Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-08-18
LIFE AND DEEDS OF HONOLULU
Mission WORKER RECOGNIZED

i Cured mere q snort time ago, Is the
subject Of the following appreciatiyt
article In q mainland magazine.
One night a gray-haired carriage
trimmer, Phares W. Rider, was con,
Quoting religious meeting in an old
frame tenement house on Queen
street, in the Kakaako dist-i~-
| nolulu. He wa-rrwcomer in that
n. me city, and had just opened
a little mission. His audience was
very small; for word had gone out
that this was the night the toughs
whose will had been the law Of the
district for many years were going to
drive the intruder out of Kakaako.
Those who had come to the meeting
were not there to worship; they ex-
pected trouble, and wanted to see
whatever happened
Rider himself was aware of an i'm
pending clash with the ruffians, as it
had been whispered to him that they
were coming. So he was not surpris-
ed when band of big, husky Ka-
nakas, half drunk and with hats on
and cigarettes in their mouths, march
ed single file into the room. They
own language, which Rider could not
understand. A less courageous man
would have covered before them; but
Rider did not bulge The truth is. he
took the aggressive. Turning to his
wife, who was in charge of the music,
he asked her to start song, which
she had the rare cool-headedness to
do.
Then he walked rapidly to the rear
of the room and met the leader of the
gang. A hush fell over the room; the
people in the audience held their
breath. Without word Rider snatch
ed the cigarette out of the leaders
mouth, threw 1t on the floor, jerked
his hat OF, showed it under his arm,
turned him round, and pointed to the
door. The big native skulked out like
a whipped dog, his braves following
close at his heels.
The Kanakas never returned to pau
the little mission; but in a few days
the lawless Portuguese of the neigh
borhood sent word that they too con-
sidered Rider an intruder and intend
ed to make him leave. We'll do what
the Kanakas failed to do" they said.
We'll close up that mission and drive
you out of Kakaako."
And without further notice they
came. Like the native Hawaiians, the
Portuguese prepared for the job by
filing themselves up with bad liquor,
which vas EanIlied by some of the
saloon-keepers, who wanted to see
Rider driven out because he was
menace to their business.
There was fair-sized crowd In the
hall, and it happened that Rider did
not notice the Portuguese until they
started a sham fight back near the
main door. The rumpus was intended
as a sort Of prelude to a general
rough house." They expected Rider
to interfere, and when he did they
would all pounce upon him and finish
him then and there. Probably the ma
tural thing for a man to do in such
would be to send for
the police; but no such action sug-
gested itself to Rider.
He took In the situation at glance,
and then. as in the case of the Kanaka
he had Mrs. Rider start
a song A lone voice strove to be
heard; but Mrs. Rider got no assist
ance: everybody else was staring ex-
citedly at the scene of the disturb
ance.
Rider made for the seat of war. He
had taken only few steps, when he
found himself face to face with a pow
erfully built young man who glover
ed at him. Being in no humor to ar
que the matter, and realizing that If
he was to act at all he must act quick
ly, Rider ducked, lurched forward, got
well under the man, and swung his
arm over his head. The big ruffian
landed full length on the floor, very
taken out of him. The missionary
did not take time to look around to
see whether the man was hurt. nor
did he think of following up the at
tack. He started again for the gang
in the rear of the room. And again
he found his way blocked Another
big man confronted him. But this one
was too intoxicated to be thoroughly
himself. Rider grabbed him by the
shoulders, pushed him backward
step or two, and set him down in
chair with so much force that it crash
ed under him and let him go down in a
lump on the floor. The way was now
clear; but the gang was gone, and
the two ruffians that Rider had ham
died so roughly were making for the
door.
Afterward the divekeepers gave Ill
quor to some of the worst characters
in the district and put them up to
sing vile songs outside the mission;
but ii was not long before everybody
in Kakaako realized that Phares w. |
Rider had come to stay until he got
ready to leave of his own accord. |
Many of the people who resented his
coming (the incidents occurred in
1902 eventually came under Riders
influence and are now leading upright, |
lives, and the man they
despised is their beloved friend and
adviser
Though lacking some of the literary
of doctor of divinity, |
Rider is well fitted for this kind of
work He has a frst-hand acquaint- |
ance with the people of the gutter.
having led somewhat reckless life |
himself in California up to 1890. when !
he was converted to Christianity And