a mass of brown huts looking like so |
many hay-stacks" In the center of
the village was larger hut. the church,
toward which the people were hurrying
from every direction There were hun
dreds, men and women, both wearing
long, flowing mantles Of blue, green and
yellow tapa, threats and heads adorned
with garlands of fragrant flowers.
When Mrs. Judd and her husband
went ashore they were warmly welcom-
ed, not only by the missionaries who
had preceded them, but by Kinau who
was Kullina Nui at that time. Mrs.
Judd gave an amusing description OF
her royal highness, who was enormous
Iy tall and stout She wore silk dress
Of some gay color, with the huge bonnet |