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PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII












Laniholi   o feet above sea level. Road descending to
Kaneohe on the windward side of the Nuuani Pali Gap,
whh is six  i   from Ho




PIONEER
DAYS IN H      7AWAII
BY
OLIVER POMEROY EMERSON


I


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I


GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, DORAN & COMPANY, INC.
1928




COPYRIGHT, 1928, BY
DOUBLEDAY, DORAN & COMPANY, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA




TO
MY WIFE AND PATIENT COLLABORATOR,
WHOSE WISE SUGGESTIONS AND CAREFUL CRITICISMS
HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE,
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED




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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.................
CHAPTER


'AGE
xi




I. WHO WERE THE PIONEERS~.1...0 
II. EARLY LIFE OF Two OF THE PIONEERS:..CHESTER AND THE NELSON HILLS,...  9
III. ON THE ATLANTIC To RIO DE JANEIRO..20
IV. FROM RIO DE JANEIRO To HONOLULU..32
V. UNDER AUTOCRATIC AND KINGLY RULE.44
VI. THE THATCHED HOME.........53
VII. BEGINNINGS..............64
VIII. GOING To GENERAL MEETING......77
IX. A MORE SECURE AND COMFORTABLE HOME 93
X. THE WIDER PARISH..........103
XI. HOW To DoIT............116
XII THE GREAT AWAKENING........121
XIII. STIMULATING INDUSTRY..........127
XIV. THE PASSING OF PEONAGE AND THE FEUDAL
SYSTEM.........137
XV. THE WAIPUOLo HOME:. THE Two HOMEs
ON THE ANAHULU..........147
XVI. OLD TIME NATIVES.......... 159
XVII. DRIFTWOOD: IN AND OUT OF COURT... 171
XVIII. PROGRESS IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY..180
vii




viii              CONTENTS
CHAPTER                                     PAGE
XIX. A TRIP TO THE MARQUESAS...... 185
XX. BACK TO THEIR NATIVE LAND AFTER
NEARLY THIRTY YEARS....... 194
XXI. THE PARTING OF THE WAYS...... 204
XXII. A TRIP TO MICRONESIA........212
XXIII. CARRYING ON............224
XXIV. THE LEPER SETTLEMENT AT MOLOKAI..233
XXV. HAWAII IN LATER DAYS......... 241




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
WINDWARD SIDE OF NUUANU PALI GAP. Frontispiece
REVEREND JOHN S. EMERSON AND HIS WIFE... I8
RELIEF MAP OF OAHU........,....... 54
WAIALUA CHURCH I84I-1890........         88
EMERSON HOME, WAIALUA............     96
EVENING. OUTSIDE HONOLULU HARBOR..I. 1o8
AN HAWAIIAN WOMAN OF EARLIER DAYS.... 124
REVEREND JAMES KAUHANE. TEACHER, CHRISTIAN
MINISTER, STATESMAN......... 170
NAPALI COAST, ISLAND OF KAUAI........ 236




I
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i




INTRODUCTION


THE American Board's mission began its work in
the Hawaiian Islands in 1820. The central figure
of this book, the Rev. John S. Emerson, a New
Hampshire man and a graduate of Dartmouth College and of Andover Seminary, arrived in Hawaii
in 1832 and continued in active service until 1867.
His son, the Rev. Oliver P. Emerson, who writes
this sketch, was born on the island of Maui and is
a graduate of Williams College and of Andover
Seminary.
The single lifetime of the father covered a large
part of the period of the advance of the native people from savagery. Many accepted the Christian
religion and received western education, and a measure of responsible government was achieved. At
the time of John S. Emerson's death, the Islands
constituted one of the promising small communities
in the world, and in all this work he had had a
decisive part.
He belonged to the generation of American missionaries, pioneers, who seemed to be able to turn
their hand to anything. One has only to recall the
two Binghams in the Islands, or Cyrus Hamlin and
Washburn and Riggs in Constantinople, or Blodgett
xi




xii           INTRODUCTION
and Sheffield in Peking, or Davis and Gordon and
Greene in Japan. Men of far greater vocational
training in modern times have shown far less initiative, versatility and power of adaptation. Problems of scholarship and education, of agriculture
and industry, of diplomatic contacts in delicate situations, not to speak of moral discipline and religious
inspiration, have been solved by these men with
practical common sense and pure devotion. There
is no more interesting chapter in the history of our
American island dependencies than is contained in
this book.
By a strange and yet natural fortune, the son,
Oliver P. Emerson, after a happy ministry in this
country, was called back to the Hawaiian Islands in
1888. By that time conditions which looked so
promising twenty years earlier had become most difficult. The immigration of foreigners was increasing. The aboriginal people were declining both in
numbers and vigor. The competition of nations for
leadership, the influence of unscrupulous foreigners
who wished to exploit the islands, a mistaken policy
of the American Board in withdrawing from the
field to a great extent, together with the decline of
morals during the corrupt reign of Kalakaua, in consequence of which there was a waning of religious
'fervor among the natives, caused many to feel that
a return to paganism and worse was imminent. It
was to be a main figure in resisting these tendencies




INTRODUCTION                  xiii
that Oliver Emerson was called back to the Islands,
and to this task he gave himself for seventeen years.
It is of the work of his father's generation that
he tells and few men are so well fitted to tell it. It
is my hope that this personal testimony to the history
of almost a hundred years may be preserved and
that it will be read by many who have little idea
what the remarkable development of these islands
cost.
EDWARD C. MOORE.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 15, 1928.




I




CHAPTER I


WHO WERE THE PIONEERS?
OUT in the deep waters of the Pacific, just within
the tropics, two thousand miles from  San
Francisco, lie the beautiful, mountainous, isolated
Hawaiian Islands. There is a theory that they are
the tops of high volcanic mountains, the bases of
which are thousands of feet below the level of the
sea. Eight of the islands are habitable, while the
rest are bare rocky islets, most of them lying far to
the northwest. The largest island, Hawaii, which
gives the name to the group, and on which are the
active volcanoes, and mountains rising nearly fourteen thousand feet above sea level, has an area a
little less than that of the state of Connecticut, while
Oahu, on which is Honolulu, the principal seaport,
has only about half the area of the state of Rhode
Island. Great stretches of impenetrable forests,
mountain fastnesses, volcanic ridges, gulches and
precipices, comprise most of the surface of the six
larger islands, but there is much arable land capable
of cultivation.
No one knows when these islands were first inhabited, but it was probably more than a thousand
1




2      PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
years ago. The people who then made their homes
in this "Paradise of the Pacific" were Polynesians,
and undoubtedly came from either Tahiti or Samoa,
as the Hawaiians, the Society Islanders or Tahitians,
the Samoans, the Marquesans and the Maoris of
New Zealand, scattered over a distance of 4000
miles, have similar languages, customs and traditions, quite distinct from those of other groups of
the Pacific. The ancestors of these kindred peoples
were probably Aryans and possibly came in a remote
past from Southern Asia, making successive migrations, and coming at last to the Hawaiian Islands.
They were experienced voyagers, and in their double
canoes, made by lashing together two single canoes,
they made voyages of thousands of miles without
chart or compass, guided only by the stars and their
knowledge of the winds and tides. Indeed in this
daring quest of over 2200 miles to Hawaii, they
could only have encountered occasional barren rocky
islets, where sea-birds congregate and make their
nests.
The finely formed, statuesque Hawaiians with
their tanned skin, straight black hair and friendly
eyes, are attractive and gracious.  They built
thatched huts and had their own arts, making with
tools of volcanic rocks, bones or coral, their canoes,
war and domestic implements, and calabashes for
food. They wove useful baskets and mats from
pandanus and palm leaves and beat hibiscus bark
into tapa coverings. With a warm and equable




WHO WERE THE PIONEERS?


3


climate and a rich soil they were not driven to hard
labor or great exertion. Being a primitive people
their ideas of family life were crude and faulty.
The islands became well populated and were governed by chiefs who, if powerful enough, might attain kingly rule. The religion was one of idolatry
and the use of fetishes and ceremonials. The priests
were kahunas, who, with the chiefs or kings, exercised control by an elaborate tabu system which with
oppressive, meaningless rituals, ordinances, regulations and penalties, often of death, handicapped the
lives and liberties of all, reducing the common
people to serfdom.
A common person must crawl in the presence of a
high chief, it was tabu to touch him or even cross
his shadow. Women were especially restricted, it
was tabu for them to eat bananas, cocoanuts, certain
fish or pork. A Hawaiian dwelling of the better
class consisted of several huts, two of which, that
for the family idols and the one in which the men
ate, it was tabu for the women to enter, on pain of
death. Men and women were never allowed to eat
together, or even to have their food cooked in the
same oven.
There were many tabus relating to ceremonials
and many occasions and periods when no one must
leave his hut or light a fire and when no sound must
be heard, even the dogs must be muzzled and fowls
shut up under calabashes. But the saddest part of
this heathenish cult was the tyranny which the




4      PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
kahunas exercised over the lives of the people by
working on their superstitious fears.
Comparative peace and prosperity seems to have
reigned, however, until about 1450, when, according
to Judge Fornander, whose "Polynesian Race" is
considered an authority, there began an era of strife,
internal and external wars on each island with all
the dire consequences of anarchy, depopulation and
degradation.
There is evidence that Spaniards touched at these
islands in the 16th century, but it was Captain
James Cook, the English explorer, who in 1778 first
brought the Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands, as he
named them in honor of Lord Sandwich, his patron,
to the knowledge of the outside world. Later, in
the spirit of adventure, came English, French and
American traders and whalers, bringing in many instances intoxicating liquor and disease which added
their demoralizing influences.
Some of these men were, however, of different
character. Preeminent was Captain Vancouver, a
distinguished official of Great Britain commissioned
to make a survey of the Northwest Coast of
America and to receive certain concessions from
Spain. He visited the Hawaiian Islands several
times, greatly to their advantage, introducing cattle,
sheep and goats, orange trees, grape-vines and other
useful plants. He sought to establish peace between
the chiefs, advising them wisely and refusing to furnish them with firearms.




WHO WERE THE PIONEERS?


5


It was at this period that Kamehameha, the most
noted ruler of the Islands was coming into power.
This able chief was the nephew of King Kalaniopuu
of the island of Hawaii, who appointed as his successor and King, his son Kiwalao, placing Kamehameha at the head of the tabu system and in charge
of the famous conch shell, the ancestral war god,
Kukailimoku. But soon after the death of Kalaniopuu in 1782, certain powerful chieftains invited
Kamehameha to their leadership in opposition to
Kiwalao. This proposal he accepted, preferring the
role of a king to that of a high priest, and when
Kiwalao was killed in battle Kamehameha's conquests began, ending finally in his becoming in 1794
king of the entire group with the exception of the
island of Kauai, which acknowledged his sovereignty
a few years later.
Vancouver was especially helpful to this active
and successful chief and warrior, the first king of the
Hawaiian Islands, always called Kamehameha I.
He advised him as to the discipline of his troops,
the management of his kingdom and intercourse
with foreigners, and strongly recommended to his
confidence John Young and Isaac Davis, two able
seamen who had become residents and who proved
of great service to Kamehameha in his conquests,
handling his artillery and thus giving him a great
advantage over his opponents. In return they were
treated with great consideration, were presented
with valuable lands and raised to the rank of chiefs,




6      PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
John Young being finally appointed governor of the
large island of Hawaii.
They and a few other white settlers more than a
century ago helped the natives to come into touch
in a crude way with our civilization; perhaps the
most marked change made by them was the introduction of iron tools. Their disbelief in idolatry
and superstition helped to bring about the final
abandonment of the tabu system, which occurred a
few months after the death of Kamehameha I, at
the beginning of the reign of his youthful and weak
son, King Liholiho, Kamehameha II. The disapproval of the foreigners to the tabu system and perhaps their sneers, its harshness in the treatment of
women, roused the opposition to it of the powerful
regent Kaahumanu and her associates, especially the
courageous chieftess Kapiolani. These two women
combined their efforts, and with the consent of the
great kahuna and high priest Hewahewa, the young
king was persuaded to break the tabu and the women
and the king ate together the prohibited fish and
fruit.
When the tabu was thus violated by the rulers
themselves, the cry was raised: "The tabu is broken,
the tabu is broken!" Unrestrained license ensued,
and for a time pandemonium seemed to have broken
loose; the high priest himself led in profaning the
sanctuaries and destroying the idols.  But this
heathen cult was too deeply rooted to be given up
without a struggle and a large body of chiefs, priests




WHO WERE THE PIONEERS?


7


and common people rallied around the brave and
popular young chief Kekuaokalani, who was indignant at this desecration. A battle was fought in its
defense and lost, followed by further license and
profanity. The frightful, hated idols were thrown
down, buried, hidden away in caves or cast into the
ocean. The white men had thought the tabu system
bad enough, but this license was worse and the need
of some restraint was sorely felt.
At this crisis, in April, 1820, the brig Thaddeus
sailed into the harbor of Kailua with the first band
of American missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands.
A council of chiefs was held to consider the advisability of letting them come ashore. Vancouver's
promise to send English missionaries had not been
fulfilled. John Young and Isaac Davis gave their
votes in favor, saying: "These men from abroad
bring the faith which has made England and
America great," and permission was granted to the
strangers to land.
Following this first company came many others,
and thus the happy privilege of leading the Hawaiian people toward building their lives and their state
on a Christian civilization, fell to the brave missionary pioneers, who for more than twenty-five
years kept coming from the homeland to teach the
Hawaiians a better self-control than the tabu system
and a more satisfying worship than that of idols.
The story of the winning of these islands by this
little group of sturdy and devoted men and women,




8      PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
mostly from New England, who braved the long
perilous voyage around Cape Horn, and then competed for the leadership of this impressionable
native race with ships' companies of many nations,
who brought trade in seductive and ruinous formsthis story of pioneer life and of laying the foundations of a state in Mid-Pacific, is a romance. It is
to tell of the times, surroundings and experiences of
one family of this band that the following pages are
written.




CHAPTER II


EARLY LIFE OF TWO OF THE
PIONEERS
Chester and the Nelson Hills
T   HE fifth band of American missionaries arrived at Honolulu from New Bedford, Massachusetts, in the bark Averick on the 17th of May,
1832, and among them were my father and mother,
John S. Emerson and his bride Ursula Sophia
Newell Emerson.
My father was born December 28, 1800, in the
fine old town of Chester, New Hampshire, the home
of his ancestors; his grandfather, Samuel Emerson,
being one of its noted early settlers, and his father,
Captain John Emerson, a revolutionary soldier.
Captain John inherited from his father the farm of
300 acres, and in 1798 built on rising ground the
substantial Colonial house, still standing in a good
state of preservation.
During his boyhood my father worked on the
farm, and, like many New England boys of that
time, studied during the long winter evenings, working over his Latin grammar by the light of pine
9




10     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
knots which blazed in the large fireplace of his
happy boyhood home. As one of a wide-awake
family of two brothers and six sisters, three of
whom married notable men of the day, he received
a stimulus and training which proved very helpful
to him in after life.
At the age of eighteen he left home and devoted
himself to preparing for college, graduating from
Dartmouth in 1826, one of the honor men of his
class and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
He was then appointed headmaster of Moore's
Charity School, an institution which fitted students
for Dartmouth and was closely connected with the
College. This position he held for a year, at the
same time attending lectures in the Dartmouth
Medical School, a course of study which proved
most valuable to him in after life. In 1827 he resigned from the Moore School to enter Andover
Theological Seminary and study for the ministry.
It was during the last part of the eighteenth century and the first part of the nineteenth that Protestant churches, especially in England, Scotland and
The Netherlands, began to be interested in foreign
missions. From 1790 to 1800 two missionary societies were formed in England, one in Scotland and
one in Holland, and early in the new century several
more were organized, each leading denomination
beginning to send men into foreign fields. This
interest in missions soon crossed the Atlantic, and
societies sprang into being in the United States and




TWO OF THE PIONEERS               11
began active work. The first of these, the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, was
formed in 1810, Mills and Newell of "Haystack"
fame having initiated the movement. Following
their lead many distinguished men were sent to Turkey, India and Africa, and in 1819 Asa Thurston,
Hiram Bingham and others were sent as the first
band of missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands.
The interest of the American Board in Hawaii
was awakened by the life of an earnest Hawaiian
boy named Opukahaia. About the year 1808 Captain Brintnall, an American sea captain visiting
Hawaii, became interested in three or four Hawaiian boys and engaged them as seamen, one of them
being Opukahaia, an orphan whose parents and
brother had been brutally killed in one of the wars
between the Hawaiian chiefs. On the arrival of
his vessel in New York Captain Brintnall invited
him to his home in New Haven, and though only a
boy of fourteen he showed a great desire for an
education; in fact, Rev. Edwin W. Dwight found
him one day weeping on the steps of one of the college buildings because he saw no way of satisfying this desire. Mr. Dwight kindly became his instructor and brought him to the notice of Mills and
his colleagues; and he, with six other Hawaiians,
were among the first pupils of the school at Cornwall, Connecticut, which was established for the
suitable education of boys from non-Christian lands.
Opukahaia studied for the ministry, earnestly hop



12     PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
ing to return to his countrymen and tell them of the
true God. His death in February, 1818, roused a
general interest in his people, and in October, 1819,
this first band of missionaries, consisting of two
clergymen and five laymen with their wives, accompanied by four Hawaiian boys from the Cornwall
school, embarked at Boston for Hawaii. During
the subsequent twenty-five years eleven successive
companies followed them, my father and mother
being, as I have stated, in the fifth company.
In going out to Hawaii to spread the knowledge
of Christian truth, these men and women did not
have any fixed idea of permanent settlement or of
founding an American colony. Their aims were
spiritual. They did not leave home because their
lives were cramped, they did not go to escape persecution or to enjoy larger liberties, they did not go
to seek fortunes; theirs was a religious venture, they
went at the command of Him who said, "Go ye and
make disciples of all nations." The lovable Hawaiian people adopted them as their spiritual leaders,
and they in turn took the Hawaiians into their hearts
and became loyal subjects of that island kingdom.
But they did found what was called sixty years ago
by our ambassador to China, Anson P. Burlingame,
"the only American Colony," and in course of time
the closest relations were won by them between
Hawaii and the United States. In short, they, together with other Americans and Englishmen, laid




TWO OF THE PIONEERS


13


the foundations of the new territory which is now a
part of our nation.
My mother was Ursula Sophia Newell of Nelson,
New Hampshire, a lovely young woman of twentyfive when she married my father in the Nelson parsonage on the 25th of October, 1831. Her father,
Rev. Gad Newell, was pastor of this picturesque hill
town of southern New Hampshire, and she was his
only daughter. She came rightly by her active,
sympathetic nature, for he was full of nerve and
was well known as a man of strong conviction and
of fine, generous feeling.
He was born in 1763 in Southington, Connecticut,
and his ancestors were among its early settlers. He
graduated from Yale College in 1785, was settled
over the Nelson Church in 1794, and in 1795
married Sophia Clapp of East Hampton, Massachusetts, a descendant of Roger Clapp. Here in
Nelson my grandfather and grandmother spent the
rest of their lives, and after 1840, when his wife
died, here Gad Newell worked on with neither wife
nor daughter till his death in 1859, in his ninetysixth year. The manual of the Nelson Church, published in 1858, says of him, "Mr. Newell is still
living, and although in his ninety-fifth year he regularly attends church, frequently leads in prayer, and
conducts the service when the minister is absent.
Age has done comparatively little as yet to impair
his activity. His countenance is as fresh and he




14     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
walks as spry as a man of sixty and his voice is as
loud and as free from trembling as any minister of
my acquaintance."
The town of Nelson, called Packersfield before
the Revolution, is ten miles northeast of Keene, and
the township is known there as "The Nelson Hills."
The fine scenery from the heights which guard the
village, of mountains and hills, lakes and forests,
repays one for a climb and makes it a chosen spot
for summer residents.
In writing of the early settlers of Nelson, Rev.
George L. Cady says, "Surely in some way the
granite of the hills, or the granite of their pastor's
faith, got into their veins, for this town of Nelson
sent about one hundred and seventy-five men into
the War of the Revolution and only a few less into
the Civil War." Mr. Henry Melville, a New York
lawyer and a loyal son of Nelson, has found from a
recent study of the town records, that one hundred
and twenty-four men and boys, born or sometime
resident in the town of Nelson, answered as volunteers the call to arms for the preservation of the
Union, I86I-I865. Among that people there were
no slackers to hold back when duty called to join the
fight against a great evil. Again quoting Dr. Cady,
"All over you can see the cellar holes on most impossible hilltops, with nothing but stones and trees
to greet your eyes, where once lived those strong
souls who gave their lives willingly to their country
and their God."




TWO OF THE PIONEERS


15


There were no great reforms looming up in New
England at the time of my mother's girlhood; the
anti-slavery cause, in which in later years her
brother, Dr. Oliver Pomeroy Newell, took intense
interest, came afterwards. Perhaps that which most
deeply stirred the earnest men and women of that
time was the temperance reform.
The customs with regard to the use of liquor a
hundred and a hundred and fifty years ago seem
incredible to us of the present day. I have many
times heard my mother say that when she was a
little girl she would sometimes have to go to the
grocery store to get a quart of rum for the minister
who was exchanging for a Sunday with her father,
and I have been told on good authority that for the
collation which was served at the time of the dedication of the old Packersfield Church, long before
my grandfather's day, such a quantity of liquor was
furnished for the townspeople and guests, that a
special detail of police was ordered to preserve
decorum and suppress any undue hilarity which
might arise. Though at the time of the temperance
reform my grandfather pushed for abstinence, it is
family tradition that only a few years earlier, his
brother Pomeroy, twenty years his senior, "a much
respected deacon of the Southington Church, once,
at the close of a game, led in a race across a field
and over a five-barred fence to Chauncy Dunham's
tavern to get a glass of his favorite flip." Those
were days when it took considerable decision of




16     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
character to face the convivial tendencies of society
and frown upon them.
In this active little town the minister's daughter
Ursula grew up. She was a favorite with all and
the light of her father's eyes, efficient, quick, ready
to put her hands to anything, even to milking the
cow or harnessing the horse. Her skill with her
needle is still shown in an elaborate sampler wrought
in childhood, and a dainty christening dress which
she made in Hawaii for one of her babies, preserved
among the centenary treasures of Honolulu. As a
student she had a high record at Pembroke and
Bradford Academies, graduating from the latter in
1830.
While my father was a student at Andover and
my mother at Bradford they became engaged, and
decided to make the cause of foreign missions their
life work. Among my father's classmates at Andover was William Schauffler, who became a distinguished missionary in Turkey, and doubtless these
two young men had many talks with regard to the
career they were planning to follow. Later, in their
chosen fields of work, they were antipodes, one at
Constantinople and the other at Hawaii, but the
strong friendship remained unbroken and my father
named his second son William Schauffler.
After graduating from Andover my father was
appointed by the American Board to visit certain
districts of New England, in order to awaken interest in foreign missions among the churches. He




TWO OF THE PIONEERS


17


travelled in a gig through New Hampshire, and in
Massachusetts as far as Cape Cod and Martha's
Vineyard, taking about a year for the tour and meeting with considerable success and varied experiences.
In a letter written to my mother from Truro,
Massachusetts, I find, "Foreign missionary efforts in
most places in this part of the country are disregarded, but sometimes interest can be aroused. A
few women teachers have given five dollars apiece
and some of the men have made quarterly contributions. I found in the box of my carriage a letter
containing a five dollar bill with this note, 'It is the
humble wish of the giver that this, or the value of it,
may be reserved for the benefit of the first female
convert from heathenism whom you may find suffering loss or affliction for Christ's sake. (Signed) A
sinner.' Such things are deeply interesting. But
while I find a few thus moved, there are many who
are simply indifferent. A deacon of a church in
----   the other day refused to attend the meeting because I was to preach about 'this stuff.' The
man never gave anything for any benevolent object
except once, and that was through a mistake. I
called on him, dined with him, and had a long talk,
carefully explaining the matter and telling him the
principles of the gospel. He assented to all I said,
and at the close I asked if a man could be a Christian and not give for such a cause. He was obviously in some trouble-he loved his money and yet
he was in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to




18     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
keep his money and still get to heaven. I did not
ask him to contribute, but at length he came forward
of his own accord and gave me some money which I
promised should be acknowledged to his credit in
the Missionary Herald. It appeared to be given
cheerfully, the amount was twelve and a half cents.
Here you see a great soul I O what a place Heaven
would be, filled with such spirits as his 1"
My father's first interest in foreign missions
centered in Ceylon, where his sister, Mrs. Woodward, and her husband were stationed, but the growing importance of the work in the Hawaiian Islands
turned his steps thither, and after the year of New
England touring he was asked to start for Hawaii
as soon as possible after his marriage.
In leaving her home my mother doubtless realized
that she was saying a long good-bye to her father
and mother and friends. After the wedding party
her father led her to the carriage on the hillside,
waved his adieus to her as she drove away with her
husband, and then turned back into the lonely house
to hide his emotion.
So these two went forth from their native land to
fulfill their chosen mission, not knowing the country
to which they were going. During the remaining
years of my grandfather's ministry, my mother's
letters telling of her experiences were read aloud by
him from his pulpit on Sunday. Father and daughter
never met again. He died in 1859, just a year before she and my father, after twenty-eight years of




:t




........ -- "




TWO OF THE PIONEERS               19
service, were permitted to return home on a furlough.
To perpetuate the memory of him who had been
their honored pastor for over half a century, the
people of Nelson raised a granite shaft over his
grave. The girl who left her home to minister to
untutored islanders lived as a heroine in their memory for many years, and seven of the friends she left
behind had each a little daughter named Ursula.
"And far across the hills they went
In that new world which is the old."




