of the sugar mills, the fields of waving canes almost touching one
another, and the little white villages attached to each plantation,
lending the charm of beauty and variety to the scenery.
The mercantile and mechanical business of our town is greatly increased
by these plantations. Mechanical shops are abundant; and so are shops
of various character, many of which are owned by Chinamen.
But the plantations do not replenish our town with Hawaiians; on the
contrary, while foreigners of many nationalities, especially the
Chinese, are increasing, our native population is perishing, or mixing
its blood with that of foreign races.
Another great change is, that the people are, or may be if they will,
all freeholders. The Bill of Rights given by Kamehameha III., followed
by a liberal constitution, and by a code of laws, gave to every man the
right to himself, to his family, to hold land in fee simple, and to the
avails of his own skill and industry. This was what no common Hawaiian
had ever enjoyed before; and so great was the change that a large class
of the natives could not believe it to be true. Many thought it to be
a ruse to tempt them to build better houses, fence the lands, plant
trees, and make such improvements in cultivation as should enrich the
chiefs, who were the hereditary owners of the soil, while to the old
tenants no profit would accrue. The parcels of land on which the people
were living were granted to them by a royal commission on certain easy
conditions.
Lands were also put into market at nominal prices, so that every man
might obtain a piece if he would. I have known thousands of acres sold
for twenty-five cents, other thousands for twelve and a half cents, and
still others for six and a quarter cents an acre. These lands were, of
course, at considerable distances from towns and harbors. But even rich
lands near Hilo and other ports sold at one, two, or three dollars per
acre.
[Sidenote: _The New and the Old Government._]
Thus the people were encouraged to become landowners, to build
permanent dwellings, and to improve their homesteads with fences,
trees, and a better cultivation. Gradually many came to believe in
the new order of things and to improve the golden opportunity, but
others doubted and suffered it to pass unimproved. Those who accepted
or bought land now find its value increased ten, and, in some cases, a
hundred fold.
The organizing of a constitutional government under a limited monarchy
with its several departments, legislative, executive, and judicial, and
the admission of the common people to take part in the enactment and
execution of laws, and the right of trial by jury, produced a vast and
sudden change throughout the kingdom; and to this day it is an open
question whether there was not too much liberty granted to the people
before they had been sufficiently trained to appreciate and to use it.
It may be doubted whether universal suffrage and trial by jury has been
a benefit to the country.
The old rule of the chiefs was liable to great oppression and abuse,
but where the irresponsible chief was thoughtful and righteous, justice
was administered promptly and often wisely, without the interference of
quibbling pettifoggers and unscrupulous lawyers.
On one occasion when Dr. Judd and his family were our guests, he hired
men to take them by land to the western side of the island, where
they were to embark for Honolulu. There were about twelve men thus
positively engaged, with wages specified and accepted. The hour for
departure came; the men were all present; the party, with baggage, all
ready; and then the natives struck for double pay!
I said to the Doctor, “Go straight to our chief woman,” who, like
Deborah of old, was our judge and sole ruler. He went. Her _posse
comitatus_ were on the ground in twenty minutes, and the strikers were
found guilty and put to hard work in one hour without counsel of lawyer
or the aid of a jury.
At another time, a rabble becoming angry at some sailors who landed in
the boat of a whale-ship, seized the boat and were carrying it inland
as an act of reprisal. Old Opiopio called out her posse of strong arms,
seized the men with the boat, put them all in prison, and returned the
boat to the ship. Such prompt acts of justice struck the people with
awe, and led them to reverence “the powers that be.”
These are noble exceptions; but we now have a large set of intriguing
lawyers who teach their clients to lie and to bribe witnesses, so
that often “justice falls in the streets,” the most guilty escape
unpunished, and the innocent suffer.
Still there is no going back, nor do we wish it; for in spite of
all the eddies and swirls, the back-sets and snags, the stream
of civilization flows onward, and, with good pilots and skillful
navigators, we trust the ship of state will be saved from wreck.
X.
_Hawaiian Kings--The Kamehamehas--Lunalilo--Kalakaua, the Reigning
King--The Foreign Church in Hilo--Organization of Native Churches
under Native Pastors._
Tradition and history alike tell us of Kamehameha I., the Cæsar
of Hawaii, the iron-framed warrior, the first legislator, and the
first law-giver of the Hawaiian race. We are told how he warred
and conquered, and how he united all the islands and all the petty
principalities under one chief. There are men still living who have
seen this stern old king. He died in 1819.
Liholiho, styled Kamehameha II., was the reigning sovereign when the
first band of missionaries arrived in 1820. With his queen he visited
England, where both died, their remains being returned to Honolulu in
the British ship _Blonde_, commanded by Lord Byron, the cousin of the
poet. Kamehameha III., son of Kamehameha I., was on the Hawaiian throne
when I arrived at the Islands, having been proclaimed not long before.
