Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-11-20
Rowland B. Dodge, Maui Min
lister, Seaks at the Annual
Meeting in New Haven

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The following address. entitled "Ten
Years in Hawaii, was delivered by
Rowland B. Dodge. the welI-known
Maui minister, at the annual meeting
Of the American Missionary Associa-
tion at New Haven, Conn.,, on Monday,
October 26. at the national council:
1T Is with great pleasure that to-
day / bring you the greetings Of the
Hawaiian Board and the Evangelical
Associations of the territory Of Ha-
wall.
Ten years ago q unique introduc-
ton was given me, when began my
work on the island Of Maui. | was
travelling horseback through one OF
the outer districts. Having come upon
one OF the old grass houses still re-
naming there CHANGED to look up
as I was riding down slippery stone
path and there on the bank above, out
side the grass house, saw an old
woman sitting. Her crumpled up form
and the grayness Of her hair attracted
me, as wen as her pleasant face and
] dismounted and went up to her and
said, I want to meet you. and she,
turning. said, Who are your
Il told her, and her reply ! shall
never forget, I am so glad to see
once more a Goldman before die.
She was over q hundred years old
and she knew the missionaries Of the
American Board. She was rejoicing
that successor to those early mis-
sionaries had been once more sent into
her home island of Maui.
Eighty-six Years Ago.
You know the work Of the Ameri-
can Board in Hawaii too well for me
to dwell upon It today, but may |
remind you that So years ago Satur-
day that great meeting was held at
Park Street church, Boston, when the
first band Of Hawaiian missionaries
was given their farewell Hiram
Bingham, Asa Thurston, two school
teachers, printer, physician, q
farmer and their wives, together with
three Hawaiian youths formed that
first little band that went to the great
work. May I remind You that It took
until March 80 to sail around Cape
Horn and to reach those islands. which
on your world map are mere dots on
the Pacifc-a territory smaller than
the state Of New Jersey. There were
no bridges between these ISLANDS.
Imagine the hardships Of those early
missionaries who had to travel IN
small boats under the charge of ma
tives, taking more than two days and
two nights between the islands!
"You know the story too well for
me to tell you that only two years
passed and those missionaries were
speaking the Hawaiian language to tse
native conversations. Vast audiences
gathered throughout all the islands at
that time and the missionaries had
wonderful response. Two years later
Princess Kapiolani went down into
the great pit of Kiiauea, the greatest
volcano of the world, and there defled
Pele, the goddess of fire. myself
have stood over that crater and have
gazed upon 20 acres OF molten fire
only 200 feet below me. That brave
woman picked of1elo berries, sacred to
Pele, and threw these and stones into
that pit-the greatest defiance pos
sible- and then said Jehovah made
these fires. / fear not Pefe. Great
is the goodness OF Jehovah in send |
ing missionaries to turn as from these
vanities to the living God.
Thousands Baptized.
"A great in-gathering from that day
until 1s41 took place among the ma
tiVes of Hawaii, $4,000 people out OF
the total population Of 100000 were
baptized, after two years of proba-
ton, and enrolled in the churches. II
have seen the records in some m
stances where the names were kept
for several years before the mission