Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 283, 18 September 1891 — Page 4

KA LEO O KA LAHUI.

"E Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono."

 

KA LEO

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John E. Bush.

Luna Hooponopono a me Puuku.

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 18, 1891.

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INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE!

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  A meeting of the League will be held at 7:30 on Saturday evening, at International Hall, Bethel Street. Business of importance will be brought forward, and every member is expected to be present.

  Per Order.

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A REGENT NEEDED.

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  In anticipation of coming events, we hear, a lady of rank, heretofore ignored at Court, was approached by interested parties with regard to the above idea.

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How Things have Changed.

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  It is now a little over seventy years ago since the first advent of the missionary from holy Boston. During this brief period in the history of this country and its people, great and wonderful changes have taken place. A little of it may be said to have been beneficial to the native race, but in nine-tenths of the innovations made the principle beneficiaries have been the innovators themselves. To-day we see the evidences of the Christian teachers wisdom in accumulated riches and in lands and other means, and consequent prosperity now possessed by his offsprings and successors, in most cases, derived from the labors of those who came here in the cause of Christianity.

  There is no question, that a reminiscence of the early life and doings of the foreign teachers, to whom is due the present change in the life, decadence and poverty of this people, would be highly interesting and quite characteristic of that puritanical origin and the peculiar habits of that class from whom most of the early fathers claim their descent. The modus operandi by which, with one finger pointing heavenward, as they taught the chief and commoner of a salvation to come and of an undying death(?), this wonderful transformation was accomplished, would make a very readable and entertaining volume at the present day. It would give light, - and experience to the fortune hunter, in a manner never, perhaps, tried at any previous period or among any class of people in the world, since the great commission was first issued to the twelve apostles by the Divine Master, to gird themselves up with the spirit of self-sacrifice and with a staff in hand, (with not even a carpet bag) and go and preach the World to all kindred tongues, and nations.

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  Our attention was called to this subject by an article written in Hawaiian and published in an early issue of the "Ka Oiaio," headed "Times have Changed" from which we quote as follows: "Many queer things were done in olden times. It was said in those days, if any one smoked on the day now called the Sabbath, he was then fined, and in lieu had to build ten fathoms of a stone wall for the missionary father. And when in any other way the law was trespassed the punishment was varied, viz: to go to the mountain and chop wood to go after the bark of the wauke for making twine for fish nets, to get sandal wood, and in many other ways all of which were to be given to the teacher for the benefit of the Heavenly Kingdom." Besides these as a means of obtaining material for barter with the numerous whalers and traders that touched at the group on their voyages, there were endless and many ingenious ways, whereby the teacher began to gather and to accumulate, making a nucleus to the colossal fortunes now enjoyed by his successors in the services of the Sanctuary.

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  We have often heard from old Hawaiians, now mostly passed away, vivid descriptions of the early life of very nearly all the pioneers in the mission service, - of the good they did and the reverse; of their self-sacrifice and their rapacity and greed. Their fondness for making money was quite incomprehensible to the native Hawaiian of the age, who, in his unsophisticated and innocent way, blindly obeyed the teachers, giving his lands and services for the good cause; but saw, no valid reason why his pockets should be emptied into an endless sack belonging to his teacher, this teacher being supposed by him to be only a type of the "Good Example," a true desciple of one who knew not where to shelter his head, though heir to all things. But, keeping his reasoning to himself, and no doubt being directed to the tithing system, the poor Hawaiian was quieted and his apprehension and suspicions allayed; his faith in the haole's system of worshipping and governing was restored, though never fully.

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  Soon after the first batch of missionaries arrived from Boston, and had made a favorable impression upon the alii's, the first duty they attended to in the cause, was to poison the minds of the chiefs against all foreigners who arrived later. Puritan missionary's are no fools, and are sharp even to knavery, which in common with his Jesuit brother they deem excusable in the furtherance of the "cause" in general and more particularly of their own interest, and thus it was only natural for them to endeavor to prevent others from being allowed to stay on land which they deemded as Isralites, was the promised Canaan to them and to theirs.

  More mahope.

 

ECHOES.

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  The Commissioners of Crown Lands are entitled to public commendation for their public spirited policy in opening up certain lands near Hilo for homestead settlers, and for the liberal terms which they offer. It is a new depature, and if the first experiment prove successful, we trust it will be continued on lands still unoccupied, or as leases expire on other suitable lands. In this way the Commissioners would become national benefactors, and would give a wise solution of the question as to an appropriate disposition of the Crown lands which is bound to agitate the public mind in the future. We firmly believe that this method of distributing this vast estate among a desirable class of the settlers, while adding to the material wealth and prosperity of the nation, will also eventually increase the Crown Land revenues many fold. It will also make an easier transition from tenant to proprietor when the government is in better position to legislate for this purpose. We wish the Commissioners, all the deserved success in their new venture.

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  But what a lesson the Crown Commissioners are reading to the present administration. Without the spur of law, but simply from  intelligent motives, the Commissioners are doing what the law and the Legislature ordered our ministers to do. But the "weak" Cabinet cannot rise to the patriotic and economic principles which pervaded and animated the National Party and the Legislature of 1890, as well as the previous Thurston regime. The Cabinet appear to have adopted Vanderbill's famous sentiment "damn the public." With astonishing boldness, they have offered for lease huge tracts of valuable government lands at ridiculously low figures, with the apparent purpose of funishing a landgrabbing picnic for the wealthy sugar barons, to the exclusion of the homesteader or small farmer. The announcement of the result of the sale of these leases, showing S. Parker as one of the principal successful bidders would seem to indicate that at lease one minister does not believe that "public office is a public trust." The Queen's Commission is not a boodler's license.