He was then a young and mild prince, greatly honored and loved by the
whole nation. The natives loved to style him “The Good King.” Bad men,
both foreigners and natives, beguiled him into some unworthy habits;
but his disposition was kind and amiable, and he was the king who gave
to the people a liberal constitution with all its attendant blessings.
During the great awakening which spread over the Islands in 1837 and
onward, he was greatly impressed with the importance of spiritual
things. He was not only an attendant on divine service on the Lord’s
day, but he was often in the prayer-meetings, apparently an earnest
seeker after truth. He was also willing to listen to wise counsels;
and during his reign his Government enacted a law forbidding the
introduction and sale of intoxicating liquors in this kingdom. The
nation became a great temperance society, with the king at its head;
and it was reported that he said he would rather die than drink another
glass of liquor.
During his year of abstinence he seemed like a new man. He was awake
to all the interests of his kingdom, visited the different islands,
addressed large assemblies, and greatly increased the love and homage
of his people.
[Sidenote: _Kamehameha III._]
His visits to Hilo were like a benediction; the people flocked around
him as they would around a father, and he seemed like a father to
them. He visited our families, dined and supped with us, and gave us
free opportunities to converse with him, not only on the interests
of his kingdom, but also on his own spiritual interests and his
personal relations to God and to the eternal future. He has gone with
me into an upper chamber where we conversed together as brothers and
knelt in humble prayer before the mercy-seat of the King Eternal. On
one occasion, when he attended our Sabbath service, I preached from
Jer. xxiii. 24, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall
not see him? saith the Lord.” The doctrine of God’s omnipresence and
omniscience was the subject.
The king seemed one of the most earnest hearers in the congregation,
often bowing his head in assent to what was said. For months he seemed
nearly ready to unite with the visible church, and his true friends
rejoiced over him.
But the spoiler came. He that “goeth about as a roaring lion seeking
whom he may devour,” was lying in wait for him. The French came with
their fire and thunder, threatening his crown and kingdom if the
prohibition law on intoxicants was not repealed; and the British lion
was ready to stand by the French eagle.
The king was called a fool for coming under the influence of Protestant
missionaries. He was, as report said, advised to assert his royal
prerogative of independence, and urged to drink with his official
and distinguished friends. The poor man, through fear and flattery,
yielded, and his doom from that hour was sealed. The old thirst was
rekindled within him. A despair of reformation seemed to come over him;
the fiery dragon held him fast. He continued to yield to his appetite
and to the solicitations of his false friends, and died December
15, 1854, in his forty-first year. On the same day Prince Alexander
Liholiho, his adopted son, was proclaimed king, under the style of
Kamehameha IV.
This young king was the youngest of three sons of Kekuanaoa and the
high chiefess of the Kamehameha family. Kekuanaoa was one of nature’s
noblemen. He was not of the royal family, but he was of kingly bearing;
tall, well formed, and courteous in manners. He was Governor of Oahu
and Generalissimo of the royal troops. He was also a consistent member
of the mission church in Honolulu. For his splendid physique, his noble
bearing, and his mental and moral qualities, Kinau, who was daughter of
Kamehameha I. and sister of Kamehameha III., chose him for her husband.
Alexander Liholiho in stature and bearing somewhat resembled his
noble father. His reign was short but peaceful, and to some extent
prosperous. He visited Hilo occasionally, and our social intercourse
with him and his intelligent queen, Emma, was pleasant.
Up to this time all the kings were in the habit of inviting the
missionaries and their families to an annual reception at the palace
during the season of the general meeting in Honolulu.
[Sidenote: _Kamehameha IV. and V._]
Kamehameha IV. was a fair scholar in English literature, and he spoke
and wrote the English language with ease and correctness, having
enjoyed the advantages of an excellent training in the Royal School and
Boarding Seminary under the charge of Mr. and Mrs. Amos Cooke, of the
American Mission, and having also had the benefit of foreign travel
with his brother Lot, under the care of Dr. Judd.
He was succeeded by this older and only surviving brother, who came to
the throne as Kamehameha V.
Lot was a stern man, with an iron will, and a determination to rule
his kingdom himself. He at once refused to take oath under the
liberal constitution of 1852, that had been drawn up by our excellent
Chief-Justice, William L. Lee. He called a convention of delegates from
all the islands, and instructed them to frame a new constitution; and
while they lingered and debated, and declared that they had no power to
annul or amend the former constitution, because it had provided that
all changes and amendments should come from a regular legislative body,
he dissolved the convention on the 13th August, 1864, and declared that
_he_ would give them a constitution by his own royal authority. This he
did on the 12th August, and the people, though complaining, submitted,
as the high officers of the realm had bowed to his behest and took
oath under this, as pronounced by high authority, unconstitutional
constitution. The king was “master of the situation.”
