under the spreading branches of a large **kou** tree, within a few paces of the
place where Cook fell; and occasionally, to ruder hearers, on the opposite, or
Kealakekua side of the bay, in a grove, where the mark of a ball from Cook's
ship was still visible in the trunk of a cocoanut tree.

Their new church, built with care and neatness, in the Hawaiian style,
being completed, Mr. Thurston, by invitation, preached the dedication sermon,
March 29th, 1824. Great propriety of demeanor was manifested both by chiefs
and people. A large assembly listened attentively to the Word; and the whole
scene, as proof of progress, as a new offer of salvation to the multitude, and
as a promise of the further and rapid advance of Christianity here, was exceed-
ingly interesting. Moving steadily and energetically towards their object, to
secure a preacher, Naihe and Kapiolani proceeded to rear, near their own
dwelling, a good thatched habitation for the accommodation of a missionary
family, whom they proposed to supply with fresh provisions, and water for
drink, the latter to be brought two or three miles by hand. They extended a
pressing invitation to Mr. Ely, who was yet unsettled, to become their mis-
sonary. Mr. Whitney being willing alone to take charge of Kauai with occa-

CONGREGATION IN A GROVE OF KUKUI TREES, 1840.

From 'The Hawaiian Islands,' by Rufus Anderson, D.D.

sional help, till Mr. Ruggles, temporarily assigned to Hilo, could join him
again, or additional helpers could be obtained from the United States, the
means were more obviously at hand, for occupying Kaawaloa. In April, Mr.
and Mrs. Ely were welcomed at this interesting spot. They had spent some
time at Honolulu and Kailua in the study of the language, and they now
took up their abode at Kaawaloa, in the house so generously provided for
them, by those interesting chiefs, and entered into the work with pleasing
prospects of an early harvest.

13

Having now six radiating points of missionary influence and Gospel light, each, for the most part, about one hundred miles from the other, and extending along about four hundred miles from the northwestern to the southeastern extremity of the group, we were in circumstances more favorable than before, for superintending the instruction of the whole population who might choose to be instructed, and for conveying the invitation of the Gospel to the mass of those who desired or could be induced to hear.

### The second Kawaiahao Church.

On May 28, 1824, the church at Honolulu was burnt down, probably by a native incendiary. It had before been attempted by a white man, who threw a lighted cigar into the tender of the thatching in the hour of public worship. In two or three days, Kalanimoku gave orders to have it rebuilt. Namahana, having collected timber to build a house for herself, freely offered it, as far as it would go, to expedite the erection of a new "house of prayer." This promptitude of the chiefs, spontaneously meeting the emergency, was a pleasing indication of increased interest on their part. They thus exhibited to the people their decided friendship to the Gospel and demonstrated to the incendiaries and other opposers, that the death of a friendly chief, or the conflagration of frail, thatched churches, would not defeat a cause which, in earlier ages, could not be checked by the martyrdom of its ablest friends and advocates. In two weeks, a large number of natives, having brought the principal timbers to the spot, assembled to raise it.

## THE SECOND KAWAIAHAO CHURCH

This enlargement was made from a wood cut in a Sunday School book, Eveleth's History of the Sandwich Islands: Philadelphia, 1831. The date of the sketch lies between 1824, when the second Kawaiahao church was built by Kalanimoku, and 1828, when the Chamberlain house was begun on the ground between the mission house and the church. The grass houses on the extreme left are part of "Missionary Row," erected in 1820 by Governor Boki, by royal order.—Robert W. Andrews.

14

and thatch it. Some came bearing bundles of slender poles, to be lashed horizon-
tally across the posts and rafters, to support the thatching. Others brought enor-
mous packs of materials for thatching, consisting of many bundles of long grass,
bound together with cords, and borne on their stooping backs, the supporting
bands passing before the shoulders. In a short time, a house, seventy feet by
twenty-five, and capable of seating six hundred, which, in those days, was deemed
a large audience, though not more than one-sixth of what later churches would
admit, was completed.

Kalanimoku, who was then erecting an expensive house for himself, desirous
that the house of worship should be soonest ready to be occupied, took off his
own carpenters and employed them to fit in the doors, windows, and seats of
the public sanctuary, and employed others to inclose it with a light paling.
Numbers of the chiefs and plebeians, walking in Indian file, brought grass and
rushes, and spread the floor of earth in the new temple, which they and their
teachers were glad to see quickly opened for public worship.

