Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-04-17
INTERESTING LETTER
Mrs. Stevens Writes Interestingly
oil Hawaiian Islands and
Ter People
IN MISSIONARY WORK
Letter Was Read Before the Ladies'
FortnightIy Club Of the
Presbyterian Church.

The following interesting letter was
written by former Alma lady, now a
missionary in the Hawaiian Islands to
the Ladies Fortnightly Club of the Pres
byterian Church:
HILo, HAWAII, II. L.
DEAR FRIENDs:-This is what we call
a new country, though the islands were
discovered two years, after our Declara-
tion of independence: the first mission
aries coming in 1920. AT that time there
were no white people on the islands ex-
cept a rif-raf from whalers and other
ships passing this way and criminals
hiding from justice. OF course nothing
could have been worse for the natives.
They were simple people and tried to
pattern after the white men, who in
troduced all vices known to the civilized
world and sneered at virtue. Their
greatest king had died, one of his wives
determined to put away the worst features
of the old religion and influenced the new
king in giving up the Tabu Gods and the
offering of human sacrifices. When the
missionaries arrived they found people
without religion and new king who
was approachable. He was pleased with
the missionaries and made their begin
ming easy. There was no written lam
guage. In two years they had the lam
guage with only fourteen letters which is
still in use. Schools were opened; the
king had tutor, princesses and princes
were put 10 school; schools multiplied
rapidly, people of all ages attending.
Children were taught in the open air or
in grass huts without floor or seats. In
lieu of books they used sections of banana
leaves. marking with sharp stones. AS
the years went by all the princes were
>educated in their own tongue and in
npglish. The later rulere making the
abundance at schools compulsory. Since
the Knitted States Government took the
islands, all public school teaching is in
English exclusively. There were no
roads OF inns of any kind, and few horses,
if any. The only way of reaching diff
ferent parts of the island was on foot,
where canoes could not go. When we
remember that this island is made up of
three mountains with very little valley
land, and that it abounds in deep preci-
pices and fierce running streams, we can
family realize what the pioneer mission
aries endured to bring these people to
Christ. They were often carried over
rushing rivers on the backs .of natives,
or swan with them, their clothes in
bundles on their heads, or later swan
their horses and were drawn up the steep
hills with ropes. All houses were open
to any wayfarers when night overlook
them, though the grass huts twelve TO
twenty feet inside, might already house
ten or dozen men, women and children.
All guests were urged to stay and length
of time, A bowl of ''poi" was placed in
the center of the grass covered floor or
mat, and each person dipped in their
fingers and conveyed the food to their
mouths. There might be chicken or pig
wrapped in leaves and baked in hole
in the ground, or raw fish, but these were
luxuries. Fortunately the wilds abound
ed in bread fruit and many tropical fruits
Our experience is that one has TO be edu-
Gated up to it to get fond of them. The
native fruits, many of them are full of
hard seeds which spoil them for us.
They are the only cheap thugs on the
islands so we try to improve our tastes.
hope the missionaries liked them for
there was very little else to eat.
There are yet grass houses to be seen
and some of the old natives cling TO them
in memory of the good old times" when
a woman could have her head cut off for
daring to eat things "tabu' to her, but
wholesome for her husband. They GER
tainly must have been damp in country
where rain falls nearly every day In the
year. must say, however that when
the sun does come ont everything is so
glorious you forget that il did rain. II
bright weather continues you begin to
look longingly fer clouds. Their clothes,
when there were any, was of grass Tor
tapo cloth. The making Of the latter is
almost lost art. A few specimens can
be found in parlors but prices are pro-
hibitive to common purces. 1t is made
from the bark Of a bush, which grew
wild in the hills. Some of II is stamped
quite artistically with berry juices and
dyes now unknown to the modern Hawai-.
ians. 1t is like paper in texture but firm
and warm. They had no other bed
covers as game animals did not exist