This king, so far as I know, had no concern in matters of religion, and
did not attend any church. He spent his Sundays as he pleased, either
in business, in sleeping, fishing, or in other recreations.
He visited Hilo occasionally, but never, I think, to call out his
people and address them as a father on any subject affecting their
present or future interests. I have known him to come to Hilo with his
fishing-tackle, spend a season here, and then pass on to Puna, where it
was reported he had his nets drawn on Sunday, and, on his return, he
entered our town with his animals loaded with nets and other luggage,
and his train of attendants, during the time of service on the Lord’s
day.
At length he died, and was called before the high tribunal of the King
of kings. With him ended the famous dynasty of the Kamehamehas.
Our sixth king, Lunalilo, was the son of a high chiefess. His father
did not belong to the family of chiefs by blood; but descent by the
maternal line ennobles in Hawaii.
[Sidenote: _King Lunalilo._]
On the death of Kamehameha V., without nominating a successor, Lunalilo
sent out a proclamation over all the islands offering himself as the
rightful heir to the throne, and calling on all the legalized voters
to meet in their respective places and ballot for him. This was done
promptly; and on the first day of January, 1873, he was elected by
12,000 votes. On the eighth of that month his election was confirmed
by the Legislature then in session, and on the ninth he was proclaimed
king.
This popular election introduced a new feature into our government.
Lunalilo was a bright, cheerful, and favorite prince. He had the habit
of using liquors freely, but the people loved him for his wit when
under the influence of intoxicants, and for his kindness and good sense
when he was sober. He appointed good men for his cabinet ministers and
for his privy counselors. He was pleased with the upright, and always
took their side in argument.
He soon visited Hilo, where he was received with acclamation. He
appointed a meeting for all, and men, women, and children came in
crowds shouting with joy, “Ko makou alii keia,” “This is _our king_,”
alluding to the fact that the people had elected him, a privilege never
before awarded them. After a good speech to old and young, he shook
hands with all the hundreds present, stooping down to the little ones
and smiling upon them so kindly that he won all hearts. We conversed
with him freely, and he took no offense when urged to abstain from
all intoxicants. Had he resisted the evil counsels of boon companions
and his own appetites, he might still have been our king, to the joy
of all. But his reign was shorter than that of any who had gone before
him. He died on the 3d of February, 1874, having occupied the throne a
little less than thirteen months.
David Kalakaua, our seventh and present king, was born in Honolulu
on the 16th of November, 1836, and elected on the 12th of February,
1874. His parents were both chiefs of an ancient line. The family
often spent a good deal of time in Hilo, and the mother died here.
His queen, Kapiolani, was brought up in Hilo from childhood. Kalakaua
is intelligent, having excellent command of the English language, and
having also had the advantages of an unusually interesting tour around
the world. We believe that he desires to rule well and see his little
kingdom prosper and progress.
The reigns of our kings since Kamehameha I. have been short, and the
cause is apparent. Little did I think when we came to these islands
that I should live to see four kings buried and a fifth upon the
throne. How striking the admonition in the 146th Psalm: “Put not your
trust in princes, nor in the son of man in whom is no help. His breath
goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts
perish.”
[Sidenote: _The Foreign Church in Hilo._]
I have said something in regard to evangelical labors for seamen and
for our English-speaking residents.
It was resolved at length to organize a church and seek a pastor for
this class of our inhabitants; and on the 9th of February, 1868, a
church was organized with fourteen foreign members. On the 26th of July
the building was dedicated, and on this occasion the Lord’s supper was
administered, and three candidates were admitted to fellowship. The
edifice will seat about one hundred and fifty. It is neat, and well
kept within and without. Standing near the larger native church, it
shines like a gem amidst our green foliage.
A call was sent to the Rev. Frank Thompson, who, having arrived with
his wife early in 1869, was installed on the 15th of May of that
year. Upon the resignation of Mr. Thompson, after a pastorate of a
little more than five years, the Rev. A. O. Forbes, son of the late
missionary, Cochran Forbes, was settled over this church, where he
labored faithfully until he resigned to accept the secretaryship of the
Hawaiian Evangelical Association.
The foreign church, though small and not wealthy, is active and
generous. They pay a salary of $1,200 or $1,400, furnishing a parsonage
to the pastor, and they give generous sums for missionary purposes and
for other Christian and philanthropic objects.
During the year 1863 the Rev. Dr. Anderson, then corresponding
secretary of the A. B. C. F. M., visited the Hawaiian Islands with a
view of conferring with the missionaries on the subject of putting most
of the churches under the care of native pastors. He urged the plan
earnestly, and a full discussion followed. Some of the missionaries
favored the new departure at once, others doubted its wisdom, and
others still were willing to see the plan commenced on a small scale,
and to watch its operations. Each pastor and church determined the time
and manner for themselves. And so the experiment began.