Itinerant open-air churches.

In April, 1826, Kaikioewa made a tour around his island, Kauai, accom-
panied by Mr. Whitney and others. The governor set out with zeal to instruct
the ignorant people, and in every village, addressed them on the subject of
avoiding a course of folly, sin, and ruin, and turning to the Lord. Mr. Whitney
preached the Gospel in almost every village of that island, at the same time,

Waioli Church, Hanalei, Kauai

and supposed that about four-fifths of the population listened more or less to
the word of salvation in the course of this tour. About six hundred were con-
nected with the schools, a large part of whom were reading translated and
published portions of Scripture.

The governor sometimes rode upon a large white mule, and might easily be
imagined to resemble one of the Judges of Israel. The company sometimes trav-
elled by land and sometimes by water, exposed occasionally to danger from the
roughness of the way, or their unsafe mode of conveyance. In some places
the people seemed eager to hear and understand the doctrines of Christ, and
were hardly willing to let the preacher pass on till they had individually
grasped his hand, either to testify their regard to him or to receive his to

15

themselves, after he had, with pleasure, delivered his message. At one place, the people seemed afraid to look upon the speaker while the governor was addressing them. But when the missionary appealed to them, saying, "Fear not, for behold we bring you glad tidings," the two or three hundred adults took courage, and ignorant and fearful as they were, like untutored children, raised their eyes and appeared interested. Among them was a Hawaiian Albino, having a white skin, light eyes, and flaxen hair and eyebrows, whose dress, language, and manners, differed not at all from those of the common natives. His father and mother were both believed to be natives. At another place, he found a man, who had formerly been employed by the chiefs to seize human victims for sacrifice, a service for which he had qualified himself, so that, like a tiger, he would leap upon his unguarded prey and break his bones. This staunch murderer and caterer for the bloody gods of the last generation, was now willing to shake hands with a Christian missionary, and hear the commands, warnings, and invitations of the Gospel.

### Queen Kaahumanu's tour of Oahu in 1826.

The Regent already knew that something higher, safer and better than the will of a mortal ruler was required for the preservation of peace. * * *
She, therefore, not disheartened by opposition, undertook journeys for the benefit of the people, and availed herself of such assistance as she could command in imparting instruction, and bringing the Divine word to bear on the heart and conscience of the people. Sometimes, several native teachers and Christian chiefs accompanied her; and sometimes others in the character of learners, both friends and servants. Often she had a missionary in company, not only to encourage her directly in her labor, but to do the work of an evangelist and superintendent of schools, day by day. The labors, on these tours, therefore, were, in an important sense, a repetition, or continuation of the means among the mass, which had been blessed to the few who had been led to feel and acknowledge their importance.

In July and August, 1826, the queen, having matured her plan to gain more than had been lost by the infraction of the tabu, accomplished the tour of Oahu, and had opportunity in the course of a month, to see and address in person, a large part of the population of the island, giving her teachers opportunity to do the same. * * *

### Mr. Bingham continues:

Having completed a translation of the Gospel according to Matthew, I took it with me, daily reading portions of it to the people, and completing the reading thus, during the tour. Several horses, two wagons, and two canoes, constituted the principal accommodations, as vehicles for parts of the company, much of the way. Most of the company travelled on foot, some making the whole circuit, of about one hundred and thirty miles, and some but smaller portions of it, as we passed round from Honolulu to the east, north, west, and south, then to the east again. This route affords the traveller a variety of fine scenery, grand, picturesque, wild, and beautiful. Small portions of the soil are cultivated, large tracts lie waste, and a large portion of the island consists of mountains from 1000 to 4000 feet high.

At Waikiki, the head-men and teachers, and a goodly number of people,

16

assembled about noon, whom the Regent, after she had dined, addressed on the design of the present tour, the enlightening of the people in the knowledge of the Word of God, in order that they might submit intelligently to Christian laws, and thus diminish the existing evils of the land.

Our company, consisting of 200 to 300 persons, possessed, in fact, the character of a peripatetic or travelling school. Numbers carried their books, and some fifty of them carried their slates and pencils. Those who were able,endeavored to write down the text of every sermon they heard, and to commit it to memory, and sometimes the prominent thoughts, an exercise more needful before than after the publication of the Scriptures among them. Some of the more forward, receiving daily instruction as we travelled on, put their acquisitions to use, and at different places urged on the inhabitants the importance of repentance and reform.