CHAPTER III


ON   THE ATLANTIC         TO RIO DE
JANEIRO
JTHE whaleship Averick, commanded by Captain
Swain, set sail from New Bedford for Hawaii
on Saturday the 26th of November, 1831, with a
company of nineteen missionaries as passengers. It
stopped at Rio de Janeiro for repairs, touched at
the island of Juan Fernandez, and finally entered
the port of Honolulu on the 17th of May, 1832.
The voyage of almost six months by way of Cape
Horn was an eventful one. Stormy weather was
encountered at once and the ship was almost wrecked
on Block Island. In his journal which he sent to his
brother Samuel Emerson of Moultonboro, my
father gave a graphic account of his experiences.
"Ship 'Averick,' Tuesday, November 29, 1831.
Three days at sea. Ursula and I left Nelson October 25th and embarked on board the Averick November 26th. The constant habit of parting with
friends during the past five or six weeks rendered
the final parting at New Bedford much less painful
to us than many former ones. Several of our friends
20




ON THE ATLANTIC


21


accompanied us in a sloop to the ship, which lay off
in the stream. Making our last adieus, as we consider for life, anchor was hoisted and we were soon
under fair sail between the Elizabeth Islands and
Martha's Vineyard and toward the open sea. We
went at once to our small stateroom, which was
accessible only over boxes, bags and barrels, and
began stowing away our goods as rapidly as possible, for very soon half of our number were in
their berths overcome by seasickness.
"During the night the wind increased to a gale
and continued unabated, part of the time rising to
fury. Several hundred boxes, barrels, bags and
trunks lay loose on deck, in the cabin, steerage and
staterooms, and were heard dashing about as
though in controversy. Sabbath morning all were
sick, few cared for food, no one felt able to move,
and those who attempted it were compelled to climb
over impedimenta at the risk of broken bones.
Night came, the wind increased, and our ship was
tossed upon the proud and scornful waves. Our
baggage seemed to take to itself wings and fly here
and there under no control; indeed we considered
ourselves fortunate if we escaped being hit. But in
the midst of it all no one appeared to be alarmed,
for each felt that God was at the helm. Monday
morning the Captain said that the sailors, thirty in
number, were all sick except five or six experienced
seamen. Everything about us looked like destruction-broken dishes, broken bottles of preserves,




22     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
etc., put up by friends, all dashed to pieces. But
before long to our relief the sun came out, our ship
which lay hove to all night was put off again before
the wind, and some of us felt better.
"Friday, December 2d, Latitude 34~. We have
been in a gale of wind almost constantly since we
sailed. On Tuesday evening just after closing my
last entry in my journal, the wind rose again to a
raging gale, and the ship again lay hove to all night
and most of the next day; indeed we have been compelled to lay to not less than four or five times since
leaving port. On Wednesday everything in the ship
seemed topsyturvy, you would have smiled to see
what a picture of wretchedness we presented-we
could but smile at ourselves. Toward night, however, a few of us felt enough better to really enjoy
the scene of a tumultuous ocean, and on Thursday,
which was Thanksgiving Day, we felt that we had
occasion to be thankful that we were all safe. About
ten o'clock in the morning we saw a wreck about
three miles ahead of us. The Captain made directly
for it and found it to be the Corsair of Charleston,
South Carolina. It had a bale or two of cotton
lashed on deck, but its mainmast and most of its
foremast were gone; all the crew had probably
perished in the gale which we rode out, and owing
to the high seas the Captain did not board the ship.
"Last night our ship trembled and rolled, and we
were again tossed violently to and fro, but today it




ON THE ATLANTIC


23


has been more quiet and the sailors have been attempting to 'slick up' a little, all our loose articles
having been taken on deck to dry and be repacked.
A little past noon we spoke the ship Rochester,
bound to New York, and asked to be reported, 'Six
days at sea and all well.' In the midst of our confusion and seasickness the Captain has treated us
with the utmost kindness, like a brother, and we
hope to enjoy his society as we go on our way.
"Sunday, December 4th. This morning the main
topsail was torn away by the violence of the wind
and the seamen have been busy all day bending on
another. Nearly half of our number are down
again, so our plan of holding services was given up.
"December 6th, Latitude 32~. Today our ship
rides with more steadiness. The wind is now bearing us under full sail directly on our course, southwest by south, and we are probably not less than
fourteen hundred miles from Boston. While on
deck this evening, watching the rush of our ship
through the waves, the sparkle of those phosphoric
animalculae, so often seen in the lower latitudes, was
very brilliant; it seemed as if the ocean were bespangled with shining stars like the sky above.
"December 7th. Eleven days at sea. Nearly all
of us are now well. Our clothing, much of which
has been wet or damp for eight or nine days, is dry.
One of the ladies made some cakes for supper, and
we ate the first meal that I have fully relished since




24     PIONEER DAYS IN        HAWAII
we left New Bedford. We begin now to feel in
good spirits.
"December 13th. Our progress for the last five
or six days has been rather slow. There is some
chance of our touching at the Cape Verde Islands
to get oil for lighting purposes, as our lamps are
now burning butter. We lament the loss of our oil
which was washed overboard during the storm and
we are compelled to be much in the dark; but the
sacrifice of our butter, which burns quite well, is no
great trial, as it is intolerably rancid and unfit for
the table.
"Last Sabbath for the first time we held public
worship on deck, brother Spaulding preached and
the Captain and part of the crew were present.
After the service the ladies and the Captain formed
a Bible class led by one of our number; another man
made arrangements for a class with the mates and
boat-steerers, and I went to the forecastle and secured a class of six or seven sailors. I am much
interested and hope for good results if I have the
wisdom to manage the class properly.
"About twenty-four hours after leaving New Bedford we entered the Gulf Stream, which helped us
till we arrived in latitude 17~. Shortly after this
we fell into the northeast trade wind which continued till yesterday. After passing southward four
to eight degrees more we shall be in the southeast
trade wind. This region of rain and sunshine, calms
and squalls, which extends a few degrees each side




ON THE ATLANTIC


25


of the equator and is where the northern and southern trade winds meet, is called the 'swamps.' This
evening we caught a porpoise, a part of which was
served for supper, tasting somewhat like venison.
The blubber yielded about a gallon of oil.
"December 31st. Last Saturday, two days after
securing the porpoise, we fell in with a school of
whales and captured two of them. That afternoon,
Sunday and Monday were spent in trying out the
blubber, about forty barrels of sperm oil being secured, so now we have enough for all our needs.
During the past week we have seen much that was
interesting-sharks, dolphins, albicores, skipjacks
and two or three water-spouts.
"On Wednesday, while the ship lay in a dead
calm, the Captain proposed that we should go into
the water with him for a swim. Three of us jumped
into the boat, rowed off half a mile from the ship
and, leaving the boat with one of our number, the
rest of us were soon in the water. In three or four
minutes one man jumped back into the boat, the
Captain following, and immediately the cry was
raised, 'A shark is close byl' I was in the water
alone, but so near the boat that by making immediate effort I was with help in half a minute safe
aboard. The shark was coming straight for me and
as I sprang into the boat passed directly under me.
The Captain caught up his lance and killed the
monster. Those so inclined had the rest of their




26     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
swim unmolested, but I declined to make any further
attempt and spent the time in reflection."
I find in my mother's journal under date of
December 26th:
"Today for the first time we have had thunder
and lightning, and I have been interested in the
phenomenon I have often heard of but never seen
before, a water-spout, about two miles away. It
rose like spray in a conical form to the height of
several feet, and then for several feet was almost
invisible, until upon the cloud above we saw it enlarged, a curving stream of white vapor. I watched
it for several minutes before it broke and disappeared.
"December 29th. We are almost becalmed but
have frequent showers and I have been able to catch
some water and wash out a few articles. I have felt
no privation more than the lack of plenty of fresh
water. While sick I thought it would cure me to
have a good drink from father's well.
"January 2, 1832. We have crossed the equator
and are now in the trade winds, proceeding with
tolerable rapidity. While in the swamps we had
no regular trade wind, very little wind of any kind,
and the air was intolerably oppressive. Our stateroom has no opening except the door and is almost
as hot as an oven. In pleasant weather we are on
deck most of the time under an awning which the




ON THE ATLANTIC


27


Captain has put up for us, and several nights my
husband and some of the other men have slept on
deck; sometimes when I awake almost suffocated, I
too jump up and run on deck just to get a good
breath.
"January 4th. I wish, my dear parents, you
could have seen what we saw this morning-immense shoals of flying fish. They have beautiful
fin-shaped, silvery wings and rise from the water,
flying near its surface for quite a distance, sometimes flying on deck, where we have a chance to see
them close at hand. They are a hapless fish, having
no peace in sea or air. Dolphins pursue them in the
water and when they fly, sea gulls are quick to seize
and devour them. This morning large flocks of
gulls were seen in every direction hovering upon the
surface of the water, and as the sun shone upon them
and the silvery wings of these little fish, it was a
brilliant picture. A number of dolphins were caught
the other morning, and made a fine meal for us.
They are about as large as shad and with their
varied hues are very beautiful. When taken from
the water they are sometimes of a beautiful shade
of green, but in dying they pass through the various
colors of the chameleon; some are of a silvery hue
at first and then change to sky blue or bright green.
The water seems literally alive with fish of almost
every kind.
"January 6th, 10~ S. Latitude. We now have a
brisk breeze bearing us along at the rate of seven




28     PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
and a half miles an hour. I am in good health and
spirits, and all of our ship's company were able to
sit at the table today, excepting Mrs. Lyman. Captain Swain has been examining the foremast and
finds it much decayed. He thinks it will not answer
to go around the stormy Cape and that we must
put into some port to make repairs, probably Rio de
Janeiro, where at the rate we are now sailing we
should arrive in a few days.
"Sunday, January 15th. Friday morning was the
first time we saw land distinctly, and I assure you
it was a pleasant sight after seeing nothing but sky
and water for seven weeks. Cape St. Thomas and
other high points of Brazil were first discovered.
When we came on deck yesterday morning the most
beautiful scenery of mountains and highlands a few
miles distant was before us. Such wild, majestic
grandeur I never saw equalled, and the scene was
constantly changing, only to disclose new beauties.
But toward night dark and heavy clouds rested upon
the summits of the mountains, vivid flashes of lightning streaking across them, and just after sunset a
severe tempest arose, the high wind being accompanied with torrents of rain, terrific thunder and
lightning. Until just before it began the sails were
all spread to the wind-in an instant all hands were
ordered to furl them to prepare the ship for the
storm, and for a few moments all was confusion.
You can hardly have an idea of it without expe



ON THE ATLANTIC


29


riencing the reality. But we safely weathered the
tempest and in a few hours were again on our way."
My father continues under the same date (Sunday).
"At sunrise this morning we were within a few
miles of the most romantic scenery I ever saw. I
could but gaze on it with intense interest. Soon we
entered the harbor, Sugarloaf on one side and Fort
St. Croix a little farther up on the other. The
mountains on both sides are imposing beyond anything I have ever seen, and seamen who have visited
most of the world's ports say this surpasses all
others. The mountains at the entrance of the harbor appear almost totally barren, but as we approached the city the verdure continually increased,
until on the hills and in the gardens in and about the
city one sees a paradise of luxuriance. All that
Stewart says about the scenery we have found to be
true, but his description when compared with the
reality appears almost commonplace. The harbor
is excellent, the shores bold and safe."
It was fifty days since they had left New Bedford
and the ship was detained at Rio de Janeiro about
three weeks. This gave the ship's company time to
recuperate and see this famous Atlantic seaport.
"January 17th. We have all been on shore today, spending the time shopping, visiting Castle




30     PIONEER     DAYS IN HAWAII
Hill, etc. At three o'clock, the usual hour, we dined
at a public house, kept by Mr. Johnson, an Englishman, and our company of seventeen, with Mr.
Briggs, captain of a ship from New Bedford, and
a few others, filled our table. Our bill of fare consisted of turkey, mutton, beef, chicken, ham, and fish
of a fine flavor, English potatoes, fresh cucumbers,
salad and water cresses, while for dessert we had
oranges, lemons, pineapples, mangoes and bananas,
all fresh from the trees, with wine and water to
drink. These fruits I assure you were treats to us
who but seven weeks ago left New England at the
beginning of an incipient North American winter.
"The ladies of our party attracted much attention; women ran to their windows and men looked
out from their stores to see us, and every half-naked
negro seemed astonished, for probably few ladies
had ever been seen walking unveiled with gentlemen
on the streets of Rio; indeed the native ladies are
seldom seen on the streets and never unveiled. After
breakfast the men put their women under lock and
key till business hours are over, when they return
to dine, and nothing is done by society people during
the rest of the day.
"Architecturally the city suffers in comparison
with others I have seen, most of the houses being
one or two stories high, covered with a kind of tile
made of sun-burned clay. In passing along the
streets one of the first things we noted was the
appearance of the slaves, who constitute two thirds




ON THE ATLANTIC


31


of the one hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand inhabitants of this great seaport. Most of
them are half naked, and some of them are entirely
so; some wear a pair of tan drawers reaching from
the hips to the knees and a loose tan shirt which
hangs over them, but the upper garment is usually
dispensed with. Their work is regulated by a tune
which enables them to keep exact time. They row
by a tune, carry burdens by a tune, and much else.
It consists of only two or three loud shrill notes
which sound very savage and in which all join. They
carry their burdens on their heads. The bags of
coffee which they bear in this way weigh not less
than a hundred and fifty or two hundred pounds;
the water firkins, also carried on their heads, hold
about three bucketfuls. Some of the slaves appear
to be very wretched, or look sick, while others seem
cheerful and even gay. Many of their masters send
them into the streets in the morning to earn what
they can, and at close of day they must bring in a
certain sum, a shilling or two, at the peril of a
whipping. They supply their own food and clothing, hammock and lodging-place without the aid of
their masters."




CHAPTER IV


FROM    RIO   DE   JANEIRO      TO
HONOLULU
T   HE Averick sailed from Rio de Janeiro on
February 3d and again encountered rough
weather which lasted several weeks. On February
21st my father writes:
"This is the first time I have been able to continue
my journal since we left Rio. Eight days ago we
came on the Brazil Banks, so called, and here we
have been with but little change of place ever since,
the wind blowing a gale almost constantly, and the
motion of the ship intolerable. Ursula has been
confined to her bed four days, prostrated and without appetite. Her recovery is retarded by the tossing of the ship day and night, for it requires constant
effort on her part to hold herself in bed, as her berth
is much of the time as far from horizontal as the
roof of a New England barn.
"March 29th, Latitude 33~, Longitude 79~. We
are now in pleasant weather, and the thermometer
registers 70~. For over six weeks I have been
almost constantly at Ursula's bedside; for four
32




TO HONOLULU


33


weeks a watch was necessary every night, half of
which I took. She is now better, able to take a little
nourishment and sit up for half an hour each day.
Had the voyage around Cape Horn been as boisterous as it often is, my dear companion would have
suffered exceedingly, if indeed she had survived the
trip."
Many weeks later, when my mother was able to
take up her journal again, she writes:
"Although during the first three weeks after the
beginning of my illness we were in a constant gale,
yet our passage around Cape Horn, the point so
much dreaded by mariners for tempests and storms,
was remarkably smooth and pleasant. It took us
only about twenty days to go from Staten Island on
the east side of the Cape to 45~ South Latitude in
the Pacific. Many ships have been detained in making this distance thirty, fifty and sometimes sixty
days, besides having tremendous storms, head winds
and extremely cold weather. We did not suffer from
cold, and after passing Staten Island, where we were
detained a week by head winds, the wind was but
little of the time boisterous. Captain Swain said he
had never had so fine a passage around the Cape."
On Sunday, April 1st, my father wrote:
"Today we had services on deck for the first time
since approaching and rounding Cape Horn. It was




34     PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
my turn to officiate and a few of the sailors were
present. The Captain and one or more of the mates
attend regularly, and at the evening service there
were more sailors, but they are such cowards that
few dare come in broad daylight lest they be laughed
at, and so prefer to come in the dark."
By the evening of April 2d they were off the
eastern side of the island of Juan Fernandez. I will
quote in part my mother's description, though
written a month later.
"The island of Juan Fernandez is thirteen miles
long and four wide, a high and precipitous mountain
of volcanic rock. The ridges appear to be covered
with trees almost to the top of the mountain, the
valleys between them are thickly wooded, and were
the place inhabited by enterprising people it might
be very fruitful. It is to Chile what Botany Bay is
to England, a place of banishment for criminals.
The Governor, a Spaniard, holds possession of the
island for ten years as compensation for money
loaned to the government of Chile. He seems to
feel his importance and is styled king, but lives in
idleness, spending his time in smoking and drinking,
while the moral condition of the inhabitants is truly
deplorable. They have a schoolhouse but very little
instruction and few have any inclination to learn to
read; they are nominally Roman Catholics and have
three priests, one of the caves being fitted up with




TO HONOLULU


35


pictures and images of rudest workmanship as the
temple for their worship."
My father writes:
"On the morning of April 3d the gentlemen of
our ship's company were taken in boats to the only
settlement of the island, which is on the northeastern
side, while the ship lay off and on. The village
contains about twenty-five houses, occupied by the
Governor and eighty soldiers who are his life-guard.
Besides these houses there are thirteen caves dug
into the side of the mountain, occupied by the convicts, of whom there are about a hundred men and
eighty women.
"As soon as we landed we went directly to the
Governor's house, which has two stories, the lower
one without a floor and a receptacle for everything.
Upstairs, where we found the Governor and Captain at dinner, we were received with considerable
formality, invited to partake of wine and whiskey
and then to be seated around the table for the
repast, which we could not decline with civility.
"After visiting the prisoners in the caves, many
of whom were sick and in a pitiful condition, the
party made an excursion inland. The Governor
provided us with a guide, who led us up a ravine
between two spurs of the mountain, in search of
fruit. Our course lay along a small stream of fine
water which we could see only a few rods in advance,




36     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
so winding was its course and so precipitous in many
places its fall. The banks of the stream were covered with vegetation. Wherever a bit of earth
lodges there springs forth spontaneously a tree or
shrub, an herb or tuft of grass. The first herb that
I recognized was spring mint, perfectly resembling
that which grows in my father's swamp in Chester.
Tons of it could easily have been gathered. I also
found a quantity of balm, and radishes of superior
quality. Grass was abundant but did not strike me
as being equal to our New England clover, although
the sheep that fed on it were of good size and in
good condition.
"But what caught my particular attention were
the quince and peach trees, especially the latter,
growing abundantly in the clefts of the rocks and
among trees and shrubs of every sort. At first we
found that most of the fruit had been picked, but as
we proceeded up the valley we found more and of a
better quality and were encouraged to continue our
tramp, though the fatigue was excessive to us who
after nine weeks of shipboard had almost lost the
power of walking steadily on land. Some of the
party gave out and returned, but the rest of us
pushed on for an hour or more, until we came to
where peaches were so abundant, that though our
strength to carry them was almost gone, we gathered from a peck to half a bushel apiece before
making our way back to the shore.




TO HONOLULU


37


"On finding that the Captain was to remain three
or four hours longer we undertook another ramble,
this time along the shore towards a ravine, in the
side of which is said to be the cave of Alexander
Selkirk, from which he looked in unenvied glory.
"'I am monarch of all I survey;
My right there is none to dispute.'
"You will remember that the story of his solitude
was the foundation of the tale of 'Robinson Crusoe.'
"On our way we saw myriads of crabs and shellfish sticking to the rocks, starfish, many about the
size of a saucer, and numerous specimens of small
voluta. The rocks on the shore bear marks of volcanic origin and are very porous; some were almost
light enough to float.
"I was much surprised at the exorbitant prices
people asked for what they had for sale, though
they would take nothing for any fruit we might
gather half a mile back of the village, considering
it free plunder. Their gardens, which from the
fertility of the soil might bloom like the garden of
Eden, are overrun with weeds and bear little but
that which grows spontaneously. In the mountain
region the much sought sandalwood is found, besides
the fruit trees. About sunset we all returned to the
ship, and were soon under sail and out of sight of
Juan Fernandez."




38     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
As a proof of the value of this short stop at Juan
Fernandez and the thoughtfulness of Captain Swain,
I find in my mother's journal:
"Besides the peaches and quinces, Mr. Emerson
brought me one little apple that the Governor gave
him. Some of our company procured some fine
onions and radishes. The Captain obtained a few
very fine mealy potatoes which were delicious, some
squashes and string beans, small portions of which
I was able to eat. You can hardly conceive how
reviving fresh vegetables are to persons who have
been deprived of them as long as we had been. The
peaches I could only eat stewed at first but they
made a refreshing sauce. The Captain bought also
some chickens which much benefited the sick ones;
but what I valued most of all were four eggs which
fell to my share of a dozen, and which furnished me
with four good meals. You would have smiled to
see how I enjoyed them."
From my father's journal:
"April 11th, South Latitude 16~, Longitude 91~.
During the last few days we have been sailing with
great rapidity, for we have fairly reached the southern trade winds. I have just been on deck to observe
the peculiarities of this southern hemisphere, and
the first thing that I noticed, when we came directly
under the moon's track, was the change in the position of her horns. Instead of pointing south, as




TO HONOLULU


39


they do with you, they point north. A full moon
near the equator is a very splendid object; it is so
bright that we have repeatedly read by its light.
We now see some stars you have never seen, and
some of our old acquaintances are out of our horizon. Among the things that attract the attention
of mariners in these latitudes are the Magellanic
Spots and the Southern Cross. The spots are so
called because they are vertically overhead in the
latitude of the Straits of Magellan and are three
in number. One is a dark spot in the Milky Way,
apparently because of its entire destitution of stars;
the other two, nearly south, one almost directly over
the other and about 15~ apart, resemble furry
clouds. The Cross is near the dark Magellanic Spot,
almost over it and a little to the left. The Dipper
is visible here, and we occasionally recognize Venus,
Jupiter and Saturn, but they appear as wanderers,
like ourselves, in these ends of the earth.
"Monday, April 23d.      Brother  Hitchcock
preached yesterday and more sailors were present
than usual; there is no marked opposition to us,
their attitude is only one of indifference, and oaths
are as natural as breathing. We have never heard
the Captain use a profane word excepting in one or
two instances, and the first mate has almost ceased
to swear.
"We crossed the equator between two and three
o'clock this afternoon. The southern trade wind is
carrying us forward with great speed. We have




40     PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
probably sailed from one hundred and fifty to one
hundred and eighty miles a day during the last
twenty days, and in fifteen or twenty days more we
hope to reach the Islands.
"April 24th. Latitude 1~ N., Longitude 115~ W.
Our southeast trades continue still unabated. This
is unusual, for generally a calm takes place about on
the line, and then in North Latitude 1~ or 2~ the
northeast trades begin. Our voyage has been very
free from accidents, no death has occurred and no
one has been seriously injured by a blow from falling
rigging, as often happens on board ship, but today
we were startled by the cry, 'Pengry is overboard '
He was at work on the hull of the ship when something gave way and let him into the water, but he
caught hold of a rope and soon was taken aboard
without stopping the ship. I was astonished to see
him dashing along beside the ship and holding on to
the rope without exhaustion and without a bruise,
and he came on deck wet and laughing. This morning we had a fine shower, the first of any consequence since leaving Rio de Janeiro, eleven weeks
tomorrow. Nearly a dozen barrels of water were
secured, and if it is pleasant tomorrow we anticipate
quite a washing day.
"May 2d, Latitude 5~ N. We have been almost
entirely becalmed for about nine days, making only
about five degrees of latitude and less of longitude.
The northeast trades have not yet favored us and
the calm may continue for a week or more. Some




TO HONOLULU


41


ships have been detained on the equator more than a
month in a dead calm, which I assure you is not a
comfortable situation. I believe I dread a calm
more than a storm. The slow creaking of the
booms, spars and helm, the sluggish roll of the ship
from side to side, and the incessant flapping of the
sails against the masts and rigging-these, added to
the heat and lack of air always experienced in a calm
in the tropics, are more to be dreaded than the
hoarse howling of the wind through the rigging and
furled sails.
"May 9th, Latitude 19~ N., Longitude 139~ W.
The Averick skims the water like a bird on the wing.
Our company has been weighed again today. Ursula
has gained five pounds and her health has improved
very much during the past two weeks."
We have come to the closing entries of the journals written on shipboard, for they were near the
end of the voyage. On May 11th, my mother wrote:
"When I go on deck and see nothing but the blue
sky and the vast expanse of water, I think of the
delightful scenery around my dear home at just this
time. I can almost see the green trees waving in the
wind, the beautiful ash by the side of the gate and
every little bush so familiar to me. I seem to smell
the lilacs in the yard and all the spring fragrances
that fill the air, and to hear the notes of the innumerable little songsters who cheer you daily with their




42     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
melody. But, ah! the illusion is short. The noisy
dashing of the waves soon wakens me from my
reverie and reminds me of the great ocean and wide
continent which separate us.
"Perhaps some may inquire if during my privations and trials since I left you I have not repented
engaging in this undertaking. But I can sincerely
answer no. Although I love my friends as tenderly
as ever and the thought that we shall meet no more
often causes the tears to start, I have at no moment
regretted my decision to devote my life to the work
I have undertaken, or wished myself again at
home."
I find in my father's journal, under date of May
15th, the following:
"Last Sabbath my turn came again to preach.
Many of the sailors were present and in the evening
all except ----, who appears hardened, ignorant and even violent, just such a man as I should
expect to lead a mutiny. The sailors seemed quite
responsive and attentive, perhaps because it is probably the last Sabbath we shall spend on the ship.
Alluding to this we arranged for a meeting with
them on Monday evening, when Alexander, Spaulding and I went forward and met them. After singing and talking with them for a while, we proposed
a resolution in respect to their conduct in port,
which was signed by all except one, and reads:




TO HONOLULU


43


'Being fully persuaded that the use of spiritous
liquors, and unlawful intercourse with women are
two evils from which seamen in port suffer more
than from all others, and believing that these, more
than anything tend to lower their reputaton, we are
resolved while in port at the Sandwich Islands to
abstain totally from both these evils and to use our
influence with one another to this effect.' The names
of twenty-four sailors follow.
"May 16th. This morning we came in sight of
land; the first island we saw was Maui, the next
Lanai, then Molokai, and a little before sunset,
Oahu. Land was a joyful sight to us all and had an
exhilarating effect. Ursula and I were so busy packing our trunks as we pushed on towards our destined
port of Honolulu, that we hardly looked at the land,
which lay off fifteen or twenty miles. I only observed that in general it is high and presents much
the same aspect as the coast of South America north
of Rio de Janeiro. Viewed as the scene of our future
labors these islands appear deeply interesting. The
natives are just emerging from the darkness of
paganism, and we trust their characters are now
being moulded into Christian shape."
On Thursday, May 17, 1832, at eight o'clock in
the morning, Captain Swain cast anchor in the roadstead of Honolulu harbor, the long voyage of the
Jverick was at an end, and the fifth company of
missionaries of the American Board had arrived.




CHAPTER V


UNDER AUTOCRATIC AND KINGLY
RULE
THE     story of my father's and mother's early
impressions and experiences in their new home
can best be told by quoting again from their journals. On May 18th, the day after their arrival, my
mother writes:
"Honolulu, Island of Oahu. I am now, my dear
parents, quietly seated in a spacious chamber in the
house of my friend Mrs. Clark. I know you will
rejoice with me upon the pleasant termination of
our long voyage. The missionaries at the Islands
had heard of our embarkation and were anxiously
watching for us, so when the American flag was
hoisted on the Averick at daybreak yesterday, they
soon discovered it, and by nine o'clock six of them
were on board to welcome us. We were soon taken
on shore in the boats, and as we landed crowds of
natives stood around greeting us with their customary friendly salutation, 'Aloha.' A wagon was
at hand; three of us jumped in and were whirled
along by the half-naked men on a full trot.
44




UNDER AUTOCRATIC RULE               45
"We went directly to Mr. Chamberlain's house,
and after being introduced to most of the missionaries connected with the different stations, our letter
from the Prudential Committee of the American
Board was read and we were assigned to our temporary quarters while in Honolulu. We were very
much gratified in finding that our home for the present, as well as that of Mr. and Mrs. Spaulding, was
to be here.
"We are in a good stone house, two stories high
and recently built. The stone is the coral rock and
does not look very smooth or elegant, but it is the
cheapest and best material of which to construct a
house in this land. The native grass huts when
new can be made very comfortable, but they will
not last more than three or four years, and after
they are old they are extremely uncomfortable, especially in the rainy season, and endanger the health
of those who live in them. The materials of which
they are made are highly combustible. In the dry
season should they catch fire it would be hardly possible to save them or much within them. The car.
penter's shop here was destroyed by fire a few days
ago, together with a large quantity of lumber, a very
serious loss to the mission. The wind was favorable or many more houses must have shared the
same fate."


