Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-14
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Britain had not claimed sovereignty.
The British government sent fun
| consul 10 Hawaii in 1925. The United
| States had had a commercial agent
| there for five years previously.
One of the consequences of the COM
| ing of Western civilization TO the IS
| lands was to introduce some of the
| loathsome diseases of the Occident 70
| the natives and also 10 weaken their
own faith in their ancient religion.
| In 1919 the King authoritatiyely and
publicly violated all ancient tabus OF
/ their religion and decreed that they
/ should no longer be recognized. So the
/ islands were without any recognized
! religion when. in 1920. the first Ameri-
/ can Christian missionaries arrived.
/ They were welcomed with their mes
( sages and teachings of Christianity, and
within a few years had baptized thou
sands Of natives Yet the early mis-
/ sionaries have been accused Of bringing
more of unitarian teachings 70 be is
/ lands than religious.
/ Mich cattle were introduced, me-
4 chanical skill was taught, clothes we're
I substituted for the native clouts. The
| Christian natives demanded all the
| signs of civilization.
/ The coming Of missions was linked
with the act Of Hawaiian boy. son OF
( a Hawaiian priest. who. IN 1914, swan
| out TO an American whaler lying at
| anchor and became q stowaway. He
reached New England and was next
! found sitting on the steps Of Yale Col
| lege crying because there was no one
/ TO teach his people civilization and
Christianity. Eventually he and four
other. Hawaiian boys were the first 10
be enrolled in the Foreign School al
Cornwall. Conn. He died there IN 1918.
but his mission continued until there
were IA missionaries ready 10 go TO his
native islands in 1919. BY 1860. the
American Board had sent 100 mis-
Sionaries there. 1.-THE accuracy of the
story is equal to that of William Tell
and WaShingtOnS hatchet0
In 1880 as a direct result Of the III
fluence of the missionaries. King Kane
hameha III issued bill Of rights and
promised a constitution for his govern
ment. which was given III 1910, revised
in 1912. and developed as the years
passed until it created a form or gov
eminent with civil liberty guaranteed.
In the so years following the first CON-
ing of missionaries the Hawaiian Chris
tianS themselves sent out 80 Hawaiian
missionaries to teach the natives in the
islands of the South Seas.
Decadence set in about 1868. with the
arrival Of hordeS of on-ChTiStianS and
the exploitation of the natives upon
sugar plantations. In fact. from the
time Of the discovery by Capt, Cook,
the population waned under civiNza-
ton, SO that in place Of 100000 70 AGO.
600. as Cook estimated, the missionaries
found only $4,000 The census q
1880 showed only 10000 and by 1865
there was a total of only $1,000, s.
1872 there were only 1880 HsWaiiars
in the islands. and in 1920 the census
showed 100000 total population, c.
which $4,000 were pure HawaiianS and
$4,000 of part Hawaiian blood.
The growth OF the foreign population
continued to affect the power OF tle
King. until in 1887 King kalakaua was
forced 10 grant more liberal conSutU-
tion. making the cabinet responSbss
only 20 the Legislature, He died In 1857
in San Francisco while making trip
around the world His sister. LilIuo-
kalani, was then made Queen. and Tor
two years reigned attempting NIL ,fe
time 10 destroy constitutional ioet1E-U
Foreigners and mixed blcodS intrigued
against her, though the best elements
of the islands refraiued from meGoIos
In 1892 the Legislature passed bills
to permit importation OF opium ara -
establish lotteries This led "a !Ddlg-
nant revolt. with 8 demand t0V . rev
constitution and for restriction Q. me
franchise To native HawailanS a pro
viSional government was formed ID
1898, which sent delegation Go The
United States 10 appeal Tor allucNa-
ton. m the meanwhile a detachment
OF Marines had been landed from he
u s, S Boston TO protect lives and
property Of Americans. and The royal
lists used that incident 90 claim thAt ne
whole trouble had been stirred uE by
Americans, This appealed 10 President
Cleveland. who refused % consider "n-
nexation Another mStffcttiOn vas
stirred up In 1928. charsed &C. ul\ed
bloodS Then President Mckinley MAS
In the White House, Daring oUv var
with Spain a resolution was adopted ~
Congress anneNtng the HAWAIIAN
Islands rs wal measure, 8Nd tHt
annexation WIS ratified hy The Hawaii
IAN Legislature
This weeks SeSQuieentennld ot
Cooks discovery will be largely financed
by the American Government. hut l't
British have been invited G. send
warship 70 participate.
One Of the most important features
Of the celebration week is nASetip& III
Honolulu of representative women troni
the Is nations bordering on the Paciot
Ocean. Japan. the Philippines Aus
tralla, Canada and the United States
will all have strong DELEGATIONS Of
women, eager to spread the knowledge
Of how to better home conditions, eSpe-
cially In lowering the percentage q In
FAINT mortality, lettering conditions q
women IN industry, etc.