## The second Kailua church.

In February, 1826, Governor Adams and the people of Kona went into the forest, cut and drew down timber for a large native church, their first one having become altogether too strait for them. In the summer, some thousands were several weeks engaged in erecting and thatching it. Its dimensions were 180 feet by 78, covering an area of 14,040 square feet, and capable of containing 4800 hearers. In September it was ready to be occupied, and the governor invited the regent and other chiefs to attend its dedication, with which they complied. The missionaries at the same time assembled there for the business of their annual convention. This new and magnificent temple had its tall, strong posts inserted firmly in the rocks of Kailua, its large roof, sides and ends, thatched, and its corners ornamented, and made an imposing appearance in the dingy village.

NATIVE CONGREGATION IN 1823.

From 'The Hawaiian Islands,' by Rufus Anderson, D.D., and similar to a drawing published in 'A Tour Through Hawaii,' by Rev. William Ellis.

17

Kailua, Hawaii, 1836, showing the Memorial Arch to the Kailua pilgrims.

On the 27th September, it was dedicated with due formality to the service of Almighty God. The dedication sermon was preached by Mr. Ely, and the hundredth Psalm and the jubilee hymn were sung. Some 4500 or 5000 people, including the pupils and teachers of forty schools, joined in the solemn services. With them it was a day of jubilee and rejoicing, such as had not before been seen on that island; and the missionaries rejoiced to see such a contrast as appeared in this meeting to the crowds assembled there, six and a half years ago, on the arrival of the mission.

On the succeeding day the people assembled again in the open air, to hear the voice of their rulers, and were successively addressed by Governor Adams, Naihe, the orator, Kapiolani, Hoapiliwahine, and Kaahumanu, who publicly declared their determination to follow the precepts of Christianity in the government of the people.

The Honolulu congregation in 1827, described in a report from Mr. Bingham to the American Board in Boston.

"Again, you see the same company of chiefs joined by Boki and his wife,

18

MEETING-HOUSE AT LAHAINA, ON MAUL.

Wainee, the first stone church in the islands. Published with a letter from Rev. Dwight Baldwin in the Missionary Herald, 1839.

and the others of a lower grade, gathering with three thousand of the people at the humble house of prayer, when the yet novel, but cheerful sound of 'the church-going bell,' breaks on the stillness of the Sabbath morning. You see a great proportion of this large congregation, decently clad in articles of foreign manufacture, and others in the best of their own, and some even richly dressed. About one-third of those present are furnished with their books of hymns, chiefly in their own binding, which many of them regard as the most valuable article they possess. They join in the worship, and you admire the order, the sobriety, the wakefulness, and the pleasing attention which pervade the assembly, while angels wait to witness the effects of the Word of God on their hearts."

For almost eight years, church services had been held either in the open air or in the dark and very cramped accommodations of frail, inflammable thatched huts. A new era in construction was now opened by the appearance of the first stone church.

At that time, the people of Maui gave a new proof of their regard to the worship of God by their engagement in erecting their EBENEZER—a new, commodious, and durable stone church, 104 feet by 50, with good galleries. Its corner-stone was laid September 14, 1828. “To build this house, the common people were taxed for some labor, but the real expense of the building was nearly all defrayed by the chiefs, and principally by Hoapili.”

The fourth Kawaiahao Church.

In the summer of 1829, a commodious house of worship for a congregation of 3000 or 4000 Hawaiians was erected at Honolulu, in an improved style, under the auspices of Kaahumanu and Kauikeaouli. It was 196 feet in length, and 63 in breadth, covering an area of 12,348 square feet. * * * Forty-four rude pillars, in three ranks, one rank under the ridge pole, and one midway between that and the side posts, supported the roof. The main framework of the ends of the building consisted of posts of unequal lengths, reaching from

19

MOILIILI, HONOLULU

four feet below the surface of the ground to the rafter. The frame then being covered with small horizontal poles, about an inch and a half apart, was thatched with long strait grass, tops downwards. Two very large doors at each end, and as many smaller ones on the sides, made the ingress and egress easy for the largest congregation that a single voice could reach and teach to good purpose. * * * Boki, who had earned the name of rebel, did better than had been anticipated in favoring the work.