My father adds:




46     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
"We feel as happy as kings in a good large chamber, and at noon we sat down at Mrs. Clark's
hospitable table to partake of a piece of fresh pork,
sweet potatoes and bread, the best meal that I can
remember for a long time; a good airy room, clean
table and tablecloth, clean cups and saucers, making
it still more appetizing. We spent the afternoon in
getting our luggage ashore and after a good supper,
pleasant conversation and evening prayers, what a
luxury it was to sleep in a comfortable bed!"
The newly arrived recruits found themselves
gladly welcomed by the members of the mission.
Seven stations had already been established on four
of the islands by about thirty men and women, who,
by a happy coincidence, were about to come together
for their "General Meeting" of the year, which
lasted from two to four weeks and became of increasing interest and importance as the years and
the work progressed.
My father continues under date of May 18th.
"At ten o'clock this morning, we went with our
associates to be introduced to the King, Queen and
royal family. We found young King Kaukeaouli, a
youth of eighteen, in a large native house about
sixty feet square, neatly built and thatched with
grass, but entirely destitute of what we should call
finish; that is, it had no ceiling, plastering, partitions




UNDER AUTOCRATIC RULE              47
or flooring; the poles and thatch were clearly visible
from within, and the ground was covered with fine
mats. This was the reception room of the King.
As we approached he came to the door, and after
shaking hands with us quite respectfully he retired
to the middle of the room, took a seat, and motioned
to us to be seated on chairs placed before him. We
then made known to him the object of our coming,
showed him our credentials, and he gave us his cordial salutation, welcoming us to his Islands.
"One of our number in the name of the rest then
made some complimentary remarks with regard to
the great change and improvement that had taken
place at the Sandwich Islands, and promised that as
far as we could consistently, we would seek the
prosperity of his kingdom while permitted to labor
in it. After a little pause, the King then expressed
the gratitude of his people for what the missionaries had done to elevate and enlighten them. 'We
were a dark, very dark people, you have brought
us light; we were ignorant and you have brought us
knowledge; we like to have you among us, we will
listen to your teachings and hope to be made better
by them.'
"At the Palace we were introduced to Madam
Boki, Kekaumoku and others, and with them and
the King we walked to the palace of the ex-queen
Kaahumanu, the widow of Kamehameha I, and for
many years the noted and influential regent of the
realm. She is quite ill and it is feared that she may




48     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
not recover, which would be a loss much regretted
by the mission, as she is a person of great influence,
a warm-hearted Christian and a friend of the missionaries. After our introduction to her as she sat
in her chair, she said, with tears in her eyes, that the
Lord had greatly blessed her people by sending
them teachers of the good way of life. While there
we were also introduced to Hoapili, Governor of
Maui, who, like Kaahumanu, is a noble Christian
leader. We have not yet met John Adams, the
Governor of this island.
"Monday, May 21st. Today I have sealed my
letters, which are to go to you by way of the Philippine Islands. At nine o'clock yesterday we attended
the native service at Kawaiahao Church, about four
thousand being present. Mr. Bingham preached
and the audience was as attentive and orderly as our
ordinary congregations at home. The natives were
not, however, as deeply interested as from Stewart's
description I had hoped to find them, nor were they
as well dressed, though all had on something more
than a malo.1 At eleven o'clock there was a service
in English held in the chapel and another on board
the ship.
"As to the general condition of the people at the
station I cannot say that I am disappointed; certainly appearances on the whole are as satisfactory
as one could expect. Surely when I consider what


1A malo is the Hawaiian breech cloth.




UNDER AUTOCRATIC RULE                 4.
was their state ten years ago, I must exclaim with
wonder and surprise, 'What hath God wrought 1'
"June 7th. Since I last wrote in my journal several things have happened worthy of special notice;
among them the landing of all our goods in a tolerably safe condition, the arrival of the missionary
brethren from the other stations, the beginning of
the General Meeting last Friday, and, what is of
greater importance than all, the death of good
Queen Kaahumanu. She was taken sick the day we
arrived, and after a few days was carried about five
miles up into the beautiful valley of Manoa, a wonderful amphitheatre surrounded by high ridges and
mountains excepting on the south, where the valley
opens towards the sea.
"Immediately upon the Queen's removal to
Manoa, the principal chiefs of the various islands
assembled and followed her, remaining with their
attendants in Manoa till her death, which occurred
on June 5th. I called there on the 4th and was
surprised to see that, within a week, a large village
of perhaps one or two hundred grass houses had
sprung up; the Queen's house, situated on the edge
of a beautiful little grove of koa2 trees, being fanned
by a fine refreshing breeze from the mountains.
"Kaahumanu lived during the latter years of her
'The koa, with its beautiful crescent-shaped leaves and sturdy
hardwood trunk, is the most distinguished tree of the Hawaiian
forest. In olden days it was used chiefly for canoes and later for
furniture and other purposes.




50     PIONEER     DAYS IN     HAWAII
life a consistent Christian. Probably no person in
the nation gave better evidence of piety than she.
Religion had changed her entire character; once she
was proud, revengeful, oppressive, cruel and a murderer of her own offspring, as she herself acknowledged; since accepting the Christian faith she has
been humble, meek, kind, conscientious and thoughtful for her people. The shipwrecked mariner often
experienced her kindness, as did others in affliction.
The missionaries regarded her as a firm friend, on
whom they depended for much support in aid of
their benevolent designs.3
"The interment took place this afternoon. The
order of the procession, which moved four deep
from the Queen's house to the church, was as follows: First, the foreign residents and seamen, then
the casket was borne, the chiefs and missionaries
following, and after them came the people, soldiers
under arms guarding the procession on both sides.
The King was dressed in full uniform, as were his
attendants. The chiefs were generally in European
dress, and the women wore bonnets and gowns of
silk, bombazette or cloth of a coarse texture,
trimmed with black. The coffin was quite conspicuous, covered with crimson velvet fastened on with
many large brass-headed nails, the Queen's name
being spelled out with them on the lid. It had em'It hi related that the Queen died holding to her breast a New
Testaamet just taken from the mission press-one of the first
edition issued.




UNDER AUTOCRATIC RULE


51


bossments and handles of brass, and made an imposing display. The trimmings of the coffin came as a
present to the nation from England at the time King
Liholiho   (Kamehameha II) and his queen died
there in 1824.
"Mr. Bingham preached the funeral sermon from
the text, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,' speaking
first in native and then in English, after which the
procession moved to the sepulchre in the same order.
The royal burial place is a small stone building
where the bodies of the royal family who have died
since the introduction of Christianity have been
placed, common people and foreigners not being
admitted into the plot enclosing it." 4
Thus these Americans, who had always breathed
the free air of democracy and gloried in its equality
and absence of caste and inherited distinctions, came
to live under autocratic rule, where the King with
a group of powerful chiefs held sway. But they did
not come as political and social agitators, or as radicals to overthrow one government and establish
another. They were radicals but of a different sort
Formerly a king or high chief, fearing his body might come into
the hands of an enemy who would desecrate it by putting his bones
to servile uses, appointed a trusty follower to take charge of his
body at his death-a rare honor and a mark of warm affection.
With great secrecy the bones would be hidden, supposedly in some
inaccessible cave, where they could not be molested, and the man
so entrusted would rather die than disclose his secret. The bones
of Kamehameha I were never found.




52     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
-they sought to achieve for the Hawaiian people
a higher moral and spiritual status. They knew that
the character of the government would change with
the character of the people, and their aim was to
give them freedom and stability through obedience
to moral law. In carrying out their noble purposes
they won the confidence and became the guides of
kings and queens, of chiefs and common people, and
as long as they lived the development of the nation
steadily advanced. Unavoidably the natives came
under other influences which were hostile and did
them much harm, but the training they received
from the missionaries saved them from overwhelming disaster, and to this day the Hawaiians speak
fondly of "na makua o ka pono" (the fathers of
righteousness).




CHAPTER VI


THE THATCHED         HOME
HlONOLULU, only a primitive village of Polynesians and a few white men a hundred years
ago, now the most important city and seaport of the
Mid-Pacific, with a fine harbor and a population of
about 100,000, is on the southern shore of the island
of Oahu, one of the seven inhabited islands of the
Hawaiian group.
Back of Honolulu the land rises abruptly to the
Koolau range, which runs the whole length of the
island close to its northeastern coast, with peaks
three thousand feet high; while the Waianae mountains, a much shorter range, rise along the southwestern coast, terminating at the extreme west at
Kaena Point, a wild, rocky headland, shaped like a
bird's beak on the map.
Between these two mountain ranges lies most of
the arable land of the island on a great central
plateau, cut by deep irregular gulches, through
which flow mountain streams as they seek lower
levels. Beyond the plateau on the northwest shore
of the island is the village of Waialua on Waialua
Bay, thirty miles from Honolulu.
53




54     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
It was in this district of Waialua that my father
and mother made their home, carrying on their work
there and in the adjoining districts for over fifty
years. I find the beginning of this life work noted
in my father's journal dated Honolulu, June 23,
1832.
"The General Meeting which has held us together
now for three weeks is nearing its close; all the
business is transacted, a deputation to the Marquesas Islands determined upon and the location of
the newcomers made for the year. We are to go to
Waialua, a new station on the northwest side of this
island, about thirty miles from Honolulu by a trail
overland, or eighty miles by sea. Our territory
stretches along the coast about thirty miles, with a
population of nearly 8000. The missionaries on
their tours have preached at Waialua a few times,
but no church organization has been formed.
"A grass meeting-house, capable of holding
twelve hundred, was built by the chief about two
years ago, but is quite inadequate to the needs of
the people. I was there last Sunday with Mr. Gulick and there were several hundred who could not
get into the house. You see, my dear brother, a new
field is assigned to us in these ends of the earth."
I will let my mother tell the story of her first
journey from Honolulu to Waialua and what she
found there.




JI-dq-ai  I -Ha aiia,US. A., Fbn shk4r, 7'.H. Repruaditha.dd
fiot4 pholograpi, hg  p  SU. sj gaS' lai~
R61i6fMaO of OAhu




I




THE THATCHED HOME                55
"Waaialua, Island of Oahu, July 27, 1832. My
dear parents, could you now look in upon us, you
would see us sitting in a native house, with only one
apartment excepting what is made by curtains, with
no windows and only one door, instead of the pleasant chamber in Mr. Clark's house in Honolulu,
which we have been occupying for the past two
months. But we are not unhappy-no, I have not
enjoyed myself so well at any time since our arrival
at the Islands as at present, and this is the place we
expect will be our home.
"As there is no road from Honolulu for any kind
of vehicle, the trail being over deep gulches and
streams, and our goods could not be brought on
horseback, we set sail in a small native schooner on
Monday, the 23d, and after a passage of less than
twenty-four hours, arrived here. The vessel was
too small to contain all our goods, but we brought
enough to be comfortable till the rest can be sent.
We were somewhat seasick, but were very kindly
treated on board the boat. The wind was against
us as we entered the harbor at Waialua, and we
were obliged to 'beat in.' As soon as we approached
the land, Laanui, our chief, came alongside in a
canoe to welcome us, presenting us with a good
watermelon, of which we ate freely and were at once
relieved of our seasickness.
"As no one was appointed to be our permanent
associate here, it was thought best that Mr. Clark
and his family should come to spend the summer and




56     PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
help us get under way with the language and our
new labors. He with his wife and children came
over by land several days earlier and live in a small
native house a short distance from ours. Near by,
two new houses are building which we shall occupy
as soon as they are finished. Only a few rods from
them is a fine spring of running water, which feeds
a small river large enough for canoes. This is the
Anahulu which, bending and broadening, empties
about a third of a mile away into Waialua Bay,
where the ocean waves roll in upon a sandy beach.5
"The friendly natives bring the materials and
build the houses as a voluntary offering. As many
as a hundred or more are at this moment upon or
around one of the houses, some busily employed,
others mere lookers-on, but all using their tongues
with greatest facility. Could you be transported
here in a moment from your quiet dwelling, you
would be almost stunned by the noise; I suspect
mother's head would soon ache. Yet it does not
trouble me. I am amused when I listen for a moment to their unintelligible chattering.
"Very few of them have on any clothing excepting
the malo. A few of the principal ones are decently
dressed, but not many have even a shirt in their
possession to wear on any occasion. When they go
to meeting, in addition to the malo, they wear a
large square piece of native cloth tied in a knot upon
'The home was known thereafter as "Waipuolo," "The Bubbling
Spring."




THE THATCHED HOME


57


one shoulder, which hangs back and front below the
knees.6 Some keep this on while at work, but it is
rather an encumbrance."
On August 20th my father writes:
"Dear father and mother Newell, this is the first
evening in our new house, in which we have lived for
about a week, that I have been able to sit in my
study and write, for I had first to make my table.
"Ursula has asked me to describe our houses.
But how shall I do it? I might tell you that we
have a great and splendid establishment built for us,
or I might take the opposite tack and tell you that
our dwellings look more like the tents of wayfaring
men. In either description truth might to some
extent bear me out, but avoiding the extremes I will
try to give you an idea of their real appearance.
"We have two new native thatched houses, one
for Mr. Clark and family, which will be my study
after they leave us, and one for ourselves. We have
also a cook-house, one old house in which our natives live, and a study for Mr. Clark; in all five
houses. The one we live in is the largest, 36 ft. by
24 ft.
"The frame of a native house is built by fitting
and tying to a ridgepole other poles which slant
from it to the ground, or to upright posts, which in
that case frame perpendicular sides. Across the
6 This is called a kihei




58     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
poles are placed horizontally other smaller poles
about an inch in diameter and two inches apart, the
aho, to which is fastened the thatch, which is made
of bunches of pili grass lapped like shingles. The
cords used for tying and fastening are prepared
from the strong ahu-awa reed. Our partitions are
mats nailed to strips of boards and strung across the
house; our floors are grass strewn upon the earth
and covered with mats.
"The land on which our houses stand, about half
an acre, is enclosed by a sort of palisade of small
poles about six feet high, so fastened together with
the native cord as to make quite a strong fence.
This is necessary to keep the horses and goats from
carrying off the houses, in other words, from eating
them up, which they would do if they were very
hungry. The cost of our establishment, if paid for
by us in money, would not exceed one hundred and
fifty or two hundred dollars, less by far than you
would pay in New England for a small barn.
"A word or two about the natives. We have
taken into our household a man and wife with an
infant, and a little girl thirteen years old. They
stay with us because they choose to do so, with liberty to go when they wish to leave us, but while they
stay they are under our control. Do you say we
have three servants to wait upon us two? Rather
we have three persons under our especial training
and care. To a Sandwich Islander, time is in general of no account. He comes to us without any




THE THATCHED HOME


59


clothing except a malo, and his staple food, poi,
costs but a trifle. Whatever clothing we put upon
him is so much clear gain, and if too much is given
him at one time he will give it away to some one
more needy or perhaps more easy-going than himself.
"About three weeks ago Mr. Clark and I started
a day school for teachers and seventy or seventy-five
come to us. We teach reading, geography, writing
and arithmetic, using 'Fowle's Arithmetic' for children five to seven years of age, translated into
Hawaiian. Sums of the simplest character, such as
'How many cents will four oranges cost at two cents
apiece?' can only be done after the fullest explanation. The natives have a good degree of judgment
and skill in many of the practical affairs of life, but
to sit down and think is something they are not used
to and I believe they have no word in their language
for study.
"Their thoughts on religious subjects are vague as
those of children. In this part of the island there
are a few, perhaps ten or twelve, who give some
evidence of a Christian purpose. My acquaintance
with the natives gives me a more shocking idea of
the debasing, brutalizing effects of living without a
real religion than I ever dreamed of. But what is
their present to their former condition I Their idols
are all destroyed and probably more than half of
the families about us, whether they can read or not,
have family worship and think of themselves as




60     PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
Christians. But their vision is dim; yet in this respect there are signs of improvement, and we hope
for many more. Many come to talk with us about
religion and some wish to unite with the church, but
we feel that Christians are more to be sought for
than church members. Your affectionate son, John
S. Emerson."
From my mother's journal:
"Sabbath Evening, September 2d. This is a
lovely evening, just such as I used to enjoy at home.
The same moon shines upon us and all is calm and
peaceful. You are now wrapped in slumber, as our
time is almost six hours later than yours.
"Our Sunday morning services, always in Hawaiian, are usually attended by as many as fifteen
hundred natives. All except the chief persons seat
themselves native style upon mats, while many who
cannot be accommodated within, look in from outside. Our new building will accommodate a thousand more. Tuesday and Thursday evenings a few
meet at our house to learn to sing. An intelligent
Indian from the northwest coast, who has been here
some time and is a fair singer, helps us. I cannot
talk much, but I can sing the eight notes of the scale,
Pa, ko, ii, ha, la, no, mi, pa, and help them learn
tunes.
"September 16th. Wednesday for the first time
my husband attempted to preach in the native lan



THE THATCHED HOME


61


guage. He did not make the prayer, asking Laanui,
the chief, to take that part of the service. We are
very anxious to be able to speak this strange tongue
with facility, but feel that it will be a long time
before we can say all we wish. I tried today to
teach the natives who live with us, and longed to be
able to teach them as I could English children, but
I could say so few words I For several weeks I have
learned less by study than by daily intercourse with
the natives, being obliged to talk to those living with
us and in trading with those who frequently call to
buy native books. You may think it strange that we
do not give the books away. We do give away
many, but where there is so little incentive to industry or exertion, it is important to encourage the
natives to buy what they receive from us, and they
value the books much more than if they were simply
gifts.
"We get in exchange for books most of our food
excepting what is brought from America,-taro,
sweet potatoes and eggs more than anything else.
Taro is the staple article of food for the natives; it
is a root in shape somewhat like a turnip but having
when cooked the consistency of potato. They like
it best when steamed, mashed, mixed with water to
a thin paste and left to ferment somewhat; this is
poi. We boil it and fry it when cold and Mr. Emerson thinks it better than potato.7 Squashes, cab7The favorite Hawaiian way of cooking taro, sweet potatoes,
pork, fish and fowl, is by steaming in an imu, or ground oven, by




62       PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
bages and melons are also brought occasionally, and
pigs, ducks, chickens and fish are offered for sale.
We have had no occasion to buy fish, as it is often
sent to us by our chief or by some of the head men
of the station. A few days ago a large hog and a
pig were given to us. Of course meat cannot be kept
long in this climate unless salted, yet our food consists more of it than I should choose if we had plenty
of flour, but that is a choice article, as it is all
brought from America. Indian meal is sometimes
sent, though it is rather musty when it arrives, and
flour has far less freshness than yours at home.8
We have as yet no cow. A little goat's milk,
brought us once a day by order of our chief, adds
much to our comfort, and a little butter is sent to us
occasionally by those at the other stations, who do
not forget us.
"I cannot tell you how we are troubled with insects. Mosquitoes, fleas, little red ants, cockroaches
and mice overrun us and we must protect everything. My husband has made two cupboards which
are very valuable; in fact, everything for our accom8 I remember when I was a child the welcome arrival of a barrel
of flour from the United States. On opening it at the head, father
found that a thick, hard crust of bilged flour had been formed just
within the staves. So he tipped the barrel over on its side and cut
it in two with a saw, and in that way easily got at the inner
portions of the flour which had not been reached by sea water.
the use of hot stones, on the principle of a clambake. The young
unrolled, inner leaves of the taro plant when cooked are tender
and wholesome, and are then called luau. They also are cooked
in an imu, and luau is the popular name for a native feast.




THE THATCHED HOME                     63
modation, from a door to a hoe-handle, must be
made by him, as there is not another person within
thirty miles who has skill enough yet to use our
tools.9
"If the natives are sick they come to us for medicine and put as much confidence in us as we place
in a skillful physician. Dr. Judd furnished us with
various medicines when we left Honolulu and we
have had repeated occasions to use them.
"So you see a missionary here must be not only a
pastor and spiritual guide to the people, but also a
school-teacher, doctor, farmer and mechanic, and
this not for a few hundred, but for thousands."
gAn indispensable article of kitchen furniture in the tropics, for
the keeping of meats and foodstuffs, is the safe, an insulated cupboard, open on all sides and covered with wire gauze.




CHAPTER VII


BEGINNINGS
ON October 10, 1832, my oldest brother, Samuel
Newell, was born, and early in December Mr.
Clark and his family left Waialua and returned to
his station in Honolulu. My father writes in his
journal of December 12th:
"The stillness which brooded over our little group
of buildings after the Clarks had gone seemed to
cause a void almost insupportable. But we soon
summoned up our resolution and went to work
again."
The loneliness was certainly lessened by the new
joy which had come to the household, as is shown
in my mother's journal.
"January 28, 1833. Evening. My little Samuel
Newell is now sleeping quietly in his cradle and
gives me time to write again. I know, dear parents,
you would love him could you see his bright blue
eyes and sweet face. He grows more interesting
every day, and though born in a grass thatched cot64




BEGINNINGS


65


tage on this far distant island where he has never
seen more than half a dozen white faces in his life,
I think he would not suffer in comparison with his
little cousins in Nelson; his face is as fair as theirs.
Would some one say that this is only the effusion of
a fond mother's heart? I know it, but to you I can
speak without reserve.
"My dear husband is away on a tour examining
schools, having left home yesterday morning with
Brother Chamberlain, who came from Honolulu to
accompany him. They will return tomorrow and go
another way for the rest of the week. Their labors
are severe during these tours. The path is often
impassable for a horse and they must go on foot
for miles over wild trails and precipitous descents.
They will stop at a settlement, examine a school,
preach or instruct the crowd of natives assembled,
take some food and go on. At night, stiff and
weary, they lie down on mats on the floor of a native
hut, with neither bed nor bedding excepting the
blanket and cushion they may carry with them,
though the better class of natives can furnish them
with a good set of tapas, which are comfortable
sheets.10 A native man carries their luggage, the old
red blanket you gave me which is very valuable, a
10 Tapa, or kapa, as it is called in Hawaii, is made by soaking
the bark of the hibiscus shrub till it has become a pulpy colorless
mass, and then pounding it on a flat-topped log and drawing it
back and forth till it becomes a sheet. It was the nearest approach
to cloth that the Polynesians made and was often decorated with
designs colored by vegetable dyes.




66     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
pulu pillow I have made, and a box of provisions,
the same box sister Sophia gave me, which contains
a knife, fork, plate, etc., such things being very rare
here. A number of natives accompany them, the
head men and their attendants, so there is quite a
caravan. Laanui, the chief, and Kuokoa, his head
man, have a number of horses, and whenever we
wish one it is at our service.
"Pulu grows on the stalks of a large fern and is
somewhat like cotton, only more elastic and of a
yellowish brown. We have a cotton tree growing
near our door which yields very nice white cotton.
I think it might be cultivated extensively if the natives could be taught to spin and weave and had the
necessary implements. At Lahaina they have obtained a wheel, some cards and a loom and have
actually made a piece of cloth.
"Thursday Evening, February 7th. We have
just come from our singing school. The natives
progress slowly and it is hard work, but we feel
encouraged to hope they will finally learn. Very
few attempt yet to sing on Sunday and not one of
them can pitch a tune correctly. When I am there
I take the lead with my husband's help, and when
I stay at home they do the best they can. When he
is unable to attend, I sing bass and all the parts by
turns.
"A great many have been sick here of late; many
come every day for medicine and my husband is
often called upon to visit and prescribe as a physi



BEGINNINGS


67


cian even in critical cases. A skillful physician is
much needed here. Yet we think that the climate
is a healthful one for ourselves and that the disorders of the natives are due to their irregular
habits of living.
"Thursday, February 21st. Many days pass
without my having time for writing even a line.
Every day I have my school for women teachers,
and four or five mornings of the week a school of
thirty or forty children.
"Tomorrow there will be no school for the
women or children, as we hold in the afternoon the
weekly prayer meeting for women, which I attend
when I can, and to which from two to five hundred
women usually come. They are divided into classes,
teachers are appointed to instruct them, and later
I question them upon the meaning of the verses. You
may ask, where is the baby when you are at school?
I leave him with one of my native women after I
have fed and dressed him, and usually he sleeps or
is a good boy. But sometimes he cries for mother
and then he is brought into the school to me. All
these duties and many others leave me but little
time that I can call my own.
"Now I have finished my women's and children's
schools for today, have despatched the dinner and
am going to sit down to make my little Samuel a
frock of one of my aprons. I shall probably not sew
many minutes before some of the natives will call
to buy a book with some eggs, or to ask questions




68     PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
and tell their thoughts. We are likely to have these
callers at any hour of the day or evening.
"February 25th. This evening just before sunset
we paddled up the river two or three miles in a
canoe with Laanui, his wife, and Kuokoa. Returning, we sailed down the stream nearly to its mouth,
walked a little way on the beach and came home.
The quiet of the evening, the smooth water, the
mountain scenery near and far, the groups of native
houses here and there, made the excursion a delightful one. I had not been out so far since we came
here.
"March 1st. Today has been regarded by the
mission as one of fasting and prayer, with special
reference to the present conduct of the King. It
has long been known that while he publicly favored
the missionaries and professed to hold them in high
regard, his private conduct was entirely at variance
with their teachings and even with the laws of the
nation, which prohibit drinking. For several weeks
he has been intoxicated daily, disregarding all admonitions, growing worse and worse, and influencing
many to join him in drinking and the hula." A few
members of the church at Honolulu and even a high
chieftess, who is a member of the church at Lahaina,
have been drawn into the snare, but they have been
induced to confess their sins and appear penitent.
During Kaahumanu's life the King was much under
' The degrading native dance.




