The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-01-29
|KAWAIAHAO PASTOR
QUITS THE PULPIT.
Rev. Henry H. Parker Termin-
ates Service That Has Lasted I
For More Than Hall a Century
LFrom Mondav .Advertiaerl

the "Stone Church. as IL has been
known for three quarters Of a century,
Rev, Henry H. Parker, delivered his
farewell sermon yesterday morning in
the same edifce and upon the same
platform where he gave his first ser,
mon a month before the battle Of
/ Gettysburg was fought. WV. -
The venerable pastor, still as active
at nearly ninety years Of ago as most
men are at sixty, gave his last mes.
sage to the Hawaiian people Of his
congregation, addressing them in their
native tongue, carrying the entire ser
vice through as though IL were but
any one ofvthe twenty-eight hundred
Sundays which have dotted the inter
val between 1868, when he assumed
the pastorate, and yesterday, when he
laid down the cares Of pastoral office
which have become burdensome in re-
cent months. 'h9~SE s..4.,s.. III j, =.
From the opening hymn, through the
prayer and the reading Of the Scrip.
lures, the singing of the choral, the
delivering Of the sermon, AMI the bene.
| dicti0n, only those Of the church would
have known the special Significance OF
the pastor e presence upon the plat
form and his closing of the Bible as he
finished his sermon for IN closing the
Good Book, he closed his career as an
active minister. vi ~ -, - .-e4s W. .,
Has Seen Many Changes ;~,.
During his long pastorate he, wit
messed many changes in governments,
the passing of the old system of ruler.
ship, and the evolution of the Isles of
Peace as opened through the aid of the
Gospel to their becoming a part of the
great American Republic, now prepar-
Ding to fight the world . greAt test battle
for Liberty and everlasting peace.
It was also Nsignifcant that in the
audience, aside from the Hawaiians Of
the congregation, few of whom were
alive when the pastor first trod the
platform, as pastoral head of the
| church, We're many Americans, born in
Hawaii but descendants of the first
missionaries to arrive in Hawaii from
New England those who were respon.
sible for the establishment of Kawaia-
hao Church, for the stone building Of
today and the original grass matched
| edifce which was dedicated to the SER
vice of Christ nearly a century ago.
In the audience were men whose hair
is now white. men who were young
when Mr.. Parker began his work there,
some who were even middle aged then.
There was Rev. o. H. Gulick, him
self far advanced beyond four score
years, Mrs. Gulick and Miss Julia Ann
Gulick, descendants of the original
missionary family of the same name;
George P. Castle, descendent of the
Castles, and A. +. Cooke, descendent
OF the Cookies, both of early mission.
airy party arrivals. There was Judge
Sanford B. Dole, deseendent of one of
the founders of educational work in
the Islands; there was W. o. Smith, de.
seendent of an early missionary who
was the founder of Kaumakapili
Church here, dedicated to the Hawa.
iians; there was A. F. Judd desc endent
of men prominent in the direction of
governmental affairs in the early DAYS
of Hawaii's contact with the outside
world; there was Robert W. Andrews,
another missionary descendent.
Walls Tell Story
From the walls there blazoned forth
the names of the great missionary lead.
ers responsible for the gospel movement
in Hawaii, and the names of the former
pastors of Kawaiahao Church, while
above Upholstered and koa-panelled Sc
parate pews cleaned in letters of gold
upon marble tablets the names of SOW
ereigns Of Hawaii-the Kamehamehas
and the Kalakauas-who had been mem
bers of the church and who had listened
from Kamehameha " to and including
Liliuokalani, to Rev. Mr.. Parker give
words Of wisdom to their subjects.
Kings and queens were many who had
listened to his sermons-Kamehameh
", Queen Emma, Kamehameha v, King
Lunalilo, Princess Ruth, King Kalakaua,
Queen Kapiolani, Queen LiiuokaIani,
the Prince Consort and the array
of royalty titled relatives and notables
of the courts. And here, also diplomats
and representatives of foreign countries
gathered on great occasions, for Ka.
waiahao Church in the older days was a
Hawaiian Westminster Abbey. The
royal dead have lain there in state and
over their bOdjes the benediction of
the church was given by Mr.. Parker.
With the tablets all agleam it seem.
ed as though those whose names stood
out in relief from them were there to
listen to the PASTORS final words in
Hawaiian, just as they had been, and
among them were the names of Rev.
Hiram Bingham, Rev. B. w. Parker,
father of the retiring pastor; Rev. Eph-
rain Chapman Clark, who ceased to be
pastor in, 1863 and to whose position
Mr.. Parker succeeded.
Ffnal Service
AS the pastor concluded his sermon
: many eyes filled with tears aud hand
kerchiefs were applied to wet eyes.
He left the platform and descending to
the floor of the church baptised two
Hawaiian infants, and the service was
ended.
The congregation arose and all press
ed forward to shake the hand of him
whom was pastor for only few hours
more, and to whom all their lives they
, had gone for spiritual help, for inter.
probation of the words of Christ, for
sympathy in time of trouble, for en-
cOuragement when in mental distress,
for help of a substantial kind, all of
which the pastor gave sincerely and
generously.
The minister retired to his study and
there some of his intimates followed