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  Of course the sugar barons do not agree with us in our economic theories of the partition of the public lands among small holders. They seem uncompromisingly committed to the policy of creating large estates in the hand of a political plutocracy who are to be supported by servile labor. Probably they look to Cuba and Manila as their ideal paradise. Their ideas, their policy are incompatible with the enlightened theories that guarantee to all men "life, liberty and happiness" and that creates a prosperous and civilized state of the People for  the People. We respect the energy and enterprise of the men that have made our waste places to flow with saccharine and have dotted the country with mills that hum with industry, but we would check their selfish greed for land and wealth at the expense of the nation, and the population. Some system of cooperation in the planting and mill interests such as exists in a measure at Waimanalo and at Pacific Sugar Mill, Hamakua, is more nearly in accord with the policy we would advocate.

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  That amateurish statesman, Thuston, who is at the same time the ideal and the genuis of the Missionary Reform Party, has again been airing his notions before a Chicago reporter. Under cover of quoting a native paper (KA LEO persumably) he shows the hand of his party in announcing to the American people that the Hawaiians are burning for annexation to the United States, or to form a republic. KA LEO has never advocated annexation in express terms, but has sounded many notes of warning that such a result might be precipitated as the result of the errors of cabinets and monarchs. Some of KA LEO's articles, it is true, have been strongly tinged with an under-current of desire for a republican form of government, this chiefly for the purpose of keeping our monarchial system within the bounds of constitutional methods, but our admonitions have passsed unheeded, and it is true that in Hawaii the People do not rule. The powers that be, have made this so rudely apparent that the impressionable native mind has been deeply impregnated with the spirit of popular government as evoked by KA LEO's articles, and that they have become actively interested in the constitutional power and priviliges of the lehulehu through the ballot, and the sovereignty of the lahui as exemplified in the republican form of government in America. As yet however the Hawaiians seem to be wavering between a popular monarchy as in England, and a republican rule by the people as in America.

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  But with the wave of democracy that seems to be undulating throughout the world, it is impossible to predict what our future, immediate or distant, is to be. A republic, or annexation to the United States on our own terms, are possibilities of the future. But only by and with a plebiscite of the people. And certain it is that Thurston and his satellites, in their present shadow, can never lead such a movement. In the years to come, this idol of the missionaries may materialize into a statesman who may render valuable services to this country, but as yet he is in a transition state, not yet far enough removed from the lariat and the cow-boy of the slopes of Haleakala. He has pluck, energy and intelligence and will always be found in the front rank, but will never win his spurs, till he learns to bread independently clear of the hide-bound bigots, and mischievous plutocrats who have been his patrons. He must also learn to rely more on his own intelligence or upon men of mind and character, rather than be the tody and ally of such a false and treacherous mascot as played the fool with his administration; we mean he of the elongated limbs, with beak nose, set between a little pair of vicious green eyes, under a narrow forehead; a hoodoo who appears to wreck and ruin all who pin their faith on him. When the millenium, which Professor Totten declares is now upon us, has been accomplished, and the cataclysm has swept all the false prophets and politicians out of existence, the idol may then appear as a shining light, an "orb" that the Bulletin may worship.

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A ROMANCE.

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The Paradise of the Pacific

OR

The Devil's Kuleana.

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(Continued by Uncle Beke.)

  The young man was rather suspicious of the officer and tried to escape. "Oh, that's all right. Let me go. We are going to Hardrow now," he said.

  "All right," said the policeman, "you very smart; you know where to go; just now I come bring you. I your friend, you no mad me for hit you before. I no mad with you, you my good friend; suppose I mad with you I take you go long to jail for stop a policeman. Very bad thing stop a policeman; suppose I your friend, you stop me, I like you stop me; suppose I policeman, see alsame star, you stop me very bad, law I no like you stop policeman. That is all right I your friend now, you all same white man, come we go Hardrow now, no more trouble."

  He continued to assure them in a maudling and desultory way that he was their best friend and that he was deeply grieved at the unfortunate occurence of the preceding day, while Nyama helped his wife into the saddle and mounted himself. They started on the road. Two policemen followed, and the rest continued their way to Hero.

  Their acquaintance was one of their escort, and keep on murmuring that he was their most devoted friend. Faza had never been on a horse before, and clung desparatly to the saddle with her hands while they climbed the steep ascent and waided slowly and painfully through the muddy lanes. It seemed still a long way, but after crossing some lesser gulches, they reached a place where the road began to be paved with cobble stones again. Having a solid footing they proceeded faster. They passed a great red brown mill out of whose chimneys poured streams of black smoke, a schoolhouse where a great lot of children were playing a noisy game, and came in sight of a collection of white building gathered on each side of the road like a small village, and another brown mill belching fountains of soot.

  "See Hardrow!" exclaimed the policeman pointing to the mill.

  There were white-washed fences on each side of the road. There were long low buildings with narrow porches in front and with rows of doors cose together.

Some were two stories high, but their fronts were all grimmy and black, though their other parts were glaring with white-wash. Scattered about on the hill-side were detached white cottages no bigger than packing boxes. Other large houses were occasional, and a yard fenced off and ornamented with great trees that almost concealed the building seem to be of superior pretentions.

  (To be Continued).