BEGINNINGS


69


her influence, and after her death strong hopes were
raised in the hearts of the missionaries that he would
forsake his evil courses and become a new man; but
he appears now to have thrown off all restraint and
to be rushing headlong to ruin. We cannot tell what
the end will be.
"March 29th. This is a cool, squally day. The
whole week has been stormy with frequent rains.
Grass houses are very much affected by the wind;
ours creaks and shakes merrily in this weather and
admits the rain in many places. A fire would be a
comfort if we could have it. Rain was much needed,
however, for the ground was extremely dry and
vegetation drooping, as we have had but few rains
of any consequence during the winter.
"I regret to say that many are catching the
wicked spirit of the King. Not so much here as at
places a little remote; at Waianae, twenty miles
distant, we hear of gambling and drinking. Things
at Honolulu are more quiet than they were, and
Governor Adams who has returned from Maui has
taken a very decided stand against the doings of the
King. The missionaries are earnestly entreating the
church people to "Ku paa i ka pono" (Stand fast
to the good), and most of them appear to do so. It
is a sifting time; we trust it will separate the wheat
from the chaff and advance the cause of truth in the
end. In some places where they cannot get rum,
they drink awa, an intoxicating drug prepared by




70     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
themselves, which has the same effect, and was much
drunk in former days.
"We hear that some new missionaries are probably on their way from dear America and may
arrive in a few days. How I long to see them  I
hope they will bring letters from you all and perhaps
an associate for us in our work here. There is more
than enough for all to do.
"April 5th. I have been busy for two days entertaining two young Scotchmen who are making a tour
of the island. One is in the service of the Hudson
Bay Company and is bound for the northwest coast.
I have had very little sleep during their visit, as they
wished to ascend Mount Kaala and to make geological and botanical observations and must have
early breakfasts and late suppers-but we were
happy to show them hospitality.
"Our friends at Honolulu have recently received
a letter from Mr. Ellis, formerly a missionary at
these islands, now one of the Secretaries of the
London Missionary Society, enclosing a pamphlet
written by a sea-captain who has been here and plans
to come again. It is an application to a noble lord
for the patronage of the British Government in an
enterprise to take possession of these islands in the
name of the British Crown, and contains many misrepresentations and false statements about the
missionaries.
"April 8th. Every day we have calls for medicine. Recently many sick babies have been brought




BEGINNINGS


71


to us, and as I learn how the mothers treat their
babies I wonder why so many live rather than why
so many die. A man came to us not long ago and
said he had a son born the night before and he
wanted some medicine to make him live. He had
had two children but they both died in infancy. My
husband asked what their food had been. "The
genuine food," he replied, "fish and poi." My husband told him to give this child nothing but milk of
which the mother had an abundance, that that was
all the medicine it needed. In about two weeks they
brought the child to us, a poor feeble little body
with a number of sores, and when I asked the
mother if she washed it daily, she replied it had
never been washed since birth. I charged her to
wash it carefully every day and gave her other directions, and since then the skin has been healing and
the child gaining strength. Last week we had a case
of a baby three months old in a much worse condition because it had been treated in the same way.
"About two hours ago one of my scholars
brought her baby sister very sick. Being told that
she had been given fish, poi and potatoes, we sent
the girl home for her mother, thinking that a personal talk with her would be more effective. The
child was probably ashamed of her mother so had
brought the baby herself. Those who live at a distance and see us but seldom will not attempt to talk
with us without the help of someone who knows us
well and is not afraid of us. They only gaze at us




72     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
with many exclamations of wonder. Even one of
Mrs. Clark's teachers told her that when we first
came to Waialua she did not dare to come to see
us, for she thought we were gods. At our request
the mother came, and as usual we entreated her to
give the baby nothing but milk and to follow our
advice. I noticed it looked cleaner than most children who are brought to us; wondering how she
happened to think of washing it, it occurred to me it
must have been the influence of the sister, who is a
constant attendant at school and probably remembered my instructions regarding cleanliness, etc. So
I was encouraged to hope that the results of my
efforts may sometimes extend further than I realize.
"These cases are not unusual.  Most of the
mothers are equally ignorant and careless, and the
idea of feeding their babies only on milk is entirely
new and strange to them. Had we not a good
strong boy of our own to show them, who has never
been fed on anything else and has never had a sick
day, I suppose we could hardly make them believe
it possible that a baby could thrive on such simple
food. I feel more than ever that a missionary's
influence is in many ways increased by his being a
married man with a family. The example of a
Christian family will teach effectually where precept
alone might make little or no impression. The usefulness of a bachelor must be much more limited.
"Imagine, too, the circumstances of a single man
in a heathen land, surrounded by those whose habits




BEGINNINGS


73


and customs are so trying. Who would cheer and
comfort him? Where could he board with any
comfort or procure wholesome food? With the
exception of the chiefs, most of the natives live in
low miserable huts with often only one room for a
number of families, no furniture, and with pigs,
dogs and cats as much at home in them as themselves. I think some of my good friends at home
who feel it is unnecessary and unwise for women to
become missionaries to foreign lands, would change
their minds if they should come here to live for a
few weeks and see the thousand ways in which a
good wife of a missionary is truly a help-meet.
"April 12th. Today we have been giving our
teachers their examinations and have dismissed them
for the present, though I shall continue my children's school till the General Meeting in June.
Those who have attended school regularly and tried
to learn, have made good progress. I wish I could
give you a picture of them as they sat in the meetinghouse before us listening attentively. They were
neatly dressed and respectable. Most of the men
had good clean shirts, a few had trousers, still fewer
vests or sailors' jackets, while others wore the kihei.
All the women had dark dresses of tapa, which at
a little distance might have been taken for silk, they
were so new and stiff. They wore belts, which are
seldom seen on Sandwich Islands women, and bonnets made of something like straw.
"May 12th. All day last Saturday we were anx



74      PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
iously looking for a messenger from Honolulu, who
might bring us letters from home and news of the
arrival of the new missionaries-but evening came
and no tidings-we must wait yet longer.
"At one o'clock at night we were awakened by a
loud rap at the door. The messenger had come
with news of the arrival and twelve letters from
home I We read several with eagerness to learn if
our parents, brothers and sisters were yet alive, and
then decided that we must wait for the remainder
and retire again to rest. But to sleep was impossible, our eyes were wide open. We read another
and another, finally laying them aside to get two or
three hours sleep before morning. You can better
conceive than I describe our feelings, alone as we
are in this corner of the earth. We felt truly thankful for the good news from the land of our fathers.
Last evening we received a package of New York
Observers from Mr. Fowler of New Bedford, which
gratified us very much, as we have seen no newspapers for a long time.
"May 21st. This morning we had a call from
Hewahewa, the high priest and head of the tabu
system, which after the death of Kamehameha I in
1819 was given up. He once offered human beings
in sacrifice upon the altars of the heiaus,12 and
"A heiau was an enclosed platform built mainly of flat stones
where kahunas practised their occult arts. Hideous wooden or
stone idols stood in conspicuous places, usually near the entrance,
and at their feet were laid the dead animals offered in sacrifice,




BEGINNINGS


75


gloried in his power. But he is now a different man.
He used to accompany Kamehameha I from island
to island on his tours of conquest and whenever the
King wished to make an attack, Hewahewa was sent
to a heiau to resort to his superstitious practices and
incantations, in order that the opposing forces might
be overcome and the leaders captured. If the omens
were favorable he so informed the King, who would
at once set the battle in array, and if victory were
won, Hewahewa shared the glory.
"He said that the tabus when broken were often
atoned for by forfeiting one or more hogs, according to the rank of the offender. If a person of low
rank broke the tabu, one hog was the fine; those of
higher rank had to pay two, five, ten or forty hogs,
the last being the forfeit paid by a high chief.
"He confessed that he had been not only a murderer, but a drunkard, and that by the latter vice he
had so weakened his eyesight he could not learn to
read.
"He spoke of the follies of his people, of their
ignorance and degradation, of his gratitude that the
Word of God had come among them and his strong
desire to become acquainted with the good Word,
saying that he was spiritually lame and could not go
without leading and support. He expressed his af

sometimes the bodies of enemies slain in battle, or those who had
become the victims of priestly jealousy and wrath.  Strangely
enough, some heiaus became the places of refuge, to which those
pursued by enemies might flee for safety.




76     PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
fection for us, his confidence in us as leaders, and
the wish to unite himself with the people of God
and spend the remainder of his days in His service.
To see an aged man, who had spent his youth in the
service of the Prince of Darkness, wishing now in
his last years to learn of his newly-discovered
Saviour, is touching beyond words."




CHAPTER VIII


GOING    TO   GENERAL      MEETING
I HAVE referred several times to the General
Meeting, usually held in Honolulu.  It was
the most important occasion of the year to the
missionaries, not only for reporting, discussing and
planning their work, but also for their social and
family life. They brought their children with them,
not daring to leave them at home, for though the
natives were friendly and quite trustworthy, they
were as yet untrained. It is estimated that the average number of children in each missionary family
was six. When in time forty or more families
formed the missionary band in Hawaii, the merry
crowd of happy children collected in the homes at
General Meeting time can hardly be imagined.
In 1833 the General Meeting was held at Lahaina on the island of Maui, which in the early days
rivaled Honolulu in importance. My mother attended it with my father, undaunted by the difficulty
of doing so with an eight-months-old baby.
I find her journal of June 5th dated at Lahaina.
"At sunrise on the 23rd of May we started from
77




78     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
Waialua on our journey. My husband and I rode
horseback across the island eighteen miles to Ewa,
which is near the southern shore, where we spent
the night. Little Samuel's cradle was lashed to a
couple of long poles borne across the shoulders of
two natives, an arch over it covered with tapa
screening him from the sun. The road was a narrow
footpath most of the way and we could only go in
single file. A large number of natives accompanied
us, 'No ke aloha wale no,' as they said, 'out of love
only.' So altogether we formed quite a caravan.
"On our way we had to ford several small
streams and go through a number of deep gulches,
down which flow rapid mountain currents, which
must be crossed. After heavy rains they are impassable, but now the water is low and I could cross on
the rocks. In making the descents, which are very
precipitous, I always dismounted, gave my horse to
a native, and did the best I could afoot. We reached
Ewa about 2 p. m. and found a comfortable house
provided for our accommodation. Melons, baked
potatoes, taro, fish and live poultry were sent in to
us in abundance. Our rest at night was a short one,
for at 2 a. m. Friday we had to embark in a canoe,
arriving in Honolulu just in time for a late breakfast."
They spent a few days at Honolulu with the
Clarks and then boarded a native schooner for
Lahaina with Mr. Clark, Mr. Parker and Mr. Tin



TO GENERAL MEETING


79


ker, who was an old friend of my father, and after
two days and two nights of discomfort they arrived
at their destination.13
"We were all seasick and heartily glad when the
voyage was over. The cabin was hot and close and
we could stay in it only a few moments at a time, so
we kept on deck day and night under shelter of our
umbrellas. Dirty, crowded vessels, a burning sun,
seasickness, and so forth, do not tend toward making these passages from island to island excursions
of pleasure.
"But I assure you it was a great pleasure to meet
again our dear fellow voyagers of the Averick; indeed I had not seen a white woman since Mrs. Clark
left us last December. Mrs. Armstrong has a baby
girl nearly a year old, Mrs. Alexander a fourmonths-old boy and Mrs. Shepard a little daughter
born a few weeks ago. She and Mrs. Chapin have
both been in poor health, but are now gaining
strength. I am very well and my baby also. He is
eight months old, has two teeth, takes a step or two
if I lead him, and sometimes by accident says
'Mama.' Mrs. Thurston said to me the other day,
'I think you retain your New England bloom.' Some
of the ladies do look rather pale. My cheeks have
perhaps pretty good color, but it could hardly be
i This trip is now made in an island steamer in six or seven
hours.




80     PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
otherwise, I have lately been so much in the sun and
wind."
On June 21st the General Meeting over, the
homeward journeys were made, the sail to Honolulu being comfortably taken in fourteen hours.
"Again it was very warm in the cabin, but we
spread our mattresses on deck and slept quietly
most of the night, with nothing but the canopy of
heaven for our shelter."
After resting a day or two in Honolulu, they took
a single canoe for the homeward trip by way of
Ewa lagoon, and my mother graphically describes
their experience.
"Along the shores between Honolulu and Ewa
for several miles stretches a reef of coral rock, and
when the tide is high, canoes can sail inside the reef
with perfect safety. At low tide this passage is
dangerous on account of the rocks, but there is no
danger in sailing outside the reef, if the sea is calm.
We planned to leave Honolulu at the time of high
tide that we might pass within the reef, but we
made a wrong calculation and got to the shore just
as the tide was going out. If we took the inside
passage the canoe would have to be carried several
rods, and the natives thought we could easily venture
outside. So sail was hoisted and the outer course




TO GENERAL MEETING


81


on the open sea was taken. The wind at the start
was gentle, but in a short time it rose to a stiff breeze
and drove us with the utmost rapidity. Return we
could not and all we could do was to keep on, committing ourselves to Him who commands the winds
and the waves. Our little bark darted through the
rough sea with fearful velocity, and if you had seen
us you would have thought we would surely be
swamped. When the natives saw a big wave ahead
they would manage to go straight over it and not
take it sidewise, and if they saw one behind they
would run with it as hard as they could drive.1  We
felt the seriousness of the situation and were excited,
but we soon entered Ewa lagoon and peacefully
sailed up to the village where, after a rest, we
mounted our horses and rode across country to
Waialua."
Among other matters of business at the General
Meeting, the Marquesan mission was decided upon,
and Messrs. Alexander, Armstrong and Parker were
chosen to undertake it. The Marquesas Islands are
about two thousand miles southeast of Hawaii and
are peopled by a kindred Polynesian race. There
was no lack of bravery on the part of these young
men and women, but after a series of wild and trying experiences they were obliged to give up the
"4The natives frequently have double canoes made by lashing
together two single canoes, which are not as easily upset, but cannot as easily be righted.




82       PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
enterprise and return to Hawaii, where the story of
the noble lifework done by them, and by the children
that were born to them, is well known. That the
Christian people of Hawaii were, however, not content to abandon their purpose to reach out to other
islanders will be seen by later developments.15
"Waialua, July 11th.      I am afraid you will think
that I have neglected my journal, but the truth is
that in all my leisure moments, daytime and evening,
I have been at work on a large map of the world for
our school. Each hemisphere is twenty-three inches
in diameter. My husband projected it and I do the
rest. Tonight my eyes are tired.
I Rev. Richard Armstrong was Minister of Education during the
reign of Kamehameha III. He was the father of General Samuel
C. Armstrong, who during the Civil War in the United States
commanded the Second Colored Regiment, and afterwards founded
Hampton Institute, Virginia, which suggested itself to him, he
states, because of his acquaintance with the Hilo Boys' Boarding
School (Industrial) on the Island of Hawaii.
It was under Rev. Wm. P. Alexander's instruction that many of
the best native preachers received their training for the ministry,
and his sons and daughters have been distinguished for their
ability and public spirit.
Rev. B. W. Parker rendered the Hawaiian people a valuable
service and the name of Mother Parker is well known in the missionary world. Though she never again left the Hawaiian Islands
during her long life of one hundred and one years, her keen intellect and sustained interest in the world's current events never
weakened.
Their son Henry was the leading preacher to the Hawaiians
and the pastor of Kawaiahao Church for more than half a century.
He was a vigorous, active man, and during his later years revised
the Hawaiian dictionary. He died recently in his ninety-fourth
year.




TO GENERAL MEETING


83


"July 19th. We hoped and confidently expected
to have an associate after General Meeting, but we
are still to be alone. It has been extremely dry here
for a long time, but today there has been a heavy
shower which lasted for an hour. The drought has
caused a scarcity of food in this part of the island
and the few who have wanted books have had nothing to give in exchange. There has been an even
greater scarcity in Honolulu than here, because so
many have followed the King in his evil doings and
neglected the cultivation of the soil. Our friends
have at times hardly been able to procure any vegetables. We have been better supplied, as we have
had a little plot planted with sweet potatoes and our
chief has given us another taro patch. We have
had many trials, but we have found the promise
verified, 'As thy days, so shall thy strength be.'
"One trial, which to me is no small one, arises
in connection with the natives who live with us.
Ignorance and childishness are nothing if united
with a teachable spirit and good temper, but if the
reverse is the case, these failings often show themselves in forms truly appalling. Could we live by
ourselves and have no domestics, I often think it
would save us many anxious hours. But in order to
train the people it seems wise to have some of them
live with us."
Fortunately my mother's patience was soon relieved by the addition to our household of two




84     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
intelligent couples whose faithful services lasted for
years. Puukua and Hannah, Huki and Polly were
father's and mother's standbys, and were loved by
us all.
"July 29th. It is just after dark and I am waiting for husband to come home to supper, he went
out to attend a funeral a few miles away. Our food
is on the table, a couple of roasted sweet potatoes,
taro, a few roasted bananas, a little butter and a
plain custard. I have become very fond of sweet
potatoes and taro, they are our staple vegetables,
and bananas, when thoroughly ripe and roasted,
taste a little like baked apples. For breakfast in
addition to taro and potatoes we sometimes have a
bit of fresh or dried fish, and usually arrow-root
jelly and milk, which must supply the place of coffee.
It is very mild food, but I should not know how to
do without it and the root is found in abundance in
the mountains. For dinner we often fry the taro,
which is very nice with salt pork or salt beef, with
taro tops boiled for greens. Sometimes we have a
chicken, but we have tasted no fresh beef for more
than a year. We do not always have bread, for that
is also a luxury. I send butter and eggs to the
families in Honolulu as often as I can, as they have
none but that which is sent them from the outstations and but little milk.
"I think I told you sometime ago that we had to
do all our cooking on some loose stones put together




TO GENERAL MEETING


85


in a temporary shelter made of grass and reeds. We
have recently had an adobe house built for a cookhouse and storeroom and it has a fireplace, a chimney and an oven. You would think it unsafe to have
a chimney in a house with a grass thatched roof, but
it is no more so than to have a fire without a chimney and we must do the best we can. The danger
here is much lessened by the fact that the wood is of
a very different quality from that in New England
and burns with hardly any sparks.
"Ten o'clock. I waited till nearly nine before
husband came. He found the water very deep at
the usual place of fording the river and had to go
up stream several miles and cross its two branches,
riding twelve miles instead of six, and twenty-four
in all.
"September 10th. My little Samuel is eleven
months old today and is strong enough, if he were
not afraid, to walk alone more than he does. How
I would like to step in to see 'Grandfather Newell'
with him on this your seventieth birthday, dear
father. I think of you and mother daily and wish
I could in some way contribute to your comfort.
Dear mother, I want you to have a sheet of paper
near at hand and when you think of anything you
want to say to Ursula put it down-a few words
from you, questions or anything, in ink or pencil,
finished or unfinished, this is what I long for."


My mother gives a humorous example of the in



86     PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
ability of the natives of the early days to count as
we do. A woman came to consult her about her
baby, and my mother asked her how many children
she had. "He lehulehu" (a good many), was the
reply. "You cannot count them?" She gave the
names of two or three, and finally, with the help of
another native near by concluded that she had five
children living. The Hawaiians counted by fours
and their multiple was ten, their system apparently
being based on the four fingers of one hand and the
ten digits of both. Thus "umi ha kanaha" (ten
fours make forty), "umi kanaha hookahi lau" (ten
forties make four hundred).
"September 13th. The usual quietness of our station is disturbed this evening by the noise and
carousings of the men who came to this place with
the King this morning, a mixed multitude of perhaps
two hundred. They have taken lodgings on the
other side of the river, not half a mile from us, and
the air resounds with shouting; at this moment their
yells are hideous and the fife and drum add to the
din. A good many whom the chiefs had turned
away from their lands because of drunkenness immediately joined the King's train and are now a part
of it. The people have been expecting his coming
for a long time. I shall be glad when it is all over.
Pigs, dogs, fish and fowl have been slaughtered in
large numbers, and ever so many calabashes of poi
have been prepared.




TO GENERAL MEETING


87


"Hoapili, the Governor of Maui, and Auhea, a
woman of high rank from Honolulu, and their attendants, together with quite a number of church
members, followed in the rear. They are excellent
people and come with the intention of counteracting
the evil that will result from mismanagement and
misbehavior. They have taken lodgings on this side
of the river near us and have called upon us today
with much cordiality.
"September 16th. The King, Hoapili, Auhea,
with her husband and two other chiefs, took supper
with us last Saturday. We asked them all to come,
hoping that this token of respect to his Majesty
might act as a check upon him. He appeared well
and seemed interested; after supper he sang several
hymns with us and said he intended to come to
church on Sunday, but he did not make his appearance.
"One man, who is a ring leader among his
menials, is doing all he can to keep the King from
good influences. His zeal in breaking all laws of
God and man is worthy of a better cause. Since
coming here he has sent out men to pillage food
wherever they pleased, taro, potatoes, etc., although
Laanui our chief, provides enough for their reasonable needs. No little devastation has been made in
the district, yet the poor people cannot utter one
word of complaint, for it was done by the King's
men. The night before they left, some of them
threatened to burn the new meeting-house and Kuo



88     PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
koa with a number of the teachers stayed in it all
night to keep guard, but nothing was attempted."
Early in September the new thatched meetinghouse was completed. It was large enough to hold
two thousand people and stood near Laanui's house,
about where Haleiwa Hotel now stands. My
brother Joseph has the following story from my
father of the first service held in it. The new house
was opened for the first time for dedication and public worship on September 25th, 1833, and Dr. Judd,
Mr. Bingham and Mr. Brinsmade, a merchant,
came from Honolulu for the occasion. When they
got to the meeting with my father, they found an
immense crowd of natives filling every part of the
house and others crowding around all the windows
and doors, utterly unable to enter. "Truly the
Spirit of God is here working on the hearts of this
people, who are hungering for instruction," thought
my father. Dr. Judd, who had been in the country
four years longer than he, began to ask questions,
and found that Laanui had issued positive commands
that every one in the entire district of Waialua
should attend this service under threat of severe
penalty. One woman came nearly four miles from
Waimea and returned, hopping all the way on one
foot, as she had lost the other. When Laanui had
filled the meeting-house with the crowd of people
standing, he ordered them to sit down on the floor
packed together as close as possible, but a great




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TO GENERAL MEETING


89


many were still compelled to stand outside. After
the services were over, Dr. Judd and my father
kindly explained to Laanui that he should not force
his people to attend church in that way, whereupon
the shrewd konohiki,'6 Kuokoa, told them that as he
had now proved that they could come he desired
that they should continue to come, but would not
punish them if they remained away.
On the 6th of October the church was organized
with sixteen members and Kuokoa as deacon. Many
more would have been glad to join, but it was
thought best to proceed with caution.
I have in my possession a large conch shell fifteen
inches long. Undoubtedly it is much more than a
hundred years old, and was used in early times by
some Hawaiian chief for calling his people to war.
For more than a year after my father came to
Waialua it was used for calling the people to church
and to school and as a curfew at 9 p. m. But I find
in my mother's journal of October 13th:
"Today we were called to worship by the 'churchgoing bell,' a sound never before heard in Waialua.
Some of our principal men have long been trying to
obtain a bell, but not till recently have they succeeded in making up the necessary sum of $144. It
weighs nearly four hundred pounds, was bought in
Honolulu and brought to Waialua on the shoulders
of natives. It is hung in a framework of wood, as
' The konbhiki was the chief's head man.




90     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
we have no belfry. Some of the church members
subscribed $3 and a large number gave $2 apiece,
though they had no money excepting as they begged
it from rich friends or earned it by doing jobs in
Honolulu, and Laanui's contribution was $40. The
bell is especially important as the people have no
timepieces by which to know the hour, and since the
church was dedicated and the bell hung, our meetings have been fuller and better attention has been
given to the services.
"October 15th. The labors of another day are
over and I will tell you how I have been occupied.
After breakfast and prayers in native with the servants, the shell was sounded for the children's
school. I have a native assistant so I am not so
closely confined. This session closed at 10 a. m. and
the conch was blown for the women's school, held
till noon. Early in the afternoon I met my sewingclass which I have recently started, eighteen women
who are making shirts for Mr. Brinsmade's store in
Honolulu. For a long time I have been trying to
think of some useful practical plan of this kind, and
I was very glad when Mr. Brinsmade suggested this
one. He provides the material, needles and thread,
and has the shirts cut out, and I baste them and
teach the women how to sew them. Our singing
class followed just before sunset when we had supper, and then after getting my little son to sleep I
spent an hour, as I usually do Monday and Tuesday
evenings, teaching our domestics.




TO GENERAL MEETING


91


"You may wonder why we have so many servants
and what we have for them to do. One man does
the cooking, not only for us but for all, another man
takes care of our cow, a much wilder creature than
those in New England, milks her, keeps her and her
calf fed with grass that must be brought from a distance, cuts wood and attends to other chores, and
they both work in our potato and taro patches. As
far as it is possible, I try to teach the women regular
habits of industry to overcome their habits of idleness, but we cannot expect any one here to work
more than one half of the usual time, and they have
little idea of neatness and hardly know what we
mean by housework. They do our washing in one
of our fine springs near by and I am teaching them
to iron. They help me care for little Samuel, and
when I do not need their help I encourage them to
braid mats and hats for their own use."
My father and mother deeply regretted certain
glowing exaggerated reports that had been published
of the progress made by the Hawaiians, so unwarranted by their own experiences. My father writes
to his brother:
"It is true we have much cause for thanksgiving
that hundreds are improving under Christian influences, but when I think of you as reading in
Stewart's journal, 'that this people from their facilities to procure subsistence and their great attention




92     PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
to schools and instruction, are promising to become
at no distant period one of the most enlightened and
literary people on the globe,' I am indignant at a
statement so far from the truth. We have found
the common people entirely untrained, their habits
and morals in many instances unspeakable, their interest in the schools and their attention to instruction just awakening, their easy way of living a drawback to their development. Since coming to these
islands, I have felt a thousand times more grateful
to God than ever before that our forefathers landed
on the stern and rockbound coast of New England.
"We have often spoken in America of the simplicity of nature, of the importance of living simply,
of letting our wants be as few as possible, and I still
feel that the imaginary wants of many people in
America are quite too numerous, but here the people
live much too close to nature and too far from
civilization and refinement."




CHAPTER IX


A MORE SECURE AND          COMFORTABLE
HOME
"jJARCH       13, 1834. I am thinking of home
more than usual this week as my husband
is away on a tour. How are you, my dear, dear
parents? Are you well and comfortable? The past
winter has been a busy one for us, for we have been
building our new house and it has made us much
extra work. We have had to board four workmen
most of the time, so my domestic cares have been
much increased; my husband has had to superintend
them as they are not very skillful, and one of them
caused a great deal of trouble in our household.
"Our old house has been very uncomfortable, for
the weather has been much colder and more rainy
than last winter. The high winds and rain have
filtered through its thatched sides and roof and I
have hardly been able to keep anything dry. We
have worn the woolen hose the Nelson ladies gave
us many months and I have wished I had some for
little Sam. As there are no windows in our middle
room we must have the doors open for light, whatever is the weather. The little one has suffered most
93




94     PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
as he is constantly creeping and running about over
damp mats, yet we have kept well notwithstanding
the exposure and discomfort, and hope that before
long our new house will be finished.
"March 31st. Yesterday was communion Sunday, and five additional members were received into
our little church. Four are promising men in middle
life; one, a member of our family, shows that he is
actuated by high motives and has endeared himself
to us by his faithfulness, diligence and earnest desire
to meet our wishes.
"We received during the past week some newspapers and Missionary Heralds dated as late as last
November and have read them with much interest,
but I looked in vain for any papers from New
Hampshire; I could devour one from near home,
'The Keene Sentinel,' for instance, for it would give
me news of places and persons I used to know. We
confidently expected letters by the same ship, but
were greatly disappointed-not one from either
Nelson or Chester I
"April 7th. Dr. Judd has just been with us for
five days, coming with Princess Nahienaena, the
daughter of Kamehameha I, and sister of the present King. She lives at Lahaina on Maul, and in
company with some of the chiefs and their attendants is making the tour of this island.  It was
thought that Dr. Judd's presence with her might be
a helpful influence, but it is tiresome to go with such
a crowd of people and await their slow movements.




A MORE SECURE HOME


95


I was very thankful that the King and his retinue
were prevented from accompanying her, for this
party has conducted itself very differently from the
carousing crowd that came with him last year, and
have made no noise or disturbance. The princess is
tall, large and rather graceful, is about twenty years
old and weighs perhaps one hundred and ninety or
two hundred pounds; she took supper with us twice
during her stay.
"April 14th. I have just returned from a house
near by where a man died. He was in the train of
the princess, a stranger in this neighborhood, and
was taken ill just before he got here, but still went
on with the rest. He soon returned, however, as he
grew much worse and this evening he died. The
moment his spirit fled, his parents, who are ignorant
people, set up such a piteous wailing that I heard it
and went immediately to the house. When I entered
they ceased their loud tones of grief and wept more
silently. I tried to lead their thoughts to God and
sat with them until Mr. Emerson called for me on
his return from a meeting, when he too tried to comfort them and the many others present.
"Although the practice of wailing is done away
with among the more enlightened, there are many
who still continue it. Formerly when any one was
dangerously ill, instead of doing all in their power
for his relief, his friends would congregate in the
house and wail with the utmost clamor, in this way
often hurrying the poor soul out of the world. Ask




96      PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
them why they wail, 'No ke aloha' (for love),
would be the reply.
"April 21st. I am writing this evening, dear
father and mother, in the bedroom of our new house.
The upper part is finished and we have moved in
some of our things. Now if you could only come in
with brother Pomeroy and his wife, sister Sophia
and her husband and cousin Ann, how happy we
should be!"
This was a one-story house with walls of stone
and mortar, a cellar, four main rooms and an addition on one side for the kitchen. With its board
floors, thick walls, well set doors and windows, it
was a great improvement on the former dwelling.
My father wished to build at this time a two-story
house, but that was considered too expensive. In
1846, however, requiring more ample quarters to
meet the needs of a growing family, the roof was
raised to allow four upstairs rooms, the kitchen enlarged, with a pantry and pump room adjoining, a
brick oven built, and an ell added in the rear. This
house, with a cosy gambrel roof, front and side
verandahs, was the happy home of my boyhood.
Never shall I forget it and its surroundings-the
big kukui17 trees on the south, the kou tree near my
w7The word "kukui" means torch and is the Hawaiian name of
the candlenut tree. The native torches were made by stringing
the kernels of the nuts on ribs of cocoanut leaves, several of which
were tied together. Later the name was given to oil lamps or any
artificial light.




