Nuhou, Volume II, Number 26, 24 October 1873 — Dr. Ruschenberger's Book, [ARTICLE]

Dr. Ruschenberger's Book,

" A vopgc ī'omiel t!tc woi'W," —f)ublis!iod iuj IS3S, givo> somc vcry n.Ucrcstuig obscrVat!ous aboutthcse islands, iuado during a visit s?ur-' geon 011 board thc t\ S. PaKoek, in IS3G. The Doctov writee \vith alnlitj iukl gro;\l modoi'ation,! md bc regarded n? a eundid aiul impartia! | vritncss. In rogm\l to the mlseionarj \vork h\ islandb\ whieh nui>t ūl\vujs bo a foreiuost i topie for oon6ideration ov wilh all intel-, ligeut visit;>i\s lie has raado $ome earcful obsorvations. lle is; cvidentlv a rcligious man, and i> an advocate of ovangolizmg nussionary labor, and he >peaks in wann pra{se of suoh laho: in this are!upelago t hul he als:» in somo ov*ticisius whieh ave de>\nVn\u; of notieo at t!>i> !atev ( KV- : , Ac [age 17"* he sayi^~l regret to oP the in other tlian tonns of un- j 4ualiGovV respeet and-priuse ; and if my remavk* fall harv<hly, l have tlkHvnsolation of feolingthey iro uttorod \vith uo purpo*o of \vouudti>g, but s

bceau*e I believe iliem to b ;'lrue 5 and ber i-. be!ieve thc truth l>eing told, m iy l»ave n , | upon t!:e pro=pective g- ?od of t!>e i=le-. ile eon<lemns the ;.if t' ; ,- sionaries to the eknnnlinieaiion of the W • i Goi alone to the native> } t j the neglec: practieal eultivation ,ōf the most ordlnary r.; csts nnd duties of life. Ile says, if forrj Hieāe cisty-four tcae|hei .- A' relig!ous d were skillful meelianie- anJ ugrieulturi-t-f > v - j eessed of good hard sen-e, a Lnodente eaplh. 1 u. j the generous bep,ev'jlei?ee of thc iiiis?ionary, t", wou!d do more in ten years towards iuneliorat:. „ the condition of the is!anders. by teaehing t! s several arts, by their moral deportLiierit. an ' V example of the thrift wliieh must crown i].: :. dustry, than an army of twenty t!iōusan l prc ers devoted t > religious pursults e ;-u. possibly c3ect in dou|dc tl,c tiiue. Ft is ablc whcther tl>e doct|rine of Cl>ristianity a! capabb of leading a barbarous people t.j e. e : tion whieh we might pll civilizntior,. Th 1 ll* i waiians as a nation ii»ay bc saiu to Ch\lK~r. ized, but who hjavc visited the hla.su- w: j hardiy assert they arc; also eivilize 1, iinl l d J whcther they ever will be under the j system." (Thc Doetor"s doubi, Uqc-:\ IV.// j sustained by tlic subsequent espcrienee - t. j islands.) si The i*ap!iditv of tlieir eivili/at; jdepends upon their *mprovement in ogrloult, t , the meehanie arts, and m poiitieai 2^01:1:;^•. w T hīch will furnish īi| abundaixv tbe K>r»recommeree, |Lii- gvc:. t ; civili?:e r of mai}kind when religion is addeil to elun-ien all, t!:e e fcion of thc people will be such as t - enaol? tre fco enjoy the greatest possiblo happiuess ■ t; world, while it promises no le>s in that t.» ev:;e (But the wretched eeclesiastieal idea h:i> piw herc, as elsewhere, that to seeure happin: - another unknown life, we iuust neg*eet thi- '