Great interest was felt by many in the erection of this building; and when it was completed, and 'the doors of this immense tabernacle were set up,' **the women spread the entire earth floor of 12,300 feet with clean mats for seats.** Care was taken to have a dedicatory service favorable to the advancement of the nation, and preparation was made on the part of the king and chiefs to appear, not as mere spectators of Christian services, not as a company of rude heathen consecrating a polluted fane to the service of the abominable deities of heathenism by the sacrifice of human victims, but as a **Christian** and **civilized** 'people whose God is the Lord,' and 'who know the joyful sound' of his salvation, offering him such service as they were able to give.

On the 3rd of July this house was opened for worship, and some four thousand persons assembled in it, with the queen regent, the king, the princess, and most of the leading personages of the nation, and joined in the solemn dedicatory services. Most of the congregation sat upon the mats very closely

20

together, three to a square yard, or one to three square feet. Hundreds were
without about the doors and windows, not able to find room within.

The king, in his Windsor uniform, and his sister, in a dress becoming her
high rank and improved character and taste, were seated on a sofa covered
with crimson satin damask, in front of the pulpit. Kaahumanu and other
chiefs sat near. A little further in front of the pulpit sat the native choir of
men and women singers, aided by a bass viol. The king had been made ac-
quainted with the part which Solomon took in the dedication of the temple,
and though in his early years diffident and unobtrusive, he seemed conscien-
tiously desirous to do what his teacher supposed would be proper for him to
do on this occasion. Both he and his sister had been specially instructed to
take a part in the songs suited to the occasion.

When the great congregation was ready, the king rose, and in a handsome,
appropriate manner said, in few words, "Chiefs, teachers, and commons, hear:
we have assembled here to dedicate to Jehovah, my God, this house of prayer,
which I have built for him. Here let us worship him, listen to the voice of his
ministers, and obey his word."

The choir then, in which the king sang a good bass, and the princess a good
treble, engaged in the solemn and delightful chant of the hundredth psalm, in
their smooth, liquid dialect. In this service, this young nation, just emerging
from heathenism, seemed to be calling not only on one another and the whole

Possibly one of the early Kawaiahao churches, with its separate bell tower

21

group of islands, but on the nations of the earth generally, to acknowledge and worship the true God, in the inspired strain.

The great congregation, in their best attire, presenting a cloud of faces turned toward the speaker, listened with attention to the exhibition of God's condescension, kindness, and faithfulness to his church; and the duty, happiness, and blessed results of acknowledging and worshipping him in the sanctuary.

After the sermon and dedicatory prayer, the princess, whom Kaahumanu regarded as the future partner of the throne, and who had been somewhat accustomed openly to counsel their own people, in a very dignified and impressive manner, acknowledged the supremacy of God, the King of heaven, over them all, and their duty to give him the homage of their hearts, and exhorted the people to remember and regard what her brother had said. As a young Esther she was heard with satisfaction.

The choir sang in their own language the first Psalm, impressively depicting the different character and end of the righteous and the wicked.

Immediately after, to the astonishment and gratification of nearly every one of the vast assembly, the king, overcoming his diffidence, though so young and unaccustomed to such an exercise, stood before the congregation and said: "E pule kakou; let us pray"; then with dignity, clearness, and appropriateness of diction, voice and manner, addressed the throne of grace. He offered unto God thanksgiving for his merciful kindness, and tendered to him not only this house of worship, but the kingdom also. He acknowledged his own sinfulness and that of the nation; besought pardon, sanctification, guidance, and deliverance from evil, and implored blessings on the chiefs and people, the missionaries, foreign residents, and visitors, and ascribed to God "the kingdom, power, and glory."

* * * It was highly gratifying to see Kaahumanu, in a public manner, the next day, take a very kind notice of the dedication service—the dedication of the house and the dedication of the kingdom, to God, and of the king's recommending obedience to his word. She confirmed it, and "wished all within the bounds of the kingdom to give good heed to the king's word, and walk circumspectly, in peace, and righteousness." In her great modesty, and in her maternal love, she rejoiced to have the youthful heir to the throne express, in his own person, the voice of the nation, or of the head of the nation. Her piety, sincerity, disinterestedness, acquaintance with the Scripture, knowledge of human nature, and general sagacity and experience, gave her a moral power which her young son could not yet wield; and with the array of moral and religious teachers whom she cheered on in their work, she applied throughout the realm the power of moral suasion to good purpose, as the world could testify. It was God's hand moving the nation, by his own divinely-appointed means.