5 in on H mWaiaIua, Bl Xiin 1834
E *Six3ffi<Xm Hine!i~raru.w IXUli




I.




A MORE SECURE HOME


97


bedroom, where the little scarlet i-iwi birds came for
honey in winter when driven from the upland forests
by the cold rains. In the dim distance in the east
stretched the Koolau mountains, while but a few
rods away on the north flowed the Anahulu river
quietly making its way between banks of tall rushes
to the sea. On the west was the bay with its curving
beach, the white breakers dashing over the reef beyond. Finest of all, blue and clear-cut against the
southern sky, rose the Waianae range, Kaala, the
highest summit of the island, standing boldly out, a
mantle of verdure covering its sharp ridges and
steep sides. "Nani Kaala, kio wai na ke kehau,"
sang a native poet (Kaala, the beautiful, where dews
and mists find rest).
Soon after the last workman had left and my
father and mother had begun to feel settled in the
new house, the time came for preparing for the
General Meeting at Honolulu. In those early days
this was the only trip away from home that my
mother made during the year, and each journey
brought its peculiar experiences. This one, which
they began at sunrise, hoping to arrive at Honolulu
at night, was adventurous, like the first, by both
land and sea, for the streams in the gulches were
much swollen and the tides were unfavorable.
As before, they rode across country to Ewa where
they took a canoe, getting with difficulty within five
miles of Honolulu by the inside passage. But alas I
the tide was going out, the wind was against them,




98     PIONEER     DAYS IN HAWAII
the boat began to rub on the rocks and there was
nothing for them to do but spend the night and till
noon the next day in a native hut in the little village
of Kumumau on the shore. Even the short passage
from there to Honolulu was a perilous one, as the
wind was strong and the waves high.
"Several times our little boat came near filling and
we were drenched with sea water, but at last we got
here, thankful for our safe arrival and exhilarated
at seeing our friends, whom we found anxious at our
not having arrived. Remember I have not seen a
white woman since I parted with the sisters here a
year ago.
"June 17th. Yesterday morning we were overjoyed by receiving letters from home, from father,
sister Sophia and brother Pomeroy. The ship which
brought them has been expected a long time, and
after such a silence the letters were doubly cheering.
The barrel you sent was also received; the smaller
articles were perfectly dry; the apples kept well
excepting a few which were nearest the cheese, and
the cheeses are in good condition and have a fine
relish. We wish to thank you many times for them.
Even the sight of things from dear home and dear
friends is refreshing. I read your letters over and
over again with tears of joy and gratitude that you
were yet alive and in health. Our best opportunity
for sending letters to you will be by a ship which will
sail direct in about two months.




A MORE SECURE HOME


99


"July 13th. This year's General Meeting has
been a prolonged one, as a circular letter from the
American Board necessitated an unusually long report, and as usual changes had to be made to meet
the needs of the various stations. To our great joy
Mr. and Mrs. Lowell Smith are to be stationed at
Ewa, so we shall have white neighbors only eighteen
miles away. The session has been saddened by the
death on July 6th of our coworker, Mr. Shepard."
On the 16th of July the meeting adjourned, and
on the morning of the 17th my father and mother
started overland for home, spending a night at Ewa.
"Mr. Emerson came on horseback and I was
brought in a chair swung upon poles and carried on
the shoulders of four natives, with Samuel in my
lap. The road between Honolulu and Ewa is so bad
I should have found it very tiresome to ride a horse.
I was carried over places where mother would have
trembled for my safety, where a misstep of the
carriers would have precipitated us many feet. The
streams between Ewa and Waialua were all much
swollen by a rain the previous night. The bottom
of one was covered with slippery rocks, the water
was very rapid and it took a line of eighteen men to
get Sam and me across. I did not feel afraid, I was
only very tired when I got home. You see, dear
parents, it is a very different thing to travel here,
where there are no roads, bridges or taverns to




100    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
accommodate one, from travelling in a civilized
land.
"August 11th. You inquire, dear father, if grains
could not be raised in these islands. Wheat has been
cultivated, but even if the natives could be induced
to raise it in any quantity, there are no mills to grind
it into flour. Indian corn will grow almost anywhere, having, however, little of the sweetness and
goodness of the corn I used to eat at home. As to
vegetables and fruits-beans, squashes, cabbages,
cucumbers and melons flourish and radishes grow to
be very big and too strong to eat, while onions will
not grow bigger than my thumb.
"Apples have never been cultivated, and I presume there are few places where they would grow.
There is a native fruit called 'ohia,' which resembles
an apple a little and is abundant at this season. It
is dark red and quite juicy, but flat and tasteless
compared with New England apples. We only eat
them raw. We have bananas in great abundance
and I often wish I could send a bunch to you or to
some of my friends. I think father would like them.
We think them very nice with milk or roasted. The
guava is a fine fruit about the size of a pear and
makes excellent sauce, but is not nearly as good raw,
and oranges, lemons, limes and pineapples are
brought us from the uplands. At Kaawaloa and
Kailua, Hawaii, coffee has been easily cultivated, and
grapes and figs are plentiful. We have planted




A MORE SECURE HOME


101


some fig trees and grapevines on our place and hope
they will bear well.
"I have wished a hundred times during the past
year that sister Betsey Emerson were here with us
to assist us in the schools, etc., and now we have
actually written begging her to come and to live in
our family. She would be invaluable as a companion. I have said to husband we should want no
associate were sister Betsey here. At the General
Meeting this year it was decided that each family
desiring it might have the privilege of sending for
some woman acquaintance to come to live with them
and assist them in their work. If sister Betsey cannot come we have asked her to suggest some acquaintance who would be judicious, discreet, apt to
teach and devoted to doing good. Perhaps you
might think of some suitable person. We have
thought of cousin Ann Clark, but, dear mother, if
she is with you and your dependence, I would not
think of luring her away and in this way diminishing
one particle of your comfort. No, I only wish, dear
parents, I could do something to make your remaining days more comfortable, peaceful and happy.
"August 21st. We have an opportunity of sending to Honolulu tomorrow and as a vessel is to sail
for America this month, I must close these few
pages and send them on. It cheers my heart that
you do not forget me. Pray that I may be humble
and faithful in the dear Master's service. I think
of you no less than when I first came to these islands,




102    PIONEER     DAYS IN HAWAII
and often wish that I could sit by you once more and
thank you for all you have done for me. Samuel is
fast asleep. He says some words and if you were
here he would kiss you many times a day. Much
love from us both to you all. Your affectionate
daughter, Ursula."




CHAPTER X


THE   WIDER PARISH
THE     intimate relations which my father and
mother held towards the natives of Waialua
made it easy to win their confidence, but to do this
in the outlying districts was more difficult and a following was more slowly won. To these remote
places frequent visits had to be made, but when the
kindly purpose of the missionary came to be known
and understood, the people could not do too much
to make him and his services welcome.
My father's charge included the district of Koolauloa (Long Koolau), the northern side of the
island. Although this is only a strip of land from
half a mile to a mile in width, running along the foot
of the cliffs, or bold precipices which terminate many
mountain spurs, the soil is good and well watered
by small mountain streams and the valleys between
the spurs are rich and productive. There were six
settlements along the shore with a population of
about 2,700, and sometimes my father would hold
a meeting in each of them on a single Sunday, riding
more than thirty miles.
In 1835 my father writes:
103




104    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
"I have just returned from a tour through Koolauloa where I preached to as many people as I
could assemble in the different villages along the
way. A few were ready to hear the word with glad.
ness, but the majority of the people were indifferent,
and the sight of me seemed to inspire either fear or
contempt. Very few schools have been established.
I gathered as many children as I could in each village
where a teacher could be found, gave them books
and encouraged them to attend school daily.
"Extending my tour I reached brother Parker's
station at Kaneohe in Koolaupoko (Short Koolau).
He has a rather pleasant place, although difficult of
access except by water. There are a few hundred
here who are interested in Christian truth. The
meeting-house, built in native style, was dedicated
while I was there, seven or eight hundred people
being present. On returning home I found that our
little son Samuel had been sick with a fever during
my absence, and Ursula was quite worn out with
caring for him and for baby William, who is a few
months old."
South of Waialua is the district of Waianae which
includes the southern slope of the Waianae mountains. Bare mountain spurs run down close to the
shore, where the climate is hot and quite destitute
of water and the poor ignorant natives of those days
lived mostly by fishing.




THE WIDER PARISH


105


"January 10, 1835. Have just returned from a
tour of Waianae, where by arrangement I met
brother Lowell Smith. We spent two nights in the
district and attempted seven or eight times to gather
the people for instruction, but could not get more
than seventy or eighty together in any one place.
Although we offered them books gratuitously they
refused to take any and appeared ashamed to
acknowledge that they knew how to read. Such is
the influence of their chief that light is put for darkness and darkness for light, evil for good and good
for evil."
Several years later Mr. Smith left the districts of
Waianae and Ewa to take up work in Honolulu, and
Waianae came entirely under my father's care, so
that his entire parish, Waialua in the centre, Koolau
on the north, and Waianae in the south, had a coast
line of over sixty miles.
"May 17th. Just three years have passed since
we landed on these islands. God has kindly kept us
during this time. He has given us some evidence
that our labors have not been in vain, and the happiness of having two children committed to our care.
Since we have been here there are those who have
much improved in conduct, in their studies, in their
ways of living, and in the neatness of their homes
and dress, and there seems to be a growing desire to
know the truth. More children are attending school,




106    PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
and on Sundays the congregations are larger, more
attentive and orderly."
I will now turn to my mother's journal of the
same year. She begins it at Waialua, on May 21,
1835.
"Dear parents: Not a day passes without my
often thinking of the dear ones I have left behind.
Next week we are going to Honolulu with our two
little ones to attend the General Meeting, and of
course we are very busy getting ready for our absence of several weeks. How I should like a little
of cousin Ann's good help in the mantua-making
line I Where is the dear girl?
"Evening. The mail has just come in from
Honolulu and Ewa, bringing several notes and a
little bowl of butter from sister Smith, which is very
acceptable; our cow being dry we only get a little
goat's milk daily. We send a man to Honolulu once
in two weeks now to carry and bring back letters and
packages and the 'Kumu Hawaii' (Hawaiian
Teacher) which is published semi-monthly by the
mission. He stops at Ewa so that we write and
hear from the Smiths by each mail, and hear not
infrequently from our friends in Honolulu and the
other islands. So you see we are not entirely destitute of social life though we seldom meet our friends
face to face. This evening we hear that Mrs.
Brinsmade of Honolulu and a Mr. Stevens from




THE WIDER PARISH


107


Boston are spending tonight at Ewa, and will be
here tomorrow to visit us. So away with sewing,
etc., and prepare for company. Well, I must have
some bread, so I will leave my writing and see that
the yeast is ready to make it in the morning."
The guests arrived as expected and my mother
writes of a pleasant visit from them.
"May 28th. At brother Smith's, Ewa. We arrived here about 2 p. m. Mr. Emerson and I rode
horseback, Samuel on a pillow in front of his father.
Baby William was carried in the arms of one of our
native men, the woman who usually attends him
walking by his side, and Kuokoa accompanied us.
On our way here, as we were coming up the steep
side of a valley, the principal girth of my saddle
broke, the saddle turned and I came to the ground,
without suffering injury, however, as I landed on
soft earth. Thereafter, in ascending a steep place
I took the precaution, when not dismounting, to
hold on to the mane of my horse and not to the horn
of the saddle.
"Honolulu, May 29th. We left Ewa a little after
noon in company with the Smiths in two single
canoes, and arrived here just at sunset after a short
and pleasant passage. We are staying with the
Tinkers in a neat little adobe house near the one in
-vhich they live.
"June 3d. The families from Maui and Hawaii




108    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
have arrived and all are now here, ready to begin
the business of the meeting.
"June 6th. The long-looked-for ship Hellespont
with the reinforcement of missionaries hove in sight
this morning. A thrill of joy came into our hearts
when it was at length ascertained that it was the
very ship; we hardly knew how to wait for the tidings they brought from our dear ones at home. The
new missionaries, eight in number, came on shore a
little after noon and were given a hearty welcome.
Then the precious letters came-how they cheered
our hearts and quickened our lagging footsteps land afterwards the packages and the boxes, one
from Nelson, in which we found nothing injured.
"June 17th. This afternoon I attended the Maternal Association which meets every Wednesday.
We feel deeply for our children, born as they are in
this land of strangers, far from the greater advantages of our beloved native land."
As a schooner was to sail for Waialua on June
30th, although it entailed an uncomfortable night at
sea, my father and mother took advantage of this
opportunity to return home, and again took up their
customary life and labors.
On the 30th of July my father made a tour
through Koolau, finding the people much more
friendly and attentive than in December. On July
31st my mother writes:




Evening. Outside Hon6lauu Harbor




e




THE WIDER PARISH


109


"I had my second meeting with the mothers this
afternoon and a good number attended. I propose
to meet them every two weeks to instruct them in
their duties and obligations as parents. Afterwards
I made several calls on families in the neighborhood
who neither send their children to school nor go to
church, but live in stupidity and heathenism. I went
into one little house where two women were sitting
on the ground pounding out the bark of the shrub
which makes tapa, and they laid down their mallets
and gave me a very cheerful aloha. An old man
lying near them was asleep on a bit of old mat; in
one corner lay a girl of fifteen with no clothing on
but a piece of dirty tapa, with four or five dirty dogs
sharing her mat, but she appeared as loving and
happy with them as if they had been her children. I
tried to shame her a little, and I think if she had
known I was coming, I should have found her in a
different condition.
"In another house I found several families
huddled together, and the dust and litter was sickening. In the middle of the room sat two men with
their calabashes and poi board, pounding taro into
poi. When I inquired of a young woman who sat
by with a baby in her arms where her husband was,
she replied, 'He is asleep,' and roused by her voice
he showed his head between a few old mats that
were put up as a kind of partition for a sleeping
place in one corner, and said, 'Aloha,' not at all disconcerted at being found asleep at that time of day.




110    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
I tried with prudence to make them realize that they
should live more decently.
"Just before sunset I called on another family, all
of whom belong to our schools. The husband is a
teacher and attends Mr. Emerson's school, and his
wife attended my school until recently, when she has
been prevented by the illness of their little daughter,
one of my Sunday-school children. Here I found
quite a contrast; the house was small but neatly
spread with clean mats and free from litter, but the
little girl, not more than four or five years old, is
apparently wasting away with consumption. They
all appeared grateful for my visit and I came home
regretting that I had not more time for going
around among the people.
"August 13th. I am now helping my husband
prepare for the press the Ai-o-ka-La (Daily Food),
a small serial published weekly for the Hawaiians,
which gives a verse of Scripture with brief notes for
each day.
"September 5th. I have recently heard of the illness of Mrs. Whitney in Kauai. They sadly need a
physician there. Dr. Thomas must go from Honolulu to attend her. I do hope that earnest young
doctors in America will seriously consider serving in
heathen lands, for they are needed no less than
ministers.
"September 10th. My father's birthday-does
he yet live? If so, he is seventy-two years old today.
I should love to sit by you, dear father, and talk




THE WIDER PARISH


11I


over things past, and listen to your kind advice and
all you could tell me of yourself.
"October 8th. I am alone, as my dear husband
left last Monday, accompanied by the chief and
some of the church people, for a two weeks' tour in
Koolau. The laboring part of the population have
gone with the company ordered by the chief to dig
salt in the salt lake not far from Honolulu, so our
schools have a small attendance and the whole place
is lonely. My precious babes are asleep, the noisy
natives are quiet and I have nothing to interrupt my
writing except the officious mosquitoes. We have
now had them for more than a year and when there
is but little wind they are intolerable; we could not
sleep with any comfort without our mosquito nets.
A year ago we had no nets and suffered extremely.
The poor babies came near being eaten up by them,
and at the time William was born I could hardly get
an hour's quiet sleep for many nights. You never
knew anything like them in Nelson. At that time
nothing suitable for a mosquito net could be found
at Honolulu, but now with some thin grass cloth
from Canton we are protected and can sleep secure
from their stings and yet have free circulation of air.
If ever I was thankful for any comfort I am for
this.18
18The Hawaiian Islands, often called "The Paradise of the
Pacific," had no venomous pests that were native and no words in
the language to express them. Even now we can camp in the deep
woods without fear. I have heard it said that the larvae of




112    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
"October 8th. I finished yesterday a map of
Oahu I have been drawing for you, and this evening,
after the little ones were asleep, I read over again
your last letters, received in June. I could not keep
back the tears, but do not think I am unhappy and
wish to be anywhere else-far from it."
From my father's journal:
"October 19th. Ursula has left a space here for
a description of this salt lake. It is three quarters
of a mile from the sea and is obviously the crater of
an old volcano, perhaps two miles in circumference.
It has a miry bottom and a bold shore. In one place
they say a line has been let down sixty fathoms and
no bottom found. There is probably a subterranean
connection at the bottom of the lake with the ocean.
I approached from the northwest side and came
upon it all at once. Sitting on my horse on a bank
one hundred feet or more above it, the entire surface
appeared like a New England pond in April, when
the ice is cracked and melting but not yet gone. The
salt lay about a foot under the water or brine, and
was a solid mass a foot or more thick. Not less
than one or two thousand men were digging it, carrying it to the shore and loading it on small vessels


mosquitoes were first brought to Hawaii in the water tanks of
whale-ships about the year 1828, and soon penetrated everywhere.
Now, however, as in other civilized lands in the tropics, modern
means are employed to exterminate them.




THE WIDER PARISH                113
that lay in a little bay about a mile distant. It is
sold at a dollar a barrel and is the property of the
chiefs; the people are called upon to do the work
without compensation, without food and to keep at
it for a month or more. The salt is said to form as
fast as it is carried off. I have heard that the people
pray for rain to end salt digging, for it is a grievous
tax on their patience, time and strength."
From my mother's journal:
"November 3d. Sam has just returned from a
long ride with his father toward Waimea and has
much to tell me about the flocks of goats and kids
which he saw. The fields are now clothed with
verdure and look beautiful after the late rain. The
taro patches are always green, as they are kept
under water.
"November 5th. Letters came from Honolulu
this evening, ships are coming into port daily, they
say. There will probably be an opportunity to send
letters to the United States soon, so I must bring
my journal to a close and pack our box, which we
shall send to Honolulu to await the first chance to
be sent to you. Four years have passed since I bade
you goodby, and as I review our experiences they
seem like a dream. But I must close with love, love
to all. Your affectionate daughter, Ursula Sophia
Emerson."




114    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
In closing this journal of their experiences of 1835
I want to give a picture which I find in a letter from
my father to my Grandmother Newell dated July
25th.
"The conch shell is just sounding to tell the people
that it is time for them to retire. Our two little
boys are sleeping sweetly in bed and Ursula is
adjusting things for the night.
"Tuesday noon. I am waiting a few moments for
dinner, the beans, bread, potatoes and bananas are
in the oven. One native is washing the buttery, one
the cupboard, and one is sitting on the floor near me
watching little William, who is creeping toward me
with great earnestness. Now Samuel comes running in and says, 'Father, father, Lilia is coming.'
She is the little daughter of the chief, and now he
has seated himself by her side in the doorway. He
talks to her in English and she says nothing, but
still they understand each other quite as well as is
desirable.
"Evening. You ask me, dear mother, how
Ursula looks. Her modest blue eyes are as full of
vivacity now as I ever knew them to be in America,
and are covered by the same long beautiful eyelashes, to me no slight adornment. Her hair is considerably thicker than when we left, her forehead
has now the beginning of one or two wrinkles which
have not become seated, though if they had they
would not offend my eye, as she would only more




THE WIDER PARISH                115
resemble her mother. Her cheeks are not quite so
full; anxiety, labor and sickness have had their effect,
though less perhaps than with most of the ladies
who came with us in the Averick. Her hand is less
hardened by housework, as her work now consists
mostly in directing the efforts of others, yet I suppose there are few women in America whose hands
are more diligent, and few have such a variety of
perplexing occupations. She has not as much time
for reading as I would like, but her intellect is not
neglected, she gets training in other ways with plenty
of human nature to read."




CHAPTER XI


HOW    TO  DO   IT
THIE    adventure of going on a mission had become a very real experience, and was met by resourceful, sturdy New England character. Every
kind of knowledge gained in the homeland came into
use among a people who as yet had few, if any,
standards of right living.
Getting ready for a life work among these
strangers involved mastering their language, which
not only had to be learned but to be written out,
studying their beliefs, traditions, habits of thought
and the best ways of approaching their untutored
minds. Everywhere something new was discovered,:
daily some fresh glimpse into untrained life was
gained at the church meetings, in the schools, among
the sick and troubled, from visitors, from anxious
or curious inquirers, among domestics and workmen;
and the missionary home became a social settlement,
where right living had to be practised and shown in
ways that would commend it to a primitive people.
To every one in any sphere of life who seriously
faces the problem of how to help those who are in
need of help, the question will arise, How can it best
116




HOW TO DO IT


117


be done? How can I fulfill this obligation? Edward
Everett Hale, in his little book, "How to Do It,"
says that in our practice we must follow our ideals.
But great men have failed from lack of attention to
the way of expressing and carrying out these ideals.
The Rev. Dan Crawford, author of that stirring
book, "Thinking Black," tells a story of the years
he had to study, work and suffer to win the heart of
a ruthless African chief and the confidence of his
people. Their favor was sought in almost impossible ways. Mr. Crawford became their servant
and made himself indispensable to their comfort,
avoided rousing opposition by heeding their trifling
social observances which were to him of indifferent
concern, and finally won their loyal regard and confidence in his leadership.
The Rev. Hiram Bingham, who did such fine
work for the Gilbert Islanders, told me of a fierce
chief, who showed him a coat of mail made of cocoanut fibre, in which was a hole caused by a spears
thrust. "This spear-hole," said the exultant chief,
"was made by my spear when I killed my enemy in
battle." Instead of chiding him and making him
angry, Mr. Bingham talked kindly with him. He
said: "This enemy of yours loved life just as you do,
and might have enjoyed it many more years; he had
friends who were dear to him and to whom he was
dear, and might have become your friend-but you
killed him." The chief saw his mistake, felt the
cruelty of his act and repented it.




118    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
Our missionaries to the Hawaiians were wise in
the way they won the confidence of haughty chiefs
and cringing subjects. They lived out their ideals
with patience, gentleness and simplicity, avoiding
haste and arrogant assertion, and when, by their
tactful handling of autocratic rulers, they gained
from them trustful recognition, the common people
were also won and became willing followers.
They had the good sense not to offend by brusqueness or by carelessness of speech. It is a mistake to
suppose that those who belong to undeveloped races
have no sense of propriety, or of what is really fine
in thought, feeling or conduct. The Hawaiian language abounds in terms which show a discrimination
between right and wrong, between good and evil,
and has expressions indicative of a sensitiveness to
manner and personal bearing. When pleased by
some gracious act or fine sentiment, they will say,
"Kohu kela" (That is impressive), or when displeased they say, "Kohu ole kela" (That is without
significance).
In one of his early letters my father refers to the
care he and my mother took in their dress.
"Though we live for the most part among halfnaked natives, we must regard our dress. If I
should go to meeting with an old straw hat, or
Ursula wearing an old silk calash which she has used
for three years or more, it would be noticed here




HOW TO DO IT


i19


almost as soon as in America. We must wear
clothes which do not excite special notice."
It is an amusing fact that the naked dwellers on
the atolls of the Central Pacific, a people who wore
only leaf fringes around their waists and who were
otherwise scant in their possessions, were punctilious
in observing their social usages. A friend told me
that at first they looked upon those who came to
their shores as in search of social status. Robert
Louis Stevenson, when meeting the chiefs of the Gilbert and Samoan groups, realized the value of
courteous bearing.
The keen appreciation Hawaiians have of the
idiomatic, correct use of their language is very
noticeable. In olden days, before an English mongrel came to be used, even children spoke the language with pureness and were charmed by its fluent
and proper use. Like the Greeks the Hawaiians feel
the force of "winged words." The missionaries
gained a fine control of the early Hawaiian vernacular, and my father's predecessors, Thurston and
Bingham, Richards and Andrews, Bishop and Clark,
made a translation of the Bible which is a classic for
the preservation of the language, while Lorenzo
Lyons, the poet of Hawaiian hymnology, has preserved it in many beautiful hymns, which are sung
throughout the group.
The Hawaiian race as a rule is gracious and responsive, but there was a sharp line between the




120    PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
common people and the autocratic chiefs, who were
often regardless of the well-being, the possessions
and even the lives of their subjects. In dealing with
them the missionaries did not follow sharp, summary ways, or push for sudden changes. They
aimed to enlighten the minds, arouse the consciences
and touch the moral natures of all, and in time rulers
were prepared to grant, and the common people to
enjoy, larger liberties, and a great and permanent
change was brought about




CHAPTER XII


THE GREAT       AWAKENING
THE work of the Hawaiian mission went on with
increasing interest, until during the years 1836 -1837 there came a great spiritual awakening, with
a power that seemed almost irresistible and took
hold of the natives of the entire group.  The
churches and the homes of the missionaries became
thronged with earnest inquirers for the way of life.
On Sundays they flocked to the places of worship,
coming sometimes long distances and in great companies, and remaining through the day and often
into the night. Churches were opened for special
weekday meetings which were continued for several
days, and the missionaries came to each other's help,
and preached with new power.
This awakening of the people did not quickly subside, its effect lasted for years and touched young
and old, strongly influencing a new generation. Between the years 1837 and 1842 more than twenty
thousand were received into the membership of the
churches of the group. The missionaries were constantly occupied meeting these opportunities, active
to the limit of their strength. It was fortunate that
121




122    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
this great awakening came when these men and
women were in their full vigor and could realize the
results of their years of sympathetic effort and study
of native life.
Following the special meetings came the care of
the candidates for church membership, who were
carefully examined and specially instructed. It was
my father's custom in preparing for the communion
service, which was held four times a year, to try to
help each member by meeting and talking personally
with him or her beforehand. This was no slight
task in a church of several hundred members, and
when it soon involved the care of ministering to the
membership of three or four separate churches, it
was a great strain.
I find the following entry in my father's journal:
"Sunday, May 1, 1836. This has been our communion Sabbath, the church has been filled five
times and each time I have conducted a service.
"March 16, 1837. We have just closed a special
meeting at Waialua, the third held on this island
since the first of February. The meeting lasted six
days, and on each day the meeting-house was full
and the power of the Spirit was apparent. One
meeting each day was for the children and about
three hundred attended the entire time, many receiving an influence which we trust will be lasting.
Quite a number of adults date their first serious
impressions from these meetings."