iskno\vn.) Thc Dactor thcn clrargc? his frien!, Mr. ! ham, with whom he correspondod 5 and hi> ' sionary wit!; hclng the V ! pcrsecution of Catholie>. Ile say>, tl I am o j vmecd that t!io rai???cinario? woro t*>o cau?o f *? s !espubion of tho throo Ronian Catholicfi namo* !He rcadi!y riVogni2ot!j ho\vevor, thc gv-d d ' the Protc?tant Mi?sionarios. 110 s;ivs : *• ACtc coneidcring tbe state bf tho island? as it ? : years ago witli their pre?cnt CAndition, it\s u\ 5 aekr>ow!edged that tbo mifcsionaT\* | havc cscrcised a vovy beneficial inOuoneo n; o i tho llawaiians/' \ x " Thc fau!ts of tli I iuissionaries aro thofo of oml*sion aul . I eommission. % * Just ltke our presei\t £„n\-r:v . whleh oomiuits nothipg tliat i* bad 4 but ovcryyiiug that is gool; and in > - , usually uiorc oriiuinal anA d:tmnablc tban «. | miiilou, This rellgiotis >urgoon, g\os on { * t tbat tlio ini^ioinu'ie^luwe' 4 ' C!uistiaiu:cd wUa; 1 oiviliang tho uativos/ In feavof jvpu!av o].i\\ j tliey slood a!oof, aud |bave aUo\tod t!ie rule;s | ooutu\ue a> igik>rant of t-io avt of govorn:uea;. tliey \voiv ou iho daj of tholr arviva! T! ovorlook lae faet* t!iai tlie Biblp uokhoi" - polUieal ooouomy nor agrieultui\\" agroo witb tho Doctoi\aud taat ra.v w cvcrloamto pfo\v a field, or bnUd a b n;sc . run a ehip s or govotn a lown by rv\\ding i Bible sevcn timos ovov Our modorn mi>>iji\<. want to imitato Pau! and t! e otbor - preaehing tbe eimple ;dovu\ must Var in mind tbat w Potow ainl d\>! :\ aPaul, and lK\ruaba< jieaolK\! tc> pe >p*e :i\*\. s

than the eommunity to whioli thej belongect. r'"rl hael no nced to teach tent making to SjrianB, ilo £urcly v>ould not pretend to give Athenianeor Corlnth]ans any infbraation in resp€et to arbhitceture? or talk to Romans about the seience of government or polieieal econonry. WouW a Galileeaa gO and instruct a Grecian in carpent6i7 ? 1 a semi-"barbariari of Jerusalem a:tcmpt to !ee:ure a gentleman of Rome on the arts of civil:l m ? Not so. The simplespiritualmi-pion of thc itl.s unto a highly civilizccl people whose -kill.anU eeionee and \vealth and cjrrupu*on spiritual correction and admonition. «Le Apostles did not have.. t<> eleal \vith any • :;cli neoi'le wikl Indians uf Amcrica. savacre •i - o ' V-I 4 vuesians of the Paeiiie; or eannihale of Africa. Vfe feel indeed, that if a man of the great intel--ligence of Paul had eome herc in plaee of Binghaml would have improved the dwelling, dothing, livißg, and productive industry C),DU»e! people, before he gave them mueh bf the Word,; Ent no Pauls eame here. Those who eame \vere chiefiy narrow minded 5 bigoted meh, utterlj unLt fcr the great work of civilization and building p a l)arbarou9 and eimple people. Thesc men ■ad no philoeophie inßightj and no observat)on :iitside of the narrow stereotjped training in whieh they had been brought up. The Doctor ;hinks very lightly of their intellectual capacity Jor any work besidcB that of meie eehool tcachers. Ile eays.' "The missionarieB etationed at the Sandwich lelands as a class ? are inferior to all :hose whom it has been our fortune to meei at .;thcr stations during the er ui.se.' Many of them :ire far bchind the age in whieh they live,deficient m general ,knowledge, and I think I ean tracc in them more of the lineaments of thcMucklewraths ind Poundtests of !>y gone days, than is desirable m divines of the nineteenth century In eome rarc instances, we find combined in the person of tho missionary polished manners, knowledge of liie world, unimpeaehahle j>iety, and a inind Srm in solid learning, and graced by various acquisiiions of eleganfc literature. But it unfbrtunately happene, that such men have generally held the -übordinate and least distinguishcd places In the :aissions " (and we may say iii the eountry n'ow, —as we sec imbecility thrust into power by fav)dtism, and intenigence and experience looking on) "doomed to be ruled by the .majority, and labor in the detail of a systcm whieh their ihtelligence will not apptove, I miglit mcntion such a one. but I must not individualize/V We wisb the Doptor had mentioned tlic gentle:uaij t0 whom he refers, so that we might honor ihe enlightened. inissionary; as it js always far aore agreeable to us to praiso than to criticise. e are obliged to criticise, because we havc scen 'Bly evidcuces of Binalliiess of eoul and ofnarrow ~4usivism in a church or party, \vherein acoordg to the doctrinee announced, we ought to meei th all abounding, and winnhig charity, tbe ev>nce of greattress of soul, truly inspired with \e for one"a lellow man,