At length I began a movement in that direction, and on the 16th of
October, 1864, the first church was set off from the mother church, and
a native was ordained and installed over it. Not long after, on Oct.
14, 1866, I organized another church in the district of Hilo, and a
third in 1868; and pastors were ordained over them.
One was organized in Puna in 1868, and two more in 1869, so that there
were now six churches set off from the old one. All these were provided
with good and neat houses of worship under my direction, and with
church bells. Most of these churches had one, two, or three chapels, or
smaller meeting-houses, which served as places of meetings on secular
days, and on Sabbaths near evening. For a great many years the natives
were accustomed to hold morning prayer-meetings, and they might be
seen assembling at early dawn every day in the week.
[Sidenote: _Native Hawaiian Pastors._]
The original cost of these churches and chapels, with that of keeping
them in repair and furnishing them with bells, would amount to about
$10,000, and that of the central church and its chapels would be about
$20,000.
The number of church members dismissed to organize the six new churches
was in all 2,604.
They have had ten pastors. Of these, five are dead, two have been
called to other places, one has resigned on account of age and
infirmities, and two only remain at their posts. This would be nearly
the record of our Hawaiian pastors over the whole group. They waste
away rapidly by disease and death, and they change places often. Some
wear out; some fall into sin; and some engage in other callings. A
goodly number run well, being steadfast in the faith, diligent workers,
and patient withal.
We are often asked how our native preachers wear, and whether we were
not hasty in making them coordinate pastors with the missionaries.
These questions may be answered differently by different observers.
Some, perhaps many, of our number think it would have been better
to have waited longer before giving them the full power of ordained
pastors, that while they should have been trained to work with the
missionaries, as they had been, with the most happy results, they
should not have been so soon put upon a parity with them.
While subordinate, they are more docile and respectful; when on
a parity, they sometimes show a disposition to be assuming and
discourteous, an effect occasionally seen elsewhere in men on a sudden
elevation.
The native ministers now outnumber us more than five to one, and when
we meet in our evangelical associations they know, of course, their
numerical power, and it requires great wisdom on the part of the
foreign members to secure that influence which is necessary to good
order and to harmonious action. In our Association for Eastern Hawaii
we have never as yet had any difficulties of a serious kind, and yet we
are liable to them, especially when some self-conceited stranger comes
in as a disturbing element.
A Democratic or a Republican Government can never be strong, and pure,
and permanent unless the people who create it and hold the power are
intelligent and moral. And the same law holds true in church polity.
From our point of view we think that we see clearly how the Episcopal
and the Catholic church governments originated, as a matter of
necessity, in the midst of peoples who were ignorant, unstable, and not
to be trusted with responsible power. I do not find in the Bible, or in
the wisdom of all commentators and expositors of the sacred Scriptures,
any definite and fixed rules of church polity, but rather the elements
of many.
[Sidenote: _Our Churches Undenominational._]
Congregationalism is excellent where all or most of the members of a
church are intelligent and virtuous, or where men know how to govern
themselves and their children.
The Presbyterian government is strong, and when exercised wisely and in
meekness it is good.
Prelacy might seem necessary in certain states of society, and the
right of choice can hardly be disputed by wise, candid, and liberal
minds.
Our Hawaiian churches are not called Episcopal, Presbyterian, or
Congregational, or by any other name than that of the Great Head, the
Shepherd and Bishop of souls. We call them _Christian churches_.
XI.
_Compensations--Social Pleasures--Some of our Guests and Visitors._
From the almost entire absence of civilized society, we have now come
to enjoy the fellowship of a community of families and individuals
equal, on an average, in intelligence, morality, and refinement, to any
with which I am acquainted. In addition to the three mission families
who have been longest on the ground, there is around us a little
community of families of missionary descendants of the first and second
generations. The number of cultivated and scientific visitors from
other parts of the world is also increasing.
When in 1835 we were stationed at Hilo, a good brother missionary wept
and condoled with us because of our banishment from civilized society,
our communication with friends so slow and uncertain. But we believed
our destination was ordered of the Lord. The feeling of joy with which
we first hailed the sight of its beautiful harbor, its fields of living
green, its shining hills, has never left us. And while we have tilled
our garden, saying, Let its moral beauty outshine its physical, and
“its righteousness go forth as brightness, and its salvation as a lamp
that burneth,” we have found our life full of compensations.
[Sidenote: _Visits of Sailors._]
I do not now regret a sojourn in “that great and howling wilderness”
of Patagonia, or my perils on the sea and in the rivers; my painful
travels on foot over thousands of miles, or my hungerings and
thirstings in cold and heat, nor any suffering that the Lord has laid
upon me in His service. They all seem light and momentary now, and
there is full compensation in the joy the Master has granted me.