THE GREAT AWAKENING


123


The people of Waialua continued to be interested
in this movement, and on March 24, 1838, my
father writes:
"There are about a hundred candidates for admission to the church and this is less than one half
of those whom I hope will become faithful members
before long."
About a month previous to this date, February
17, 1838, I find:
"Yesterday after conducting the regular Sunday
morning service at Waialua, I rode twenty-five
miles, holding five services in the afternoon in the
different villages in Koolau and one in the evening,
and on the way home today I have preached again
five times. Many ears are open to hear and many
minds appear to be much impressed with divine
truth. March 24th. Have just returned again from
Koolau where I talked with one hundred and sixty
or more persons, most of whom give some evidence
of serious purpose. One or two hundred others
wished to talk with me, but the church members felt
that their sincerity was rather doubtful."
During this period, when my father, with his
nearest neighbors, Mr. Smith at Ewa and Mr.
Parker at Kaneohe, were so active, their wives were
doing their part. Many came to my mother, morn



124    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
ing, noon and night, for spiritual guidance and comfort. In August, 1837, she wrote to her father:
"My little boys, Sam, William and John, are
asleep, and I sit for a moment to talk with you.
Four natives are sitting by me asking questions,
wishing to know what different verses of Scripture
mean. One man asks the meaning of the word
covenant, another has put some question of duty,
and another wishes to see Mr. Emerson, but I tell
him that Mr. Emerson is very busy and cannot see
company this evening and he tells me his thought.
Thus the days go on crowded with work even into
the night, great congregations gathering to listen to
the truth."
It is doubtless true that during earlier years many
people came to church out of curiosity to see what
was going on, or under the compulsion of those
chiefs who favored the missionaries. But now it
was evident that they came because their spiritual
natures were stirred and they longed for light to
guide them, for this experience had a powerful effect
on many Hawaiians who never forgot it. Listening
to stories they told me fifty years later, I have understood better what caused so many to become sturdy,
exemplary, God-fearing men and women.
I have a vivid remembrance of an account given
me by a gracious, white-haired native woman to
whom Rev. James Kauhane introduced me while I




i  WwalliiWbtoman of Earler Days




i




THE GREAT AWAKENING


125


was being entertained in his hospitable home at
Waiohinu, Kau, Hawaii. As the family was sitting
together after supper and evening prayer, I noticed
that this aged woman quoted Scripture with remarkable fluency, and I asked her when her interest in
religion began. She replied, "I was a wayward girl
knowing nothing of God, and bent only on pleasure,
when there came accounts of a great awakening in
the Kona district where the makuas (fathers)
Thurston and Forbes were stationed. My friends
and neighbors were anxious to have me go with
them to see and hear what was happening, but I
refused at first to take the trouble of going thirty
miles over a rough volcanic trail just to hear preaching concerning the welfare of my soul, and I stayed
away. Reports of the startling interest which had
taken hold of the people continued to come, till
every one in the neighborhood went. I was left
alone, and those who came back told of the wonderful things they had heard and felt. So at last I
made up my mind that I too would go, and I came
under an influence which changed my life. I now
love the Word of God and try to follow the leadership of Jesus." She was but one of many fine native
women whom I have met and learned to respect and
honor, whose feet were turned from lawless paths
to those of pleasantness and peace. I could count a
score of them who were friends and supporters of
the work of my father and mother in the Waialua
parish.




126    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
While I was Secretary of the Hawaiian Board of
Missions, there was published in The Friend of
December, 1902, a summary I made from carefully
kept statistics, which showed the growth of religious
interest among the Hawaiian people of those early
days. "After ten years of work among the Hawaiians, in 1832, there were 577 names on the church
rolls; after twenty years, in 1842, there were more
than 25,000, over 19 per cent of the population,
and by the end of the next decade, in 1852, 40,000
names were enrolled on the church records, comprising 30 per cent of the population. Ten years
later, in 1862, the aggregate was 53,000, 33 per
cent, or one-third of the entire native population."
This was the culmination of the work of the missionary fathers, most of whom had become feeble
and less active, or had gone to their rest. The
American Board sent its last regular reinforcement
in 1847, the twelfth company of missionaries to
reach Hawaii. Thereafter only special men were
sent to fill special offices, and in 1863 the Hawaiian
Evangelical Association, with its Executive Board,
was formed, including in its body native pastors and
delegates, with the Hawaiian Board as its Executive
Council. These organizations took the place of the
old General Meeting and Missionary Society, and
the twenty great parishes, which had been formed
and ministered to by the early missionaries, were
divided into sixty parishes under the charge of native
pastors, with the guidance and support of the
Hawaiian Board and its Secretary.




CHAPTER XIII


STIMULATING INDUSTRY
M   Y father's work of reform necessarily included
an attempt to stir the natives to industry-to
help them to become good householders. "I cannot
go on preaching to a lot of people without ambition,
sitting on their haunches with no purpose in life,"
he wrote to his brother. He had brought with him
from his New Hampshire home ideas and methods
of the New England farmer which proved of great
value to the natives.
Stone walls had to be laid to keep out roaming
cattle, horses and pigs from cultivated lots, and the
native laborers whom he employed, learned from
him the right way of handling the crowbar and
sledge hammer, how to yoke oxen and the use of the
drag. After some choice piece of land had been
properly enclosed, he taught them how to break up
the soil with the plough and harrow and to plant and
cultivate in such a way as to produce a rich crop.
If the chief happened to come by when such work
was being done he would remark:
"Well, this is fine, but what is the wall for, to get
the stones out of the way?"
127




128    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
"Yes, and to keep out rooting pigs and predatory
horses and cattle."
"That yoke of oxen with a plough can turn up
more soil than twenty men with o-os'9 and do it in
half the time. Where can I get a plough?"
The laying of a stone wall was an object lesson
closely watched.  I have seen great husky men
straining and tugging with crowbars, vainly trying
to lift some big rock out of its bed and get it into its
place in a wall; when taught the method of leverage
the task became easy. I have seen them with sledge
hammers striking heavy blows on some unwieldy
stone they could not fit into its place. My father
would come along, examine the stone as to its natural cleavage, and with a stroke or two of the
hammer split off a piece with greatest ease, and so
make it fit as it should. "His blows are mighty,"
they would say, whereas the simple fact was they
were wisely given.
My father also encouraged fertilizing. This was
understood in cultivating taro which grows under
water, surface weeds which had been pulled up being
buried in the mud and left to turn to loam, but other
cultivating was not as intelligently done, and here
they needed instruction. Thus industry was encouraged and the people taught to work to advantage.
During the year 1837 my mother's duties increased. My brother John was born on January


l" An o-o is a very narrow spade.




STIMULATING INDUSTRY


129


4th, and a few months later Mr. and Mrs. Edwin
Locke of New Hampshire, of the eighth company
of American Board missionaries, were appointed
associate workers at Waialua. On August 25th she
wrote to her father:
"It is a long time since I have written anything in
my journal, not that I have had nothing to write,
but because every moment has been filled with other
duties. Mr. and Mrs. Locke, who spent a night
with you before sailing for these islands, have become our fellow-laborers and are making their home
with us. We are pleased with them and hope they
will become acquainted with the language and give
us efficient aid. They were made the happy parents
of a little son on August 5th, and Dr. and Mrs. Judd
and five children spent nearly seven weeks with us
before and after this event. So we have had no
opportunity to be lonely, as our household has numbered fourteen.
"September 10th. Mr. and Mrs. Bingham and
two children arrived yesterday from Honolulu to
spend several weeks on account of Mrs. Bingham's
health. On Sunday Mr. Bingham preached to
nearly one thousand people."
My mother's generous hospitality was well
known. Many travellers going around the island
stopped for a night's rest at our home, but more
especially it was a beneficial retreat for tired mem



130    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
bers of the mission, whose companionship she much
enjoyed.
Mr. and Mrs. Locke started an industrial school
for boys on the opposite side of the Anahulu, meeting with much success. The death of Mrs. Locke
at Waialua in 1842 and of her husband in Honolulu
in 1843 was a great loss to the Hawaiians, as well
as to their three children.
At the General Meeting of 1842 my father was
appointed to succeed Mr. Clark at the school for
Hawaiian young men at Lahainaluna, Island of
Maui, which had been founded about ten years
previous and successfully carried on by Rev. Lorrin
Andrews, with the co-operation of other men of
ability and experience. My father's work at Waialua was to be left in charge of Mr. A. B. Smith,
and in the autumn, with my mother and their five
boys, for Nathaniel and Justin were born in 1839
and 1841, he moved to Lahainaluna and undertook
his new task.
Lahaina is about seventy-five miles by sea from
Honolulu, and the school grounds comprise a thousand acres on the plateau above the town and ten
acres in the ravine for the cultivation of taro,
bananas, etc. With instruction, the schoolboys did
all the work-farming, carpentering, printing, cooking and housework. At the same time the academic
work fitted them to be teachers, preachers or government clerks. David Malo, the able chronicler of
Hawaiian traditions, Kamakau, the versatile writer,




STIMULATING INDUSTRY


131


Kekela, a Waialua boy whose noble conduct as a
missionary in the Marquesas Islands won recognition from Abraham Lincoln, and many other influential Hawaiians of that generation, owed much to
the training they received at Lahainaluna.
In addition to the labors which this position entailed, my father compiled an English-Hawaiian
Dictionary during the years he was there and took
charge of the neighboring church at Kaanapali. One
of the projects which he planned and brought to
successful completion was the Lahainaluna irrigation
ditch.
At the head of the ravine is a noted gorge called
Kawaula (Red Gorge), through which there rushes
at times from the wooded peaks above a strong
wind, Makani o Kawaula. David Malo has thus
eulogized his Alma Mater, "0 keia kekukui pio ole
i ka Makani o Kawaula" (This is the torch that the
winds of Kawaula cannot extinguish). Those gusts
of wind caught up the dust from the barren plateau,
showered it upon the school buildings, and blanketed
everything with red earth, which sometimes had to
be shoveled off the verandahs.
There is a mountain stream in the bed of the
gorge and my father determined to use its water
for irrigating the plateau, though he was told it
could not be done. He went far up into the canyon
and with the aid of the schoolboys dug and blasted
a channel, through which waters of the stream were
diverted to run upon the plateau.  Before long




132    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
Lahainaluna became a green spot on the hillside
back of the town and has remained so to this day.
In 1846 Mr. A. B. Smith returned to the United
States and my father left Lahainaluna in other
hands and went back to Waialua, making the trip
this time with seven boys instead of five, as Joseph
and Oliver had followed their brothers into the
world. The natives gave them a warm welcome.
One woman said to my mother, "I have been praying for your return ever since you went away, and
now my prayer is answered."
Some of the more serious and intelligent of the
Lahainaluna students gave promise of becoming
useful assistants in the work of the mission, and not
long after my father's return he placed James
Kekela, a graduate, in charge of the church at
Kahuku. In a letter to her father in 1848 my
mother wrote:
"Both Kekela and his wife Naomi, who was
trained at the Wailuku Female Seminary, are natives of this district and were sent by Mr. Emerson
to the advanced schools years ago. They are a fine
couple and meet our expectations in every way."
No Hawaiians ever showed more character than
Kekela and Naomi. After four years of efficient
service at Kahuhu, the Hawaiian Missionary Society
sent them and two other Hawaiian missionaries and
their wives, who were also superior natives, to the




STIMULATING INDUSTRY


133


Marquesas Islands, two thousand miles southeast of
Hawaii, to establish the long-proposed mission
there. Mr. James Bicknell of Honolulu, a man of
fine character trained as a mechanic, went with them
as an independent missionary. They all did noble
work, meeting many hardships and dangers among
that barbaric, wild people, and helping those with
whom they came in contact away from their superstitions toward better ways of living.
One episode of Kekela's influence with the Marquesans is well known. They were sometimes
cannibals in their treatment of captives, and on one
occasion a fierce chief seized an officer and a sailor
of an American ship, who had come ashore for fresh
water and provisions. He and his followers lashed
them to a tree preparatory to serving them up at a
big feast. While preparations for it were being
made, Kekela heard of the impending tragedy and
hastened to the rescue, pleading in vain for the lives
of the captives, till at last he offered his one and
only whale-boat as a ransom. This was accepted
and the men were given over to him in exchange,
and rejoined their ship. The news of this humane
deed reached the ears of President Lincoln, who
sent to the man who had been so brave and generous, $500 and a gold watch as a token of regard.
At about the time Kekela went to the Marquesas,
Moses Kuaea, another Hawaiian of unusual ability,
educated as a minister, was associated with my
father in the care of the church at Hauula, Koolau,




134    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
and Waimalu of the church in Waianae, and thus
the strain of ministering unaided to four widely
separated parishes was somewhat relieved.
On his return to Waialua, my father found much
to do for his pepole, who looked to him for help
in many ways. Kahuku, the northwestern part of
Koolauloa, was once a populous district green with
forests of lauhala trees, nestled among which the
homes of the natives were sheltered from the strong
trade winds. They used the choice lauhala leaves
for lining their grass huts and for skilfully braided
mats for their gravel floors, while the fruit also had
its uses.
But Kahuku had passed from the control of its
chief to that of an Englishman. The pastures of
his big ranch extended along the shore for twelve
miles, reaching inland to the mountain chain, and he
was so autocratic that the natives could not own a
dog, or pasture a cow or horse, without his consent.
The depredations of his herds and flocks on their
small homesteads became unbearable, but they appealed in vain for the protection of their beloved
hala trees and patches of vegetables. I have a letter
written by one of them to my father, a pitiful statement of their condition. There was no redress,
however, and with the fading of the forests the
people also disappeared and the once populous district of Kahuku became a lonely sheep and cattle
ranch.
The Waialua uplands had also been controlled




STIMULATING       INDUSTRY          135
for years by foreign ranchmen, and the incursions of
their cattle and horses, that in the summer time
came down from the dry pastures to feed on the
fresh green fodder found in the corn and potato
fields, in the melon and taro patches and hillocks of
sugar cane, which were cultivated about the native
homes, were a great menace. Sometimes they would
eat the very thatch off the sides of the native huts.
It was impossible to restrain them except by constant
watchfulness, and if a man caught or penned an
animal, legal steps might be taken against him.
They could be confined only in government pounds,
and there was no such thing in Waialua. So a
disagreeable fight had to be made in the interest of
the native homesteader and farmer against the
cupidity of the men who so thoughtlessly permitted
their cattle to roam at will, unrestrained by paddocks or fences.
I have a letter bearing on the matter from Dr.
Judd, who was then Premier, dated October 22,
1846. He writes: "A short answer is all I can give
to yours. Cry out about the cattle, it is too bad."
I have also the following:
Department of Public Instruction,
November 13th, 1846.
Dear Brother Emerson:
Dr. Judd, being particularly busy, has handed me your
two letters of October 31st and 4th inst. to answer. Before
the legislature adjourned they settled by resolutions several
very important measures regarding the subjects of your




136     PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
letters, and I enclose a copy of one. There are several others
in relation to rights of konohikis, government leasing, selling, etc.
There is also a law passed on the subject of trespass, by
which the owners of cattle and horses are made liable to the
payment of five dollars for every trespass committed on cultivated ground.
These resolutions will be published next week. If after
seeing them you think it necessary that pounds be constructed, please write again.
Yours truly,
WILLIAM RICHARDS.
These laws were not effective enough and my
father appealed again to the government to establish a pound with a keeper in Waialua, out of which
no animal could be taken without payment of a
fine.20 He thus incurred the wrath of the ranchmen
for the time being, but the native homes were protected.
' On a late visit to Chester, New Hampshire, I passed the old
abandoned town pound which my father had probably seen used
in his boyhood.




CHAPTER XIV


THE   PASSING     OF   PEONAGE AND
THE    FEUDAL     SYSTEM
W     HILE the industry of a people is regarded as
the possession of some feudal lord or chieftheir time, scanty stock of food and household goods
only to be enjoyed at the will of another-it is
hardly possible to make them ambitious or thrifty.
The missionaries found the common people of
Hawaii, the maka-ai-nana (those who eat under the
eye of another) simply peons, dominated by the
will of an autocratic and sometimes capricious chief
or chief's head man (knonohiki). They had no
incentive to improve their condition while a greedy
master stood in the way, and there were no laws to
protect property and safeguard private ownership.
A common man had to work for his chief whenever
called upon; if he refused, he could be turned out of
his home and whatever he had could be confiscated,
his only recourse being to take French leave and put
himself under the rule of another chief.
At the visit of royalty, the chief would order the
people to prepare for the feasting of a large retinue
of indolent court followers-to hookupu. Taro,
137




138    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
potatoes, pigs, chickens and fish would be taken
from their scanty supplies, without pay, to provide
for the kingly train. The more forehanded the
man, the more he would have to give; the fatter the
pig, the more sure it was to attract the eye of the
konohiki.
There were chiefs with thoughtful, kindly dispositions who cared for their people and afforded them
a measure of protection. It is said that Kamehameha I, after becoming king of all the Islands in
1794, proclaimed laws for the safeguarding of the
common people against robbery and murder, his
proclamation of mamalahoe making it possible for
the aged and infirm to camp without fear while
going from place to place. This was a great gain
in those lawless times.
Among other hardships the konohikis made exorbitant charges for fishing rights along the shore;
certain fish were tabu and half the catch of other
fish had to be shared with the chief. In my father's
journal of May 3, 1836, I find:
"Six weeks ago the king published a law that the
sea should be open for all to fish in, and the people
were of course overjoyed. But now one of his dependents has published another law forbidding anybody to fish, on penalty of the loss of his fish. So
the people know not what to depend on, one day a
favor is granted and the next day it is taken away,
and there is no security. My heart is deeply pained




THE PASSING OF PEONAGE


139


in view of the oppression, falsehood and duplicity,
that are daily being practised by some of the rulers
upon the people. Lying appears to be a very small
sin with some of them, and last evening I preached
again on the subject."
In the pulpit and out of it my father pleaded for
the common rights of men.
Sometimes, however, the strategy which the chiefs
and konohikis employed in enforcing their demands,
was amusing. A certain chief became the possessor
of two fine horses and as they were being tried on
the beach at Kahana Bay in Koolau, those who were
putting them to their speed had the misfortune to
run them head on against each other. In the collision both riders escaped, but the two horses were
killed; whereupon the chief sent out through the
district a summons for the people to come and get
some horseflesh, and they turned out to a man.
Then the wily chief sent out a second summons, calling upon all who had responded to the first to bring
a dollar into the treasury, thus gathering into his
exchequer enough cash to reimburse him for the loss
of his horses.
Moreover, among the common people themselves
there was a loose, mischievous conception of the
rights of private ownership. If one asked a friend
for something he owned, it was customary not to
refuse the request for fear of being dubbed "pi"
(stingy). One day my mother's cook came into the




140    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
kitchen much perturbed. She asked him what was
the matter and received the reply that his friend had
come to his room and asked for a new pair of boots
he had just bought which were the pride of his eye.
My mother said to him, "Go get those boots and
bring them to me." He did so reluctantly, not
relishing the anger of his friend; but the boots were
safe and did not pass into the hands of the shameless
beggar.
It was not long, however, before a new order of
things was brought about. Kamehameha III, acting
on the advice of Richards, Judd, Armstrong, Lee,
Castle and others, enacted laws which were the beginning of constitutional government in place of
autocratic rule. By these laws a part of the land
remained Crown Land, another part was to belong
to the chiefs, but the remainder was to be public
domain, out of which sales might be made and titles
given to the people.
My father quickly availed himself of this opportunity of urging the natives of his parish to profit
by the offer. The western part of Waialua as far
as Keena point, called Mokuleia, was mostly uncultivated pasture land, which he saw could be divided
among the Hawaiians instead of passing under the
control of the big ranchmen. Because of his interest
in getting them to acquire homes protected by fee
simple titles, the Waialua natives asked to have him
appointed government agent to dispose of these
lands to those who mustered the courage and had




THE PASSING OF PEONAGE


141


the means to buy; indeed there was not another man
who could do it as he saw it should be done. So he
took compass and chain, personally surveyed 8000
acres, dividing them into 50, 100, 500 and 1000
acre lots and urged the people to buy them, making
no charge for his services. He himself wrote the
deeds and had them recorded, issued the titles and
collected for the Government the amounts due, rendering the same service for holders of small houselots in other parts of Waialua and in Koolau. Over
three hundred natives thus became independent land
owners.
The following letter was written in 1850 by my
father to Dr. Anderson, Secretary of the American
Board:
"During the past year the Government has given
a part of our people a chance to get deeds of their
lands, some by purchase, and others by permission
and inheritance. I strongly hope that before another year two or three hundred householders will
be in possession of their lands in fee simple, and in
that way be ever after exempt from many of the
exactions of the konohikis, which have hitherto
worked such hardships with them.... The
sheets that I have written and the time that I have
spent in preparing the way, as far as possible, for
each native in Waialua to become owner of his own
house lot, field and pasture land, are not few.
"Perhaps some will say I have forsaken my call



142    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
ing to become land agent for the Government in the
sale of lands to the natives. Be it so. I have accepted an appointment to sell to the natives, at my
discretion, about 10,000 acres of land in the district
of Waialua. Why did I do it?
"First, the land was for sale and if some one who
loved the people did not take up the business, it
would probably be sold to their disadvantage in
great lots to a few purchasers who would become
lords of the land, and such a result would soon
render my stay in Waialua almost useless. Second,
the business was given me to do in my own way and
time, subject to the least possible dictation, and I
thought that although it would consume time it
would not seriously interfere with my other duties.
I have plotted out about 8,000 acres, mostly grazing
land, into about 300 lots, and nearly all are bargained for by natives. Laws are also made protecting cultivated lands, so that agriculture is progressing as it has not before. A third reason that
led me to accept this appointment is that the people
asked to have it assigned to me, and my acceptance
has secured to a large number of poor people lands
that they could not have obtained otherwise, and at
a saving of cost for services which they could not
have met. I have received nothing and no remuneration to me has been proposed, to my knowledge,
except fifteen acres worth five dollars an acre....
I shall look with much anxiety for the result of the
Hawaiians becoming owners of their own land in




THE PASSING OF PEONAGE


143


fee simple and masters of their own time, free from
the exactions of their landlords, too often oppressive."
As the Mokuleia land was from lack of water
unsuitable for taro land and therefore unattractive
for homesteading, it was used as pasture land and
became famous as a district for fattening beef stock.
The quarterly drives which were kept up during my
father's active life were lively occasions.  After
rounding up the cattle in a large enclosure, the cowboys went among them, roped the calves for marking and selected the fat steers to be driven to the
city market. My father made the wise rule that
not more than eighteen head of cattle should be
pastured on one hundred acres, and as long as the
rule was observed the stock kept in good condition
and there were plenty of fat cattle, but when, after
my father's death, this rule was disregarded, the
land became overstocked, the cattle grew poor and
unsalable and in sheer despair the poor natives mortgaged or sold out their holdings.21
Another need of the Waialua farmers was easier
access to the Honolulu market, which could only be
reached by a horse-trail leading through deep
gulches and streams, or by small coasters that had
to contend with currents and baffling winds. Accordingly, after much urging, it was decided by the Gov21The pasture lands of Mokuleia are now a part of the great
Waialua sugar plantation.




144    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
ernment to develop the horse-trail into a road and
bridge the streams. Of course this work required
supervision. The only man at hand who could plan
it and handle both native and white workmen, was
my father, so he was asked to add to his other duties
that of being the road supervisor of the district.
During the two years my-father held this office, the
road up and down the sides of five gulches was
graded and made fit for carriages and oxcarts, and
over the streams five bridges were built. Eighteen
miles of roadway were constructed to connect with
the road already built from Honolulu to Ewa. Some
of the time my father had a gang of fifty or more
natives under him making the road, and several
white carpenters at work building the bridges.
When all was finished, business in Waialua began
to boom. Carpenters were busy making yokes and
carts, the blacksmith set the tires and the shoemaker
cut out and fitted the harnesses.  The people
ploughed and planted, oxen were trained, carts were
put on the road to transport their produce to town,
and there sprang up quite a cross-country trade. The
coast service was also improved and Waialua harbor
had a growing traffic. Where there was once
lethargy and poverty, there came to be life, activity
and thrift. The natives of Waialua won the reputation of being forehanded and independent; in fact,
the politicians and government officials dubbed them,
"he poe kipi" (people lacking in proper subjection).
When the ballot was given the people, it was not




THE PASSING OF PEONAGE


145


at first regarded as a free ballot. They were expected to vote as they were told and were slow to
realize their constitutional rights. One day when
ballots were being cast, a native came to my father
and said that he had been ordered by the keeper of
the ballot box not to vote for the candidate of his
choice, but for another. This brought from my
father a protest that created considerable excitement
at the time, but which had its far-reaching effect.
It took time to clear away the craven spirit of
subserviency which the common people had been
trained for generations to cherish towards their
superiors. The absolutism of those earlier days,
however, had met a challenge. A new spirit of
freedom gradually began to possess the people and
show itself in their halls of legislation. The power
of the chiefs was passing and the power of the
people increasing.
It is with satisfaction that I quote the following
letter from Judge Lee, the Chief Justice of the
Kingdom.
Honolulu, 3d December, 1850.
My dear Emerson:
Herewith I send you a copy of the penal code, with the
other acts passed at the last session of the legislature, bound
in one volume. On page 161 you will find the law about
which you were speaking. I think you cannot do better than
to send Mr. Peter J. Gulick as representative of your district. The people of Waialua are now prosperous, and
should have a good man to watch over their interests in the
legislature.




146     PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
You have done a noble work for your people, my dear
Mr. Emerson, and if they do not reward you, God will.
My prayers are with you and with any one else who labors
to raise this poor nation one peg in the scale of happiness.
Toil on in the good work you have begun, and though now
and then a chief may abuse you, or a foreigner revile, your
conscience will ever yield a sweet balm to heal every wound
they may inflict. You have now placed your people in possession of homesteads, and I trust you will be spared for
many years to help them to better things. God bless you.
Tell me if your new road is built, and whether it is to
your satisfaction. Hoping that your bones are mending22
and that Mrs. Emerson and the little ones are well, I remain
in haste,
Yours truly,
W. L. LEE.
a My father's collar bone had been broken by a fall from his
horse.