Attending public worship on the Sabbath at Hilo, Rev. C. S. Stewart says:

"I can scarcely describe the emotions experienced in glancing an eye over the immense number, seated so thickly on the matted floor as to seem literally one mass of heads, covering an area of more than 9000 square feet. The sight was most striking, and soon became, not only to myself, but to some of my fellow officers, deeply affecting. I have gazed on many worshipping assemblies, and of every variety of character, * * * but it was left for a wor-

22

Hookena, Hawaii, 1849

shipping assembly at Hilo, the most obscure corner of these islands, to excite
the liveliest emotions ever experienced, and leave the deepest impressions of
the extent and unspeakable riches of the Gospel which I have ever known.
* * * It was, in a word, a heathen congregation laying hold on the hopes
of eternity: a heathen congregation fully sensible of the darkness of despair
of their original state, exulting in the first beams of truth and the no uncer-
tain dawning of the Sun of Righteousness. The simple appearance and orderly
department of that obscure congregation, whom I had once known, and at no
remote period, only as a set of rude pagans, did more to rivet the conviction of
the Divine origin of the Bible and of the holy influences by which it is accom-
panied to the hearts of men, than all the arguments, apologies, and defenses
of Christianity I ever read.''

Events on Kaahumanu's tour of Hawaii in 1830 are thus described by Mr. Bingham:

Early in September, Kaahumanu and her company having accomplished
their contemplated visits on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, exhorting the people
to listen to God's Word, and quietly to attend to their duties as subjects, passed
over to Hawaii and landed at Kawaihae. At the special invitation of the
king, I visited them there, twelve miles distant. On the Sabbath, in full sight
of the once frowning and forbidding temple of abomination, built by Kameha-
meha, at the place where we first set foot on shore, and Kalanimoku, Kalakaua,
and Namahana, subsequently admitted to the Christian church, had greeted our
mission, some 3000 of the people assembled in the open air and listened to the
unfolding of the doctrine of God our Savior, "Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom
we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins."

23

After the Sabbath, the chiefs and their attendants repaired to Waimea, and sojourning there several weeks, made the missionaries a thorough-going **family visitation**. The king appeared affable, kind, and teachable, and the behavior of the others was equally commendable. Kapiolani, who, in her heathen state, called on board the Thaddeus on our arrival in 1820, now the Christian lady of the manor at Kaawaloa, and agreeable friend and coadjutor of the missionaries, joined the other chiefs in this visit to Waimea, and by her vivacity, intelligence, modesty, dignity, and piety, added much to the interest of the social and religious intercourse of that season.

The first church on Molokai, under the charge of Mr. Hitchcock, and greatly encouraged by Hoapili Wahine.

Before the close of 1835, the natives, with a very little aid, erected, with their own hands, and at their own expense, a commodious church, highly creditable to a people who had been so ignorant and indolent. It was ninety feet by forty-two, and would admit 1200 hearers; the walls being of stone, laid up with mortar made of earth mixed with grass, plastered on both sides with lime mortar and white-washed. Its well-constructed roof was thatched with the long, strong, sear leaf of the pandanus or screw pine, the corners and ridge of the building ornamented and secured by a raised, thick, dark border of the *ki* leaf. Light or straw-colored mats nailed to the nether side of the beams, concealing the timbers of the roof from the audience, and similar mats spread on the ground for flooring, gave the spacious audience room the appearance of neatness and finish suited to the climate and the taste of the people. A block of masonry, three feet high, formed the base of the pulpit. On the 6th of December, the house was filled to its utmost capacity, hundreds standing around without, and was joyfully dedicated to the worship of the true God, when Mr. Richards preached the dedication sermon from the spirited words of the Psalmist, "Enter into thy resting-place, thou and the ark of thy strength."

KALUAAHA, MOLOKAI

24

The fifth Kawaiahao, the ‘‘Cathedral Church’’ of Honolulu.

Towards the close of 1835, the young king, advancing to manhood, signified to the premier, Kinau, that three things of special importance he desired to see as soon as possible—a ship of war for his service, a palace for his residence, and a new church for the worship of God. Kinau thought it wise to secure the church first, at least to mature the plan and make a beginning. The erection of a large stone, or coral rock, church at Honolulu had for several years been in contemplation, while the people of the island, 27,000, constituted one missionary district, the head men and chiefs residing much at Honolulu. To Kalanimoku and Kaahumanu, and others, such an object had appeared highly desirable, but not till now attainable. Nor was it now attainable without the aid of temperance and Christianity.

