Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 184, 22 March 1893 — CORRESPONDENCE. [ARTICLE]

Help Learn more about this Article Text

CORRESPONDENCE.

( We do not huhl onr iehei re»pon»ible/or the utterance» of our correipondent».) ĒDITOR HoLOMTA, The «Ileg'*d Revtrend 3. E. Bishop hae in his annexation crusade thought that he could mske a good point in its favor aīnoneil Chrietian Araencans by repreeenting that the Queen and her adherente raust be enemiee of po!itic al liberty and retrograding to the dark agea of despotisra in that respect, because they ha<l, according to him, retrograded frora Ohristianity and relapaeJ into raore or U>sē open hsatheaism. These wilfu!ly fa:?e etatements no doubt went down in America amocg«t peopie to whom the Queen and her t>eop.e are uot pers<iiially we’.l knowo, but here, to tho«e who are tcrpiaiated w;th theQ ieen’s character &5id that of Mr. Bi>hop lhey eilher caut:d i | horror at hie audacioJS lie» or j ridicule of hi? eo sadden uhn•iastu for that Chriatianity whieh he haa for years secretly cast off in £aror of advanced eeieaee and free thought land specuIatioa and cruelty to animale. Thia etate of affaire haa Icd ifr. 1 4

I B:shop auu hi- c>lleagii« īn t e w< rk of s.ander <le:'am*ti >n to exp*u>te the;r me n <ries t r plau?ible ?t ries. ar.d to sear< h f>r .ib- • >Iute f;>.< ’- fobl%inaV.c. t<> « jv>rt ' their gratuit >u« .!es. A::er mueh ’ ' « n ’ - ’ ’ ’,. , -l, . f <> * uaa Ut e* « «••*. • F.r«: ahearsav«: >rv, whieh he o.vi 1 . . - i [ he he,.rd in tl.e e :u; iny of s >:ue ! resr»e* table gent!euie:t from a man i who kepl the Vulcano Houae fr>m I., .. ,, . ; :ue yc.ir i.«;iowi: g the a..egeu : * o*< ;rr ’ iee, that Her Majesty had j with h-.r own hands «acr.fic-d a ' llviug :-ig and i :o Pele abo t ei '•>t v, <rs ;.g . T<> ;<M t> the : , ... l . b >rr >r he emb. i..?;:’- tnis stor\ , | wīth the fr’g:itful '.r-v.m* and ig mv ■ f the sacnficed be;i«t »n-l | bird, a!thoogh he i- well awiM , that the h.Jat from th» VoIcano '» ; ' « ieh th ;:, to anv perwm ->r livi: being that eame ia sueh c.i>»e >x>!itact, it woald ca.iso in?tantdne>>us dtatii. >’ <t baving - ou an eyevvitoess of tiiis ahtge<l doubi\ «ecotid - hand st ry. I eau say nothiug more cxc. pt that a b:gh!y cuitivated Christ\an f<reigu lady of my acquaiutance «tat>.(l on reuding it, that if she had been at ihe Volcar>o and any<>ne had told h» r that to do eueh a thing wuulil hring g >od f»rtune or avert bad fortune that she would liave tried it any way.and that ī ts m<>reofher country women w .u!d do the same thing. He then follows this np with anotber hearsay yarn in whieh the Queeu does not s icrificewith h« r own hands, being too fatigued. Theee stories are l h> thin, Mr. Bishop. They ire even tbinner than the veil of nominal Chri»tianity thrown over your metaphysicdl discourses frotu Ccntral Union pulpil when temporariiy supplying the pastor’s p«lpit in vacation. He then allegt-9 that he met a large party of natives (whiehon enquiry dwindle» down to five oM women, a man, and a b->y) heade<l by a prominent memher of the Hale Naua Society aeeomp*nied by two kahuna», whom he alleges spent a whole night in incantatione to Pele round the Voleano fire, cutting offtheir hair. and throwing their ailk neokerehiefs, and forty d<>llars in eoin to secure her favor or ap:>ea»e her wrath. The trip was one made in search of health by the orders of a foreigu doctor, and waa made to the Voleano, heeauae the leader, though near fifty years oM, had never •een that chief wonder of his native land. Mr. Bishop hiraself was personally assured when, al the time, he inquired of the party, ail of whum he wa» personal!y acquainted with, that there were no kahunaa amongst them unle«s his own oM nnrse was one. whieh at the time he indignantly di*c!airaed. He didn’t po down into the VoIcano .rith ihe party {)ersina!ly, being «sleep at the Volcano House all the time these al!eged occurencet t-x>k plaee, ani I am asa ire<i that no hirsute omamenU were n;is•ing either from his head or the r« on their return, and thal if ar.v 9uch sura of money had bean st«a it wouM have bc«n promptJv annexed by the leader of the partr to he!p cover the expen9e» of the piea9ure an<l ōight 9eeing trip, whieh vcre heavy, and that hie i wh r < _" st rr. »ahuna9 aad all, i» { iie •} a L.«uuciaation [lo put it miiō ’ou ais part and that the onīy evidence jf want ofCbri»tian:ty n t:ced by any of th» party at tce VilcAnowas when, 9elf invited, Mr. tiisbop «Tt \t thcir table and p roco- i-.l V» Iur'.’ī';y devoar the *’i*h"ut t e prel’minary of ‘ oritir ■- 'e, whieh the tncre devout *

&mong them prooeed«l to d«> for theaise’.vts. Tho iot:-‘r' from tho ioen to the l»overnor who,by the n*>t Governor the time. tho.igh he had l»een >» b f >re. w re -■■u;> y givea, wvre s~e by Iho S. Sj ■ oann *. ?-;rv._' f rth - !•-' aoc:s«<i bv Mr. E • f w«'rs Ūn-hni Pele) intr mI’h'I »ry it‘tter« on hehail of a fr»end wh> h d no sj*'ciai rel.il’v«- rf: . ’.«!■» «>f lli» own in the di«tri«.*t t > st 'p w : th. As f r tho !l,»!e N u>. > .* ■ •>•. I m.tv -»vns a mem! er •■*’ i- th. t : ; ■! ■ it ;s mueh Uss id l ilmue, eveu ■»» if>rm, lh;tn the M.is >nic s’cirty may be m »de out to l>* by meu of t(ie lempommenl at l idt »? of Mr. Eiaiiop, who I J»ave n<> il n;bt v. >u 1el cl.ts3 the Druiii*e .« :y, of whieh I hive heini, a« a relapse by Eng!iah aml Anu ri< ms into t!ie h*..thenish i>r»« ti ■« ye»rs) ago. Ti»e Hale Nam» S ciety, I n»;ty sav. is, a:.d w.u, siraply s K :iefit s,«ciety wiih the «peei.il purpose of keoj»iug up a ko«>wiedge of the aneienl Hawaiian m.slcs of livmg; hipt<>rv. tradition. aml i>e< i! nrcnst<>ais. that they might l>e pr< -ervod heroafter f>r anti<|uarian and ethnological uso; and no ido!atry was ev**r permilted ><r practis«d wilhia its walie. as an in« • c*i >n < fit» rit’jnl would at onee determine, aiui the only <I<«i referred to in its cereiuoni»*» waa the one true and boueficent c,reator of both, Mr. Bieho>* and niyself. Forgive me if my unaocuatomed pen has not t»ken upull the j<oint» requira«i to bo niade. Hawaii Pomoi.