CHAPTER XV


THE WAIPUOLO         HOME
THE TWO HOMES ON THE ANAHULU
IN our home, as in the community, our parents
tried to develop Christian character. They did
not preach to us, but back of everything we felt an
atmosphere of faith and devotion, of obligation and
service. I knew nothing of creeds or sects as a
child, I only knew that some people were Roman
Catholics and some were Protestants. Our faith
was founded on the life and teachings of Jesus and
His disciples and the words of the psalmists and
prophets. Creeds and sects were the perplexing
matters of later years. Somehow we were given
certain very definite ideals, but were free to do our
own thinking and draw our own conclusions.
Our custom of family worship was certainly a
formative influence. The daily readings, the verses
we committed to memory, made the Bible a revered
book, and with the hymns we sang and the prayers
we heard, inspired our ideas of God.
Morning prayers sometimes seemed in the way,
especially in the bustle and hurry of preparation for
147




148    PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
a day's outing. Evening prayers after the day's
excitement was over were often more effective-but
who can tell when an inspiring thought from some
psalmist or Bible hero, or the words of Jesus, would
come vitally home? In memory I can still hear the
hymns we sang. To begin the day with that powerful appeal,
"Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand."
helped us to go bravely forward, and at the day's
close, when looking back over the happy hours, it
made dreams sweeter to sing,
"All praise to thee, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light.
Keep, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath the shadow of thy wings."
Sunday was a busy day, and as we had no services
in English, we children attended the native church.
My mother had a rich, clear voice, and not only led
our singing at home but drilled and led the native
choir. It was in full view from our pew, and when
its members stood up to sing, we looked on rows
and rows of men and women with big heaving chests
and strong voices, who swayed forward and backward as they sang and made the church ring with a
volume of sound. If we slept through any of the
services, it was not when that husky choir was
singing.




THE WAIPUOLO HOME


149


On Sunday afternoons we had no special duties.
When father was free after the afternoon service,
we went into the garden with him. Mother would
slip away for a short time to be by herself, but we
boys knew her retreat, an upper room called the
parlor chamber. There was a Bible on the table,
and when she returned to us after her quiet hour we
felt she had been refreshed by a spiritual presence;
as brother Joe said, "Her face shone as did the face
of Moses when he came down from the mountain
to meet again the people on the plain." After
supper father gathered us around him to hear us
repeat the verses we had committed to memory, or
the catechism we had learned.
On one important occasion the catechism came
peculiarly to my aid. It was my first day at school,
and our principal, the much-loved Dr. Edward G.
Beckwith, announced that while the classes were
being formed we might all stay in the main room
and compose some theme on the subject, "What is
the great study?"-a rather staggering theme for a
child of eleven, who had never written a composition. I sat at my desk just behind Joe, and I remember how vacant my mind was and how helpless
I felt, till, glancing over his shoulder to see what he
was about, I read the following sententious statement which was undoubtedly cribbed from Dr. Beckwith, "The great study is the study of man." Probably Dr. Beckwith got his authority from President
Hopkins of Williams College, of which he was a




150    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
graduate. However that may be, with the writing
of that notable statement my pen ceased to function,
till, thinking the matter over, I called up from
memory words stored away from the catechism and
put them down as a sort of corollary, "Man's chief
end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever," and
then my composition was done. Very soon I was
called upon to read what I had written, and luckily
my turn came before Joe's. My composition was
greeted with unseemly laughter, which was still
louder when Joe's turn came a little later, and that
hypercritical audience of girls and boys knew how I
had stolen Joe's thunder.
The every day work began early in the Waipuolo
home. At dawn of day, after a plunge in the cool
bathing pool, father took his Bible and started for
the church, and from the neighboring grass houses,
the native householders, wrapped in blankets, could
be seen with their Bibles under their arms coming
to meet him. They read two or three chapters together, my father explaining various passages.
After father died, one of these men was asked how
many times he had read the Bible through and replied, "Nine times." My father systematized the
reading so that all the best parts of the Bible could
be read in a year.
Mother often called us in the morning with a
song, if we were not already up. In later years in
New England the cheery notes of a robin have often
stirred me to consciousness, but rarely have I been




THE WAIPUOLO HOME


151


awakened in a happier frame of mind than by
mother's morning song. After his Bible class father
came over to the cow-pen, where, while the milk
boys were at work, I was generally to be found
petting the calves or milking my favorite cows, and
together we would go home for breakfast.
Among the cherished memories of my childhood
are the days spent with father and my brothers in
excursions to Kamoku after firewood, or up Kawailoa valley after oranges. I could hardly sleep
the night before firewood or orange day. The native
men with the ox-carts started off at dawn, taking
with them axes, chains and luncheon, and sometimes
a rifle, we boys following on horseback with father
later. When the forests were reached, after five
miles of gentle ascent, the men cut down the trees
and the oxen dragged them to the cart, while we
youngsters, the sound of chopping ringing through
the woods, explored their hidden depths hunting for
tree-shells. Sometimes we watched the flitting
scarlet i-i-wis, or listened to the deep note of the
o-os, while drinking in the aromatic sweetness of
that upland forest air.
I remember with vivid interest the sports of those
earlier years, when we fished in the Anahulu and
sailed our toy fleets at its mouth, wading in the
sandy shallows where the stream broadened. How
busy we were in the carpenter's shop, making and
rigging our boats for a regatta I




152    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
The Anahulu river (cave of the hulu)23 is a narrow estuary averaging forty feet wide, which makes
up from Waialua Bay a mile or more to the mouth
of the Kawailoa stream. On its opposite banks
were two homes facing each other. On one side
were the Gulicks, and on the other the Emersons.
In each family there were seven boys and a younger
sister, the Gulicks ranging three or four years older
than the Emersons.
At the age of ten or eleven, each one went to
Honolulu to attend the Punahou Boarding School,
which the missionaries established in early days for
their children. In the vacations there were lively
times in the waters and on the banks of the gently
flowing Anahulu. They would have been still livelier
if all the Gulick and Emerson boys could have been
at home at the same time, but by the time the
younger ones were old enough to be counted in, the
older boys had been sent to "The States" for advanced education, so we were never all together.
In 1849 came the first break in our family circle.
My brother John, apparently a vigorous boy, died
at the age of eleven of an affection of the heart, and
about three years later, my brother William, a fine
boy of seventeen, became ill. In the hope that it
would benefit him he was sent on a voyage with Captain Gelette, a wise, kindly friend, but the trouble
was too serious and he died at sea in July, 1852.


Hulu-a kind of fish.




THE WAIPUOLO HOME


153


The seven tall cocoanut trees which are pointed
out to tourists who visit Waialua as standing for my
father's seven sons, were planted by William more
than seventy-five years ago, to stand for the six remaining brothers and our precious sister Sophie,
who was born in 1849, making our family complete.
As Sophie grew to be a little girl I was naturally her
guardian while the rest were away at school, though
I made a poor show at it.
I remember so well those days when months had
passed since I had seen my brothers. I would climb
to the ridgepole of the house and stand on it for perhaps an hour, looking off toward the place on the
Honolulu road, three miles away, where they would
first come in sight. How excited I was when I saw
the rising dust from horses' hoofs which told they
were near!
Life at home was stirring during those long summer vacations.  They were strenuous days for
mother; new suits had to be made and fitted to
growing boys, so the sewing women as well as the
cook were kept busy, and several leaves had to be
added to the dining table which stretched quite
across the room.
Horses were in the paddocks, saddles, saddlecloths, bridles, spurs, lariats and hitching ropes
cluttered up the saddle room. In those days mounts
did not cost much. By the payment of a small sum
father had the lease of several thousand acres of
upland pasture extending for miles back of our




154    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
home, where cattle and horses roamed, and when a
new mount was needed a colt could be broken to the
saddle.
Then the hunting spirit broke loose. Rifles and
fowling pieces stood in the closet ready for use, and
the wild goats, pigs and turkeys became aware of
the fact. Nat was a good shot. I have known him
to put a bullet through the head of a duck fifty yards
away, and Justin's long legs took him over the hills
after turkeys.
Sometimes we cut the long buoyant rushes and
bound them into large rolls to make floats, and two
such rolls, when firmly lashed together, would easily
bear two of us. Sometimes a friendly native lent us
his canoe and we paddled up the river, or ventured
out on the bay to run on the surf. One of our
chosen canoe trips was up the Ukoa lagoon, the
favorite abode of innumerable mud-hens and occasional ducks. The fellow with the gun sat at the
bow ready for a quick shot, while the one at the
stern, hardly raising his blade, made the canoe glide
noiselessly along toward the wary bird.
On warm days when we panted for a swim, we
went up the river to a secluded spot, calling to the
Gulick boys to come along too. On one side where
the bank was high we made running leaps into the
water, resting afterwards in Huki's sugar-cane patch
and chewing the sweet stalks while we talked. William and Tom Gulick were interesting talkers, and




THE WAIPUOLO HOME


155


sometimes other boys were visiting us. The Punahou
boys and girls of our day were good companions.
Fourth of July and Thanksgiving were our
notable holidays, and later, when Puritan customs
were modified, Christmas was added. The quartette, Nat, Justin, Joe and I knew how to celebrate
the glorious Fourth. Nat was the leader. In preparation for the day, we made small lead cannons, not
quite a foot long, by pouring melted lead into a
paper mould, up the centre of which was placed a
round stick of carefully whittled pine to form the
bore. When the lead had hardened, the well-greased
stick was easily pulled out and a touch-hole bored at
the butt. The bullet when pressed down hard on
the powder could be aimed and shot without danger
to the cannon and easily pass through a pine board,
but the gunner must take care not to stand in the
way of the kick. Though mother became accustomed to our use of these home-made explosives,
she was glad when rifles and fowling pieces took the
place of lead cannons and we turned to target-shooting and hunting.
The wild cattle that fed on the edge of the forests
above the pastures were still-hunted with the rifle,
or were roped by the cowboys. A day's hunt for
them began early when dew still glistened on the
fields, and was charged with excitement. When my
brothers were old enough to be away at work in
vacation time, earning money for college expenses,
this was my favorite sport. Mother called me long




156    PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
before dawn and in the pantry I found a bowl of
loppered milk, a good enough breakfast for a growing boy. "Goodby, mother." "Oliver, don't fasten
to a bullock." "No, mother," and off I was on
Selim, the finest bullock horse in Waialua.
We rode slowly about four miles up the sloping
pasture lands till we reached the brow of the plain
where the wild cattle fed, and there, just out of their
sight, we dismounted and waited for daylight.
When dawn came and we could see clearly, we
tightened our saddle-girths, adjusted our lariats,
deadened the jingle of our spurs, mounted and stole
quietly along the edge of the plain toward the cattle,
and then, as soon as they discovered us and began
to start for cover, there was a wild rush, and each
able rider roped his bullock before the wild creature
had plunged back into the forest, or down a deep
valley-side.
The excitement was not over when this was done;
in fact, it had only just begun. It is a long, dangerous race getting a wild bull down the slopes to the
home paddock. You must keep the twenty-five feet
of slack lariat free from fatal jerks and entanglement; and to keep yourself and your horse clear of
the bull's horns when he turns to fight himself free,
requires practice and a swift, well-trained horse. It
is daring sport-no wonder my mother cautioned
me against the danger. But one morning she overslept and I got off without my promise. A chance
came to throw my lariat which I could not resist and




THE WAIPUOLO HOME


157


I roped a young bull. When I got home I said,
"Mother, don't make me promise again not to
fasten to a bullock, for I have caught him."
But the rarest days of all were those we spent
hunting for tree-shells, the famous achatinellidae of
the Hawaiian Islands. I still feel the exhilaration
of those excursions, the zest of coming upon a hidden surprise of nature, some fine specimen of these
beautiful shells, each ridge, each valley revealing its
peculiar variety. After an early breakfast we rode
over the uplands to the forests, which then reached
down far below the present line. Dismounting, we
tethered our horses and pushed our way afoot up a
ridge, or plunged down into a lovely valley or
ravine, pausing at the verge to listen to the call of
the shell; as the native imaged it, pupu kani oi-oi
(the shrill-voiced shell). Yes, we heard a faint
murmur. Was it the droning of insects? I have
since failed to hear those shrill far-away, faint
echoes. Conditions have changed, cattle, wild hogs
and hunters have invaded those virgin coverts and
the dryads have fled, but surely it was to us brothers
"the call of the wild."
It was not only the luck we had in finding rare
specimens of achatinellidae which held us as devotees to these rambles, it was the entire experience.
The flora of Hawaii is peculiarly rich and attractive. There are ferns of many kinds, some delicate
and low, others vigorous and tall; there are clinging
parasites and vines, the i-e i-e and the fragrant maile




158    PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
with beautiful glossy leaves, the sweet-scented ginger
and mokihena, the banana, alani, and broad-leaved
ti plant, the lehua ahihi with its red ponpons, and
scores of other graceful plants with shining stems.
The air was charged with aromatic odors. With
Gray we felt "the call of incense-breathing morn."
Pupu Kani Oioi
(Song of the Shrill-Voiced Shell)
Native-Kahuli aku,
Kahuli mai,
Kahuli lei ula,
Lei akolea.
Kolea, kolea.
E kii ka wai,
Wai akolea.
English-To and fro
A waving go,
Frond of fern
Flushed with red.
Drinking the sparkling
Drops of dew,
On the leaflet
Securely I tread.




CHAPTER XVI


OLD-TIME      NATIVES
T    HERE were two distinct classes of old time
natives, the chiefs who owned the land and were
the rulers, and the common people, their tenants at
will and servants. The former were haughty and
commanding, the latter obsequious and submissive.
The word kauoha (command) was familiar to the
lips of the chiefs, nonoi (petition) to the lips of the
people. Kuokoa even in his prayers to God would
use his habitual word of command, kauoha, though
the common people always said nonoi.
Not long after my father came to Waialua,
Laanui became ill and my father called upon him.
Being a high chief, he had to be handled with considerable circumspection. My father reached out
his hand to feel his pulse, but the chief would have
none of that and moved his hand away.
The next thing was, if possible, to see his tongue,
but such a suggestion would have been the limit of
presumption. It was a case requiring strategy. So
my father asked him if he had a good appetite. Of
course the sick man loathed food, and as in making
negative replies, especially to distasteful questions,
159




160    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
a Hawaiian would frequently run out his tonguethe stronger the negative the more pronounced the
demonstration-the chief in disgust ran out his
tongue to its full length, and my father was able to
make his diagnosis.
Conscious of their dignity, the natives were sensitive to criticism or ridicule. My father had a load
of sand for making mortar drawn from the beach
in his ox-cart. There were miles and miles of it
along the shores of Waialua bay, but Kuokoa, feeling his authority-a not uncommon human failingthought it a good chance to make a dollar or two,
and put a price on the sand, just as he had on fishing
rights, and told my father that he would have to pay
twenty-five cents a load.
"Kuokoa," said my father, "you arrogate to yourself the absolutism of a pope; in ordering the affairs
of the community you want the pope's pence for
everything." This put him in a foolish as well as a
selfish attitude, from which he shrank, and nothing
more was said about charging for Waialua sand.
Yet this autocratic man of authority, whose very
name means "one who stands apart," and who took
the place of the chief when Laanui was absent, was
a supporter of righteousness as far as he saw it, and
was one to whom my father looked for the maintenance of law and order.
His firm belief in a physical resurrection was certainly crude. Where he got it I do not know. I am
sure he did not get it from any teaching my father




OLD TIME NATIVES


161


had given him. Riding with him once by the seashore over a stretch of sandy hummocks, said to be
an old battlefield, where probably some of the slain
had been hastily buried, my father came upon a
thigh bone lying upon the sand uncovered by the
strong trade winds, and picked it up to examine it
as he rode along. The konohiki was shocked by
this act of desecration and remonstrated at seeing
the bone removed. "When the resurrection comes,
and all who were buried here spring to life, where
will this poor man find his thigh, and how will the
rest of the bones get together if this one is carried
off?"
The natives I was familiar with in my childhood
were faithful and gentle; as domestics and attendants our hearts gave them a warm place.
A year or two after my father and mother began
housekeeping in the Waialua home, they secured the
services of two men and two women who were keeping company with each other and who became valuable servants. At my father's suggestion they paired
off and sealed their relations by taking marriage
vows, my father officiating at the ceremony which
made Puukua and Hannah man and wife, and Huki
and Polly. These four natives loyally kept their
vows and remained with us till the end of their lives.
After twelve years Puukua died, Hannah following
a year later.
Huki was a well-built man of medium size, a
humorous character and an old-time native athlete,




162    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
as spry as a cat. Before he came to us he had served
in the train of the chief as a kind of clown, and
could dance, dodge about, perform tricks or imitate
the cry of animals, in most amusing ways. If we
happened to be on the woodpile when he came by,
he would challenge us to hit him with chips and
would dodge them as he had learned to dodge
spears. He hunted mud-hens with bow and arrow
and was an expert fisherman. I like to recall the
days when he would ask me for a re-al with which
to buy hooks.
He kept our taro patches in fine shape as long as
he was able to work, planting the tops in little
hillocks of mud, weeding them and pulling the roots
for our table as they matured. He could "oli"
(chant) the deeds of noted chiefs or repeat lyrics in
praise of nature, putting into them the throb of
some subtle dream or passion.
One evening when father happened to be in
Honolulu and we boys were all at home on a vacation, we thought it would be a fine chance for Huki
to perform some of his tricks. We got mother's
leave to use the dining room for the show after
supper. At the heat of the performance the tails
and backs of our cats began to rise, for they heard
the wild, fierce challenge of a bigger cat than they
had ever met. They sought an escape, and it became
urgent when the bigger cat turned into a dog. There
were two dogs, in fact, for our watch-dog, outside
the door, joined in with wild jumps and fierce barks




OLD TIME NATIVES


163


and howls; he and Huki defied each other and the
cats thought pandemonium was certainly let loose.
When quite a small boy I was once at Huki's as
he was preparing a young half-grown pig for his
oven. Taking a cord and beginning at the snout,
he wound it tightly around the pig's nose and mouth
up to the eyes, and when he let go the pig rolled
over and ceased to breathe. This, he said, was the
old way of preparing pigs for the imu or ground
oven. My pity for the pig was moved, but I question if the so-called civilized way of taking pig life
is any more merciful than this so-called heathen
way.
Though Huki was somewhat of a savage in his
make-up, he was kept within bounds by the quiet but
strong personality of Polly, who was a truly fine
and remarkable character. She had an unusually
tall and symmetrical figure and a face that shone
with rare kindness. She cared for us in our infancy
and childhood, and when we began to leave home
to go to Punahou School in Honolulu, she would
come and hold us by the knees and with a gentle
hug and a few tears would say her goodby. On
our return, the same gentle, humble greeting would
welcome us home again.
Her warm heart, her affectionate ways, her
patience and uniform kindness won our childish regard, and no servant ever quite took the place Polly
held. She was by instinct and intuition a nurse, and
when after childbirth mother needed special care,




164    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
Polly would bring to her bedside deftness, sympathy
and cheer.
In their old age Huki and Polly had their own
little home just back of ours, and true to the old
native custom, they had one thatched hut for sleeping, one for eating, and a third in which to work.
Here we children would often be found enjoying
their hospitality, watching Polly beat the pulp of
hibiscus bark into tapa coverings for her bed, or
weave rush or lauhala mats for her floors. She was
always industrious; she loved to do for others and
was dear to us all.
One of my friends once expressed his admiration
for the old-time natives. He held that they were
less sophisticated and more willing to do ordinary
work than those of today. They were a sturdy lot;
they lived abstemiously and many of them had keen
native intelligence.
Under chiefish rule they had been trained to work.
They did most of the housework for the missionary
families in earlier days and the sugar plantations
were manned by them. In 1864, for six months I
had charge of about one hundred and fifty acres of
cane land of the then Waihee plantation and had
only natives as laborers, about fifty men who did
good work. In later years aliens have taken their
places in both field and domestic work and now one
rarely sees a native house servant.
Most of the policemen are Hawaiians and many
educated natives are teachers or clerks in Govern



OLD TIME NATIVES


165


ment or private employ. If not studious, the native
boy of today is apt to be venturesome. On ranches
he is a fearless horseman and cowboy. He is a good
companion and guide in the wild uplands, and as a
ship hand or stevedore he is as much in demand
today by the island steamers as he was formerly by
the whaling fleet.
Every one admires the physical vigor and fearlessness of the Hawaiians. Once in the icy waters
of the Okhotsk Sea, a right whale was captured just
at nightfall. A storm was brewing and the captain
was anxious to have the body lashed to the ship
before dark, but in the hurry an attempt to bend a
hawser around the flukes of the whale repeatedly
failed. A Hawaiian sailor seized the end of a line,
and, leaping into the icy waters, dove with it under
the great monster, brought it up the other side and
back to the ship. The hawser was quickly attached,
and before it was too late the whale was made fast.
The white man's ways were interesting to the
natives, not that they might be imitated, but as a
revelation of another kind of life. They studied
our features and behavior. "That boy," they would
say, "is the image of his father" (ku i ka makua
kane). When provoked and out of patience with
us, they would chide us for some peculiarity. "You
light-haired little mischief maker" (keiki kolohe
poohina), or when pleased they would flatter us,
"keiki ui" (handsome boy).
It was not so much curiosity, however, as real




166     PIONEER     DAYS IN     HAWAII
respect and interest that used to attract groups of
elderly women to our home on Sundays after the
morning service, to stay till the afternoon service
began. They would quietly come into the dining
room as we sat at our dinner, and taking the longhandled kahilis24 from behind the clock, would deftly
wave them as they stood behind us. Trained to be
followers, not leaders, the old-time natives were
deferential. They accepted the advice and leadership of their teachers without question and loved to
serve them.
One day, when I was a child, a native boy about
fourteen years old came to our house. His father
had been a calabash maker for the chief, but had
lost his job, for crockery was coming into use. So
the son had to seek a new employment, and though
rude in manner and speech, the boy showed good
spirit.
"Well, my boy, what can I do for you?" said my
father.
"You can give me work," was the reply.
"What kind of work do you want? What can
you do?"
"What you teach me to do."
a' There were two kinds of kahilis. One kind, which was used
as a fly brush, was a stick with feathers bound around at the top
and a part way down. The other kind was a plumed staff of
State, larger, handsomer feathers, which were often brilliant, being
used. Kahilis of this kind were the insignia of nobility and a
striking feature of all ceremonials.




OLD TIME NATIVES


167


"Aren't you rather young and small to do much
work?"
"I shall grow."
"Do you really wish to learn to do good work?"
"Try me and see."
This boy was Mahaulu, who became a useful
servant.  Much was entrusted to him  and we
brothers grew fond of him, as he of us. He caught
the English words which came from our lips, good,
bad and indifferent, and stored them in his memory,
to throw them back at us when the spirit moved.
Vigorous and keen, he was my companion in many a
wild hunt in the uplands.
He greatly admired my father and emulated his
thrift and skill. Not a horseshoe or nail lying on
the ground would escape his eye, and in time, when
he became a householder, there was a pile of junk
in the corner of his cart-shed, just as there was in
ours.
When he was married he built a neat four-room
cottage with a front veranda and a hall through the
middle. But he was not content without a dining
room and kitchen in the rear and, since building was
costly, he had to watch his chance to get them. One
day it came at an auction about two miles away,
when a two-room shack was put up for sale. He
bought it at a mere nominal price and, putting it on
wheels, got it home, ran it up against the back of his
cottage and completed his addition without great
expense.




168    PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
This reminds me of a feat I once witnessed of
native strength. On our premises was a two-room
frame building, perhaps fourteen by twenty-four
feet, which my father wished to move an eighth of
a mile. A leading native said he would undertake
the job. He called together about forty men, who
put the building on long beams, lifted it up on their
shoulders and carried it to its new location, with
their leader standing in its doorway giving his
orders. Doubtless Mahaulu was on hand as usual,
and had the incident in mind, when, long afterwards,
he mounted his shack on wheels and drew it home.
He became in time the most trusted and capable
native of the district and was known as a sturdy
character.
Mahaulu married Kalakona whom my mother
had trained to work in our home, and years afterwards, when as Secretary of the Hawaiian Board I
visited Waialua, I never suffered for lack of a good
lodging-place. They always gave me a warm welcome and provided for me as they had in the old
days. Kalakona would take from her camphor
trunk clean sheets, blankets and pillow cases and
prepare the bedroom, while Mahaulu was cooking
the dinner as he knew I would like it.
One day as Mahaulu and I were walking about
the deserted premises of my old home, he suddenly
stopped, and holding up one outstretched hand he
turned down, as he spoke, thumb and fingers one by
one: "There is Sam, your eldest brother, he was a




OLD TIME NATIVES


169


ranchman and raised cattle, but your father knew
more about stock than Sam ever dreamed of; and
there are Nat and Justin, physicians, and good ones,
Nat here as President of the Board of Health, Justin on the Mainland, but your father was both
doctor and minister and cared for the bodies as well
as for the souls of his people. Then there is Joe, a
surveyor for the Hawaiian government, but your
father not only surveyed government lands, he sold
them to the people and helped them get homesteads;
and here are you, a minister and the Secretary of the
Hawaiian Board. Your father was our minister,
preacher and spiritual leader and got close to us in
our homes, teaching us how to live." Then, having
doubled down his fingers (and us) one by one, he
shook his fist, with these words: "Your father combined in his one person the various vocations which
you five brothers have followed, and all of you put
together are not equal to the old man."
Such was the tender regard in which this native
man and his wife held the memory of my father and
mother, that when we were far from home they
reverently cared for the hallowed graves.
Some of the full-blooded Hawaiians and halfwhites have held first rank as leaders, and with some
of them, who chose the ministry as a vocation, I had
the good fortune to be closely associated.
James Kauhane, of chiefish blood, will remain in
the memory of many of us as one of the fine characters of any race. As a young man he was a school




170    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
teacher. Later he studied for the ministry, in which
calling he did valuable service, not abandoning it
when he was elected to the Legislature, where he
soon became President of the Senate. As a schoolmate of King Kalakaua, who reigned from 1874 to
1891, he knew him well, and if the king and his
sister Liliuokalani had followed Kauhane's wise
counsels they might have had happier days.
I once had the good fortune to cross the continent with him and the observations of his keen
mind were always interesting. American audiences
listened to him with deep attention. We went together to see the Lincoln statue in Chicago and his
first exclamation was, "Nui ke aloha!" (What
humanity, what love!)




d D r xg
RElrkENO JAMES KAuHA-NE
Teacher Christia Minister, Statesman At one time Pident
f the S       f the Kindo    f Hawaiir A,1ti  eaeo  ie ia~ono   avt








CHAPTER XVII


DRIFTWOOD
IN  AND    OUT OF COURT
AFRIEND who had always had misgiving as to
the advisability of foreign missions was surprised at their breadth and scope after living in
Hawaii and seeing first-hand the work accomplished
by them. "Why," she said, "these missionary stations are the best kind of social settlements." It is
granted that a normal family life is the best centre
for social welfare work, and unconsciously my
father and mother made their home helpful, not
only to native Hawaiians, but to many others.
There were a number of white men in our neighborhood who, in their wanderings over the world as
sailors and mechanics, had acquired bad habits.
They imbibed too freely, to forget their troubles.
Some of them had native wives, who were not only
ignorant, but unable to prepare the food usually
found in civilized homes. These men found in my
mother a wise counselor, and a friend who would
even try to make their food more palatable.
Saturday was mother's baking day, and out of the
171




172    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
big brick oven which father had built for her, she
took loaves of bread, pies and puddings, baked
breadfruit, taro and bananas, and on special feast
days roast fowl, turkey or suckling pig.
It was unadulterated gladness for me to watch
these delicious viands brought one by one out of the
big oven on the wide blade of the long-handled
shovel which Tom Cornell hammered out for this
purpose, they were so savory, so tempting.
The day's baking was placed steaming and crusty,
rich and juicy, on the big deal table which stood by
the western window of the wide kitchen, and when
the afternoon sun shone on this attractive array, I
was ravished by the view. To my childish eyes
there was a splendor in it which I cannot forget even
now in my old age.
But what pleases me most as I look back on those
baking days, with their visions of richness and
plenty, visions which helped to make my boyhood so
happy, is the fact that those forlorn men, married
to inefficient, untrained native wives, got from my
mother their share. The carefully baked bread and
the butter which their wives could not supply and
which they could not otherwise procure, they would
get in weekly visits to our home.
Mr. A. would come in and take his loaf of bread
and pound of butter, then Mr. B. would walk in and
take his package, and after exchanging a few pleasantries and words of appreciation, they would go
back to their homes to try to be sober-think and