In the early part of 1836, a public meeting of a popular form was appointed on the subject at Honolulu. The king and high chiefs resident there, the head men, and a great concourse of the people, assembled to transact business. Governor Kekuanaoa, by nomination and lifting the hands, a novel measure, was chosen chairman. The projections of a church 144 feet by 78, with basement, audience-room and gallery, vestibule and tower, were presented and explained; the question of their ability and willingness to erect such a church discussed and settled in the affirmative. For the people and the rulers said, ‘‘Let us build.’’ It was understood that besides the materials which they could furnish, and the labor which they could devote to this object, some thousands of dollars would be needed for procuring materials and labor, boards, nails, glass, sashes, trimmings, lamps, etc. The king, and Kinau, and the governor, entered into it with spirit. His majesty encouraged the people to engage in the enterprise heartily, and a good degree of enthusiasm was manifested by all classes present.

To raise money for the object, a subscription was opened on the spot before

KAWAIAHAO CHURCH

From a photograph, taken perhaps during the forties, published in 'Hawaiian Yesterdays,' by Henry M. Lyman, M.D.

25

STONE CHURCH AT HONOLULU.

From 'The Hawaiian Islands,' by Rufus Anderson, D.D. Of the church and Honolulu in 1863, he writes: 'The week following was spent in active, fatiguing, but interesting social intercourse. The population of Honolulu and its suburbs has risen to ten or twelve thousand, and its garden-like, city-like appearance surprised me. Missionaries are living who well remember when there was only one wooden house in the place, the rest being grass or thatched huts, and when there were only footpaths instead of streets, and not a tree or shrub in the town, not to speak of its naked, barbarous inhabitants. Now there is the reverse of all this. The gardens are the result of water brought down the Nuanu Valley. The most conspicuous edifice in Honolulu—a landmark for seamen—is the large Stone Church (Kawaiahao), with massive walls of coral blocks, and a tower and town-clock. It is here the first native congregation and church worship God. The edifice proving too large, a part has been shut off by a partition; but it will now seat twenty-five hundred in the simple Hawaiian dress.'

the great assembly. The question was asked, 'Who among you will subscribe and give thousands for this new house of God?' The king took the pen, and, in the presence of the chiefs and people, subscribed, as we expected, the princely sum of $3000. None else chose to subscribe a thousand. The question then followed, 'Who will give by the lau, four hundred?' Kinau subscribed $400. 'Who will give hundreds or forties?' Kekauluohi, Liliha, and Paki, subscribed each $50, and Kekuanao $40, and said he meant to do much more. 'Who will give by twenties?' The wife of the king, Kalama, Kanaina, Haalilio, Konia, and others, subscribed $20 each. 'Who will give tens?' A good number subscribed ten each; smaller sums were asked for and subscribed down to one dollar, the number of subscribers increasing as the sums diminished, till the names of those who announced themelves to the scribes for a dollar each, amounted to about 1000, and those for higher sums, to near 500. The whole amount subscribed within a short period amounted to little less than $6000. Another thousand would probably have been subscribed from an eighth to half

26

a dollar each, if that had been asked. Of the whole subscription, very little failed to be paid in due time, and without any dunning, though most of the subscribers were poor, and probably destitute of money when they put down their names.

Besides the subscriptions in money, the rulers gave a considerable portion of the stone, lime, and timber, for the building. The stone was cut from the reef or flats washed by the sea at high tide. The lime in great quantity was produced from the coral. The timber was brought partly from their own forests, and partly from California and the Columbia; the shingles from the Northwest coast; boards, nails, glass, sashes, and lamps, from Boston; and a timepiece for it, presented by J. H., Esq., from Charlestown.

In prosecuting this work, the need of trucks, carts, and teams, became very obvious, and we took pains to get them brought into use, to relieve the people from carrying such heavy materials on their shoulders, or dragging them half a mile on the bare ground without wheels.

The people were benefited not only by the introduction of wheels, drawn by hand, and by oxen and horses, but also by bringing into use a variety of useful tools, and the mechanical powers, the lever, the wheel and axle, the screw, the crane, and the pulley.