DRIFTWOOD


173


dream perhaps, over their pipes, of better days.
The missionary home brought back to them their
own early homes so far away on the Mainland.
Occasionally they opened their hearts to their
friendly country-woman, who was adding so materially to their comfort and was ready with her sympathy, and out of some blighted life would come the
story of a great disappointment, or of some escapade
which drove the young man from his home and
made him an aimless wanderer in that western
world.
Notwithstanding their checkered experiences by
which they had lost social standing, these men had
their useful places in the community. They had a
friend in my father, who appreciated their ability
and helped them follow their trades. One was a
hard-working tanner and farmer, another was an
honest harness and shoemaker, and a third was a
good dairyman and had charge of our stock.
My father discovered one man under circumstances that made his relations with us all peculiarly
friendly. A derelict of American society, cast up as
driftwood upon the shores of Hawaii, he happened
to come to Waialua and was taken in by a friend.
One day when he was very ill with typhoid fever,
the house took fire and he was carried out across
the threshold in a helpless condition. There was no
hospital and my father had him brought to our
house; indeed it was the only place where he could




174    PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
be cared for and the missionary mother was the only
nurse who could save his life.
It was a life worth saving. He was a skillful
master of many trades, a cabinet-maker, carpenter
and blacksmith, and on his recovery my father set
him up in business. There was nothing he could do
for my mother which he would not do, and we boys
could never forget Tom Cornell's skill in his various
crafts, and the help and instruction he gave us in
handling tools.
Pleasant as it is to recall the loyalty and devotion
with which these stranded mariners regarded my
father and mother, it is trying to think how persistent some of them were in doing foolish and
unfortunate things contrary to their advice.
One man in particular was most headstrong in
pursuing a course which finally wrecked his life. It
was rumored that he was seeking a wife among the
natives and had picked out his helpmate. My father
knew that the girl was untrained, ignorant and without character, a particularly low-down native unfit
to be a decent man's wife, and with his interest in
the man's welfare he asked if he might not help him
to a better choice. But Mr.        would take
no advice. He declared that in marrying a native
he chose to take one "right out of the bush," and
just such a person he got as his home maker. He
lived to regret it many years, till one day in his old
age, a worthless son-in-law, supposedly eager for his




DRIFTWOOD


175


wife's share of her inheritance, shot him dead on his
very doorstep.
An amusing instance of my mother's power to win
out against odds, occurred after most of us had left
home to follow our professions, and she had become
an old lady. A concert was to be given by the
church and Sunday-school and the conductor was a
white man, who had a genius for such leadership,
but unfortunately had also a genius for conviviality.
The hour for the last rehearsal came, when all
discords were to be eliminated and final touches
given to make the performance a success. When
Mother Emerson arrived at the church she found
the people in consternation. The conductor had
arrived but was too drunk to lead.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"On the other side of the stone wall, in the graveyard," was the reply.
Whereupon she went where he was, all crumpled
up and limp, and looking over the wall at him said,
"Come with me."
"I can't, I am drunk."
"You must; come right along with me."
"I can't."
"You must; come now," and the stronger will prevailed over the weaker. The staggering man followed the missionary mother to her home near by,
took the dose of hot ginger tea she quickly prepared,
and came back with her to the church, sober as a




176    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
judge, and in possession of his faculties as leader of
the chorus.
Several years later, after my mother's death,
travelling by chance with this same musical conductor, he told me about the whole affair. It seems
that a political interest had a bearing. The Superintendent of the Sunday-school which gave the concert was a candidate for a public office soon to be
filled by an election. He had an opponent, a wily
neighbor, who was anxious to discredit him, and who
conceived the idea of making a failure of the concert to be given by his Sunday-school, by putting the
conductor of it out of commission. His chance came
when he saw the conductor going by on his way to
the rehearsal. Knowing the man's weakness he invited him to come in to take a drink and gave him
strong liquor till he was maudlin.
"But how about the concert," I asked; "was it a
success?"
"Yes," he replied, "it was a howling success."
"And how about the election?"
"The wily opponent was completely snowed
under; the success of that concert won popular favor
for the Superintendent, who polled a large vote and
won an easy victory over the man who tried to beat
him by such a mean trick."
Deeply as my mother sympathized with these
men, whose misfortunes or misdeeds had led their
feet far from the paths of pleasantness and peace
and had cast them as driftwood upon those remote




DRIFTWOOD


177


shores, there to spend their days without proper
home-life and companionship, her indignation was
keen against those higher in the social scale, who
wantonly betrayed the young native women she
labored to train for true motherhood and into whose
minds she had sought to instil pure ideals.
How I have seen fire blaze in her eyes, particularly against one man who, with his wealth, leadership and social standing, might easily have thrown
his influence on the right side and have been a power
for good   As long as this man followed his evil
ways her disapproval showed in her eyes at every
mention of his name. At last, old and feeble, disinclined longer to continue them, he came to our home
lonely, and perhaps penitent, a changed man, seeking friendly recognition and sympathy. And then
he got it, fully and without stint.
Mr. Emerson's position in the community often
made it possible for him to smooth over quarrels,
to clear up misunderstandings and to keep people
out of court; or if any one got into the grip of the
law to see that he received a fair trial. Courts and
judges were new to Hawaiians, however, and their
ideas regarding them were crude. Civil procedures
conferred a certain notoriety, and with the human
desire to get into the limelight, to carry one's point
and to hit back, nothing seemed to please some
natives better than going to law.
A native of Waialua died, leaving among his ef



178    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
fects a spoke-shave, worth perhaps fifty cents,
claimed by two of his heirs, who, not being able to
agree as to which should have it, brought the matter
into the district court. Each hired a lawyer and in
addition one had to pay the costs of court, but the
fact that they were both out of pocket to the extent
of several dollars did not seem to trouble them, for
they had had the excitement of a lawsuit. Of course,
sometimes a disagreement would occur between a
native and a white man because they spoke different
languages, and Mr. Emerson, understanding both,
could come to the rescue.
One amusing incident threatened to undermine
the morals of the community. The wife of one of
the deacons, a native of good standing, gave birth
to a white child. The family was in deep trouble,
the tongues of the people were wagging and the
officials of the church were on the point of demanding summary discipline. Great was the relief of all
concerned, when my father discovered the child was
an albino and thus the clouds were cleared away.
Solicitous as he was to prevent unnecessary litigation, he would not overlook a serious violation of
the law. During 1857 there was an unusual outbreak of lawlessness in the district, cattle thieves
began their operations in a daring way and no one
seemed ready to act, fearing the ill will of these
lawless men.
A notorious well-proven theft occurred and in
order to have the thief arrested and brought to




DRIFTWOOD                  179
court, Mr. Emerson called on Kuokoa, who was the
district judge as well as the konohiki. The culprit,
however, was one of Kuokoa's handy workmen and
he turned a deaf ear to the charge, replying that if
the case came to his court it would be dismissed.
"Very well," Mr. Emerson said; "as you have
given your verdict in advance and without a hearing, you have proven your unfitness to try it and I
will take the case to another court."
This he did. The thief was duly tried and convicted, and the punishment had a wholesome effect
on the observance and administration of law in the
community.




CHAPTER XVIII
PROGRESS      IN  THE    FACE    OF
ADVERSITY
TN 1853 came dark days for Waialua and even
darker ones for other districts of Oahu. As with
all undeveloped peoples, an epidemic among the
Hawaiians was always a serious menace, and now
from May to October, 1853, a terrible scourge of
smallpox, brought from abroad to Honolulu, swept
through the island of Oahu, affecting also, but to a
much less degree, the other islands. Notwithstanding the efforts of an intelligent Board of Health to
quarantine, vaccinate and segregate, about one-fifth
of the natives of Honolulu died of the disease, while
at Ewa it is reported one-half of the population succumbed to the epidemic. At Waialua, the mortality
was less than in any other district of Oahu; Mr.
Emerson reported 201 deaths.
He was appointed government agent for Waialua
and Koolauloa, to do what he could to check the
disease. Part of the time he had the aid of a physician, and all the time he and my mother were busy
ministering to the sufferers. There was no hospital,
but he vaccinated freely and extemporized a place
180




PROGRESS IN ADVERSITY


181


of segregation, where some of the patients were
treated. Back and forth he went from house to
house, to advise and prescribe, while at home
mother kept food ready for those in need, being
called upon day and night. A tap at the window
and she would spring from her bed to hand out toast
or gruel to some patient who could not eat the common native food. My brother Joseph remembers
the great pot of cornmeal gruel hanging over the
fire in the kitchen, ready to be served to any who
came for it.
It was a sorry sight, after the epidemic was over,
to see the deeply pitted faces of so many who had
suffered, and sadder still to see the closed houses.
An entire settlement was wiped out in one remote
valley. It was fortunate that my father had had a
year's study in medicine at Dartmouth. In 1860,
when he visited his Alma Mater, a degree of M.D.
was conferred upon him in appreciation of the
medical service he had rendered his people.
Following close on this disaster, little sister
Sophie met with a serious accident. She was a beautiful child, full of vivacity and life, the joy of her
father's heart and close to mother as an only
daughter. One day, early in 1854, she fell, seriously injuring her hip, and before she had fully recovered she took cold in it and hip disease developed. Never can I forget those weeks of pain she
could hardly endure and the sorrow of my parents
and of my own child heart. The cheer that good




182    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
Dr. Judd's visits brought to our household was
shared by us all and won my lifelong regard for this
strong and able man. Recovery came at last, and
during the days of convalescence it was my part to
wait on her, take her out in her little carriage and
give such comfort as a rough-handed careless boy
could.
Notwithstanding the epidemic of smallpox during
the summer of 1853, and that of measles, which
spread through the Islands only five years earlier
and was said to be fatal to one-tenth of the population, I find in my father's report from 1850 to 1860
much that is encouraging. In May, 1852, he wrote:
"It is now twenty years since the Waialua station
was established. They have brought many changes,
mostly for the better, though some apparently for
the worse. The spirit of servile obedience has to a
great degree departed; now if men move at all, they
act from some other motive than the mere will of
the chief. There is now more cheerful, productive
industry, more comfort and wealth, obtained more
honorably and intelligently, and more equally
'divided. There is now more independence, less
hypocrisy and more manly, efficient piety; he who
once feared to fill his calabash with water or feed
his pig because it was tabu day, has learned that the
Sabbath was made for man. Yet with this freedom
comes more immorality, profanity, stealing and liti



PROGRESS IN ADVERSITY


183


gation. What can we say-excepting that where
wheat grows there will be tares.
"Many now own their homesteads and ploughs
with which they cultivate their lots. The fields of
waving grass and shrubbery, which fifteen or twenty
years ago covered our hills and plains, with but here
and there a flock of goats to revel in their luxury,
are no longer to be seen. Horses and cattle have
reduced the rank pasturage, and where formerly
there were only taro, potato and banana patches,
there are now fields of cane, wheat, corn, rice and
coffee. Twenty years ago wooden or stone houses
were rare in our large villages, but now such buildings are quite common and the grass hut is disappearing."
My father's interest in education and his experience as a teacher made him an authority in matters
pertaining to the schools. He was one of the early
trustees of Punahou School at Honolulu, the establishment of which he urged, and he advocated a
further training in English for the Hawaiians. In
his report for 1855 he wrote:
"Our native schools for the past twenty years
have been our pride and our stronghold for the
Hawaiian nation. For them we have hoped and
prayed and in them most of us have toiled. Through
their instrumentality we have striven to develop an
intelligent and somewhat educated people and we




184    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
have not been disappointed. We have now among
us a large number of Hawaiians, who by their training would be capable of studying higher branches of
science and philosophy, had they the textbooks.
Some of them show decided intellectual ability, but
they are handicapped by the limited facilities they
have for continuing their studies."




CHAPTER XIX


A  TRIP    TO  THE MARQUESAS
A   S has been seen, the missionaries in Hawaii
were not satisfied to work only for those
islands. They wished to reach out to other groups
in the Pacific, and in 1851 they made a renewed
effort by organizing a Missionary Society, finding
the men and raising the money for carrying out their
purpose in their own churches. In 1852 they sent a
band of missionaries to Micronesia and in 1853 another, to which I have already referred, to the Marquesas Islands. An important part of the work was
to send from time to time a delegate to cheer those
sturdy men and women and to carry to them money
and supplies, for they were often sadly pinched.
In 1856 Rev. Lowell Smith was sent in a schooner
chartered for this purpose to the Marquesas, and I
find in the report he made on his return:
"I found them all in usual health, cheerful and
happy in their work, but they had been obliged for
several months to look on the shady side. Their
foreign supplies and available means for purchasing
more were exhausted. Brother Bicknell had sold
his hand-saws, plane-irons, chisels, hatchets, adzes
185




186    PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
and one or two razors in exchange for food, and the
Hawaiians had parted with most of their furnishings, knives, forks and spoons, for the same purpose.
"They had been obliged to spend considerable
time in fishing and had to go four or five miles in a
canoe for vegetables, paying for them with pins,
which the Marquesans converted into fishhooks;
they would soon have had to part with their clothing.
"I carried a $500 bill of credit, to be renewed
every year, which I trust will prevent a similar embarrassment in the future, yet these men steadily
refused to give up their work, the results of which
in promoting more peaceful conditions are evident."
In 1857 my father was asked to go as a delegate
and readily consented. It had been arranged that
the American Board missionary brig Morning Star,
which was bought with a fund raised by the children
of the United States, to which the people of the
Hawaiian Islands contributed, should be under the
direction of the Hawaiian Missionary Society after
arriving at Honolulu. This Society decided to send
the vessel first to the Marquesas and to send with
my father as a native delegate a high chief, Namakeha, accompanied by his wife. Rev. Alexander
Kaukau and his wife went as additional missionaries,
and Mr. Evarts Chamberlain as a passenger, as he
wished to take the voyage for his health.
It was a long, eventful voyage of thirty-five days




TRIP TO THE MARQUESAS


187


against head winds and currents. At one time when
the water was getting low in the tanks, the captain
almost decided to abandon the task and square away
for Tahiti, about six hundred miles from the Marquesas. But my father urged him to keep at it a
little longer, and in two days they sighted land, entering a bay of the island of Hivaoa five days later
on June 4, 1857.
My father writes in his journal on that day:
"This has been one of the most eventful days of
my life. It was agreed yesterday that if we stood
in near the land and found any place on the island
where a human being appeared to live, that I should
go in with a boat's crew and find, if possible, where
the missionaries are. In the morning it was dark
and cloudy and the captain had misgivings about the
landing, but between nine and ten o'clock the clouds
broke away and we were standing in toward a large
bay, about five miles wide at the entrance and nearly
five miles deep. At first not the vestige of a house
or anything indicating a human residence could be
seen. Before long, however, I descried three or
four houses on the shore, and after straining my
eyes looking through a poor spy-glass, I could see
two or three more, six or eight miles distant. Preparations were then made for my going ashore and a
boat was lowered; the crew were quickly in it and
we were immediately on the high-rolling waves.
"It was soon discovered that the boat was leaking




188    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
badly and, as we had nothing at hand for a bale,
we put back and a pail and a basin were tossed to us.
The basin filled and sank, the pail was so large and
heavy that it could only be used when a barrel or
more of water had leaked into the boat, so the
carpenter pulled off one of his boots and with it I
baled, while the men pulled lustily at the oars.
"After an hour or more we met a good whaleboat, well manned by a savage-looking crew, their
naked bodies being much tattooed. They appeared
pleased and lively, returned our salutations, and informed us that Kekela and family were up the bay.
As we approached the shore the surf was breaking
in every direction, but after various misunderstandings, a native in the whale-boat shouted, 'Pull,' and
we got through, our boat partly filled with water.
We made a landing on the beach, which we found
alive with people, principally children, as handsomely formed as any children I ever saw.25
"This was the village of Puamau, where Kekela
lived, and as I leaped ashore he stood ready to embrace me. Such an overcoming emotion of admiration and sympathy for this self-denying man I loved,
and gratitude to God, I have rarely felt. He led
me silently by the hand toward his house, and when
we were able to speak we consulted as to how and
where we could arrange a meeting of all the missionaries.


z The Marquesans are noted for their fine physique.




TRIP TO THE MARQUESAS


189


"We decided to hold it at Hanaahi, where Mr.
Bicknell lives, a few miles from Puamau, and that
Kekela should leave his family for a couple of days
and go with us on the Morning Star to the island of
Fatuhiwa, to get Kaiwi, who was stationed there.
"After our plans were made he ordered a man to
get cocoanuts, breadfruit and bananas, and invited
our boat's crew to his house. At the door we met
Naomi, who gave me a silent embrace, and I kissed
the babe she held in her arms. The house is built
on poles stuck in the ground, roofed over with
breadfruit and cocoanut leaves and floored with
pebbles, the bed being only a frame with mats on it.
The bedroom was partitioned off with split bamboo
from the living room, which was without tables or
seats and served also as a place for church meetings
and a school.
"As we were returning to the boat, one of the
sailors said, 'I have never seen such a sight,' and
another, 'That was worth the dollar I gave to missions,' while a third remarked, 'Those who say that
missionaries have easy times and do no good, do not
know what they are talking about.'
"That night on board, Kekela kept us interested
till midnight with an account of his experiences,
when we retired, leaving him to watch on deck. As
Venus, the morning star, rose in the east I rejoined
him, and found him trying to direct our course close
in by land, so that we might not be carried by the
current far out to sea. He showed me the valley




190    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
from which they had fled to escape from savage
pursuers, and other valleys full of fruit trees where
people were living in concealed places.
"Soon after sunrise, as we approached our land,
ing, we were visited by a boat's crew of friends of
Kaiwi, whose well-formed bodies were tattooed and
quite scant of clothing, though a chief had on a
frock and pants. Saying 'Kauoha' (Aloha) we welcomed them aboard.
"Omoa Valley, Island of Fatuhiwa, June 7th.
This has been my first Sabbath in this land of darkness, on which God has caused his light to shine like
the beautiful morning star which this month is the
herald of dawn.
"On landing, soon after sunrise, we met Kaiwi,
and at ten o'clock, in a house about thirty feet by
twenty, entirely open on one side and paved with
round stones, a morning service was conducted by
the four Hawaiian missionaries. It was attended
by eight of the seamen and a hundred or more Marquesans, who listened attentively and conducted
themselves with proper decorum.  At the communion service, which followed, six nationalities
were represented, one Norwegian, one Swede, one
Dane, two Americans, eight Hawaiians and one
Marquesan chief, Abraham Natua.
"In the afternoon, Kaiwi and I went up the valley
nearly a mile, to call on a blind man, who is favorable to the mission, but unable to get about. He
lives beside a pleasant stream, embowered among




TRIP TO THE MARQUESAS


191


cocoanut and breadfruit trees. Over his head he
keeps his coffin placed on poles, a log dug out with
two carvings like heads at one end and two carvings
like feet at the other.
"Toward evening the chief, Abraham Natua,
called on me and told me he earnestly hoped that
Kuihelani, who had obtained permission to go home
on a leave of absence, would return to Marquesas to
assist Kaiwi in his work in this valley of Omoa. He
said that the Word of God had taken deep hold of
his people, that the tabu system is being undermined,
and, if not directly attacked, will soon fall.
"Puamau, Hivaoa, June 10th. Dear wife, I am
now back at Kekela's, having arrived from Omoa
yesterday. We ate our supper last evening of breadfruit, roasted bananas and tea, with stones for
plates, only two or three spoons and no knives or
forks. The name of this place, which means 'perennial flowers,' well describes it, and this morning
when I awoke about three o'clock, the birds were
singing sweetly overhead among the breadfruit,
hibiscus, milo and cocoanut trees, which grow in wild
romantic profusion.
"Soon after breakfast, Kauwealoha came from
Hanaahi, the nearby village where the General
Meeting is to be held. As I met him on the beach,
he grasped my hand and wept like a child, and the
same warm greeting I have received from all the
missionaries.
"This afternoon Mr. Chamberlain and I started




192    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
inland with a guide to call upon the chief Mutete.
After walking about a mile, we heard shouting and
carousing echoing through the forest, and came
upon a cleared enclosure, where we found about
twenty men, apparently intoxicated, with joints of
bamboo which held their liquor. To get beastly
drunk they have to keep at it all day. Some of them
were doubtless only feigning drunkenness, but they
assumed attitudes of defiance, strutted about, bawled
and raved like madmen-till suddenly most of them
left off and came and shook hands with us.
"By Friday, June 12th, all the missionaries had
assembled at Hanaahi, where Mr. Bicknell lived,
and there, and at Kauwealoha's station, six miles
westward, they held their General Meeting.
"On the 23d, the Morning Star began her homeward voyage, the faithful Hawaiian missionaries
sitting up all the previous night, writing letters to
their loved ones at home. In the morning, after the
closing session of the meeting, final preparations for
departure were made. A warm embrace separated
us from Kauwealoha26 and his wife and we entered
the boat, while they took their way back to their
solitary house among the cocoanuts and breadfruit
trees.
"All on board-Kekela's boat hanging to the
stern, anchors up. We were soon ploughing the
waters and making castings so as to reach the end
Kauwealoha-The sob of love.




TRIP TO THE MARQUESAS


193


of the island, where we were to leave Kekela, Naomi
and their two children, Kaukau, his wife and ten
Marquesans. When the word was given, 'Make
ready, hard alee,' all was stir and confusion. The
sea was rough and eighteen persons were to be let
down into one whale-boat, with boxes, bundles, etc.
Words were few, emotions strong. No studied
speeches were made; the convulsive hand-grasp, the
tender embrace and the simple aloha, tell of the
swelling heart and suffused eye.
"The vessel has tacked, she is no longer nearing
land; our friends must be thrust from us in very
kindness. We hand them, one after another, down
the side of the rolling ship, into the tossing boat, and
soon we are retreating from the little craft with its
precious freight, and our friends are bounding over
the waves toward their chosen home among heathen.
They go at the call of duty to brave perils, to live in
houses such as they can construct and on food such
as they can find in the wild Marquesas.
"Our friends are passing from our sight, we
watch the gleam of their oars and strain our eyes
to catch final glimpses and to know they are safe.
Twilight falls and they pass from view, but we follow them with our love and sympathy."




CHAPTER XX


BACK    TO   THEIR     NATIVE     LAND
AFTER NEARLY THIRTY YEARS
IN his report for 1858, after his return from the
Marquesas, Mr. Emerson wrote:
"The change from a routine of missionary labors,
steadily pursued for twenty-five years, to a voyage
on a comfortable vessel, with new books, new society, new scenes and a new interest before me, was
wonderfully stimulating. It put me into a new world
and made me feel like another man, prepared for a
new campaign. Like one awaking out of a dream
I wondered if I could really have been in this routine
for twenty-five years, with little or no change of
scenery or employment. I would urge every brother
missionary to seek an opportunity of leaving Hawaii, in order to rejuvenate, free from the accustomed round of duties, and visit other islands for a
few months, if not practicable to visit another group
or some part of the Mainland.
"I felt a strong aversion to looking again after
flocks, herds and horses, as a means of family support, and hoped that the proposition made in my
194




BACK TO THE HOME LAND


195


report to the Finance Committee had been looked
upon with favor. But I soon learned that no action
was taken, so I must, nolens volens, look after flocks
and herds, or come short in my means of support.
I was for once much depressed and if family circumstances had not forbidden, I would willingly have
exchanged my situation for a deep, dark valley
among the heathen of Hivaoa."
But he soon gathered up his energies, this temporary depression passed, and we find him with renewed courage again studying the needs of his
people, "entering on the multifarious, if not conflicting duties of my station."
His strenuous activities, and the trying emergencies he had had to meet, told on his strength, and
when in 1858 the churches of Rockingham County,
New Hampshire, through his brother Samuel Emerson of Moultonboro, sent to him and my mother
an invitation to come home on a visit and tell them
the story of their work, offering to pay all expenses,
he wrote to the Secretary of the American Board
and asked for a leave of absence; but this was refused, on the ground that as many were so ill that
they must come home, the stronger ones must stay
at their posts to carry on their work.
It was soon proven that my father had not made
the request needlessly. One Sunday afternoon, on
the 24th of March, 1859, he started on horseback
to hold a service at a village seven miles away.




196    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
After riding about two miles he became unconscious
and fell from his horse, and for over an hour lay
in the road, his faithful horse standing by. When
he regained consciousness, he led his horse to a
friend's house not far away and rested till he could
go home.
Upon learning this, the American Board realized
his need of change and rest, and on February 25th,
1860, he and my mother left home, sailing from
Honolulu on the 28th on the bark Francis Palmer
for San Francisco, where they arrived after a rough
but pleasant voyage of eighteen days. Their stay
of almost three weeks in California marked the
beginning of a wonderful tour in their fatherland,
after an absence of almost thirty years. On April
5th they sailed for Panama on the steamer Golden
Gate and reached New York on April 27th. They
took greatest pleasure in visiting their friends who
were still alive, and their old haunts, everywhere
receiving a most cordial welcome.
An account of their experiences can be given
better in their own words than in mine. In a report
he made four months after his return in May, 1861,
my father wrote:
"It was most timely for us both. The strain of
icare taken away, we felt in mind and body the renewal of depleted vigor; we each gained twenty
pounds during our tour of eleven months, and I
often felt much of the elasticity of youth. It was




BACK TO THE HOME LAND


197


timely for our people, they could better spare us at
this time than at any other since we came among
them. My son Samuel took charge of the Sunday
services with evident acceptance, and in our absence
we had no serious misgivings with regard to our
people or our family.
"Our visit was timely in relation to our friends
and relatives in America. Though many of our
contemporaries whom we left nearly thirty years
ago had passed away, we met their children, and
were happy to know that our names had not been
erased from the family roll. And it was also timely
because we were still young enough to be invited into
the pulpits of the land and to be listened to with
unexpected interest. While absent, I made more
than a hundred public addresses to Sunday congregations."
He often spoke three or four times on Sundays
and frequently on weekdays, in Canada and the
Middle West, as well as in the Eastern States.
Relatives, friends, clergymen and churches in-many
cities and towns entertained them delightfully, even
bearing their travelling expenses from the time they
reached Boston till they set their faces homeward.
"When we arrived in New York the way before
us looked dark, but light dawned as we needed it.
During the first two or three weeks we felt like
people travelling in a fog, comfortable, but with no




198    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
vision ahead. This feeling soon began to wear
away, though it did not leave us entirely for months.
"The general aspect of cities and towns, railroads
and telegraph lines did not surprise us, nor the
hurry and bustle on the streets; these were as we
expected. The multitude of new occupations that
have sprung up in consequence of the progress in
manufactures and the arts, in new facilities for
travel and transportation, is wonderful. The telegraph calls for its thousands of operators, linemen
and messengers, the railroads for their tens of thousands of officials, engineers, conductors, firemen, and
so forth. Salesmen, drummers, expressmen and
agents of every kind make business hum. He who
stands still on the sidewalk and hesitates which way
to go, gets jostled and pushed aside