Judging that the surface of the ground allotted for the building, though competent to sustain ordinary dwellings, could not safely be relied on to sustain the pressure of the massive walls and tower and internal work of the church, and the immense audience which was expected to crowd it, they excavated the earth to the depth of six feet, entirely removing the soil and substratum of volcanic ashes or cinders which had doubtless come from the Punchbowl crater in its vicinity, and laid the foundation firmly on a broad, level rock of submarine formation of considerable extent, which had by some means been here elevated a little above the level of the ocean. On this rock they reared the walls of the basement, 44 inches thick, and about 12 feet high. Then the builders, proprietors, and missionaries assembled and laid the corner-stone of the new temple. The stone, weighing about half a ton, had been procured by Paki at Waianae, and transported under his direction, to Honolulu. Beneath it, was placed a Hawaiian Bible, just completed; a volume of Mathematics, in native, and another on Anatomy, indicating the basis of Christian and missionary institutions at the islands, and a brass plate with the reign, the date, and the object for which the church was erected, neatly engraved by Kapeau, a native pupil at the Mission Seminary. Though in the ceremony, the formality of pronouncing the corner-stone "square, level, plumb, and durable" was omitted, yet the fitness and durableness of the Corner-stone in Zion, and the glory of the spiritual temple which God was rearing on it, were commended to the people; and the divine blessing was invoked on the enterprise, on the founders, laborers, and worshippers, who there seeking the gate of heaven, should consecrate their service to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

It argued courage for the people to undertake a work of that kind which could hardly be accomplished at an expense less than $20,000, and it proved their perseverance to carry it on for six years, till they were permitted to open it, July 21, 1842, for the worship of God and the use of generations. That was

27

Napoopoo Church, Hawaii

an honored people who reared that house of prayer, so large, costly, firm, and
commodious, and, to their eyes, so rich, grand, and beautiful—a happy and hon-
ored people were they after their toil, when they received from the hands of
Kamehameha III a title-deed of it, as a rich possession for Protestant worship—
honored and happy people, who assembled by thousands, with the king, chiefs,
and missionaries, to set it apart, and having the question put to them, “To
whom do you dedicate this house?” replied with joyful acclamation, “To Jeho-
vah our God, for ever and ever.”

The heiau, or ancient Hawaiian temple, at Napoopoo, Kealakekua Bay, was the point of departure for the Hawaiian youth, Opukahaia (Obookiah), who inspired the voyage of the brig Thaddeus. On the ruins of this heiau a tablet has recently been placed by the Hawaiians. Opukahaia left Napoopoo in 1808. Thirty-two years later the following event took place there.

The people or the professors of the Gospel connected with the station at Kealakekua, under the care of Messrs. Forbes and Ives, erected for themselves a commodious and substantial church, 120 feet by 57. The stones were carried on the shoulders of men forty to fifty rods. The coral for making the lime, they procured by diving in two or three fathom water, and detaching blocks or fragments. If these were too heavy for the diver to bring up to his canoe with his hands, he ascended to the surface to take breath, then descending with a rope, attached it to his prize, and mounting to his canoe, heaved up the mass from the bottom, and when the canoe was thus laden, rowed it ashore and dis-

28

charged his freight. By this process they procured about thirty cubic fathoms, or 7,776 cubic feet. To burn this mass, the church members brought from the mountain-side, upon their shoulders, forty cords of wood. The lime being burned, the women took it in calabashes, or large gourd shells, and bore it on their shoulders to the place of building, also sand and water for making the mortar. Thus about 700 barrels each, of lime, sand, and water, making about 2,000 barrels, equal to 350 wagon loads, were carried by women a quarter of a mile, to assist the men in building the temple of the Lord, which they desired to see erected for themselves and their children; a heavy service, which they, their husbands, fathers, sons, had not the means of hiring, nor teams to accomplish. The latter had other work far more laborious to perform for the house. The sills, posts, beams, rafters, etc., which they cut in the mountain, six to ten miles distant, they drew down by hand. The posts and beams required the strength of forty to sixty men each. Such a company, starting at break of day, with ropes in hand, and walking two or three hours through the fern and underbrush loaded with the cold dew, made fast to their timber, and addressing themselves to their sober toil for the rest of the day, dragged it over beds of lava, rocks, ravines, and rubbish, reaching the place of building about sunset. To pay the carpenters, and workmen who laid the walls, the church members subscribed according to their ability, from one to ten dollars each, and paid in such things as the workmen would take, produce or money. Thus with a little foreign aid, amounting to two or three hundred dollars, besides the labor and care of the missionary, the people erected a comfortable house of worship, valued at about $6,000.

The spirit of cooperation.

Efforts very similar have been made by the people of Kohala, Hana, Wai-luku, Koloa, Waioli, Kaneohe, Waialua, Waimea, Kailua, Ewa, Honolulu 2d, Kaluaaha, and Lahaina, and some other places, but I will here detail but one more which illustrates the spirit of those who welcome the Gospel, a particular trait of Hawaiian character, and the action of missionary example upon it. The Hawaiians are not only inclined to live in hamlets and villages, but to labor in companies, even where the work could be accomplished by single hands. And in such cases they must have and obey a leader, chosen, hereditary, or self-appointed, who plans for them and cheers them on. The people of the district under the care of Mr. Coan, in building a large new church at Waiakea, Hilo, devoted voluntarily much toil, and exhibited ingenuity, energy, and good will, dragging down for the purpose heavy timber, six miles from the forest. Mr. Coan says:

"In order to stimulate and encourage the people in this great work (for it is truly a great and heavy work for them), I have often gone with them to the forest, laid hold of the rope, and dragged timber with them from morning to night. On such occasions, we usually, on our arrival at the timber to be drawn, unite in prayer, and then fastening to the stick proceed to our work. Dragging timber in this way is exceedingly wearisome, especially if there be not, as is often the case, a full complement of hands. But what is wanting in numbers is often supplied in the tact and management of the natives, some of whom are expert in rallying, stimulating, and cheering their comrades by sallies of wit, irony, and if the expression is allowable, of good-natured sarcasm. The manner of drawing is quite orderly and systematic. They choose one of their number for a leader. This done, the leader proceeds to use his vocal powers, by com-

29

manding all others to put theirs at rest. He then arranges the men on each side of the rope like artillerists at the drag-rope. Every man is commanded to grasp the rope firmly with both hands, straighten it, and squat down inclined a little forward. The leader then passes from rear to front, and from front to rear, reviewing the line to see that every man grasps the rope. All is now still as the grave for a moment, when the commander, or marshal of the day, roars out in a stentorian voice, 'Kauo, draw!' Every one then rises, bending forward; every muscle is tense, and away dashes the timber, through thicket and mud, over lava and streamlet, under a burning sun or amidst drenching rain. No conversation is allowed except by the marshal, who seems to feel it his privilege during his incumbency, to make noise enough for all. About once in half a mile, all stop to rest, and then proceed again. If the company flag after an hour or two, choosing to walk erect, holding the rope loosely, then the brilliant marshal has a thousand smart things to say to arouse their zeal and provoke their muscular energies. I will give one sententious phrase, 'Bow the head—blister the hands—sweat.' If the marshal finds his voice exhausted, he resigns voluntarily or through the modest hint of a friend; and another is chosen to fill his place. All is done in good nature.''

The same people who were thus laboring to honor the Lord by building a house of worship, were ready to attend on his ordinances, whether they had a house sufficiently large to accommodate them or were obliged to sit in the open air. Their pastor says:

“Once in three months the whole church meet at the station to eat the Lord's Supper. Our last communion was on the last Sabbath in April. Perhaps there were five thousand present. For want of a convenient house for the occasion we met in a grove of cocoa-nut trees on the seashore. The assembly was immense, and the scene overwhelming. Before us was the wide Pacific, heaving its broad breast to the breath of heaven. Behind us were the everlasting mountains rearing their summits above the clouds, and forming an eternal rampart against the western sky. Beneath us was a little spot of earth once ignited by volcanic fires, rocked by earthquakes, and more than once submerged with a flood. Above us was the vaulted sky, that glorious mirror, that molten looking-glass spread out and made strong by the hand of Omnipotence. Around us was a landscape of inimitable beauty, clothed with verdure, teeming with life, and smiling in loveliness. The softer and sweeter features in nature blended with the grand, the bold, the sublime, combined to render the scene enchanting.”

Here a great multitude just recovered from the darkest heathenism, a multitude, such as Christ once fed by his miraculous power, having heard his glorious Gospel, often unite in commemorating the dying love of Him who made and who has redeemed the world.

Thus runs the message of one century to another, with the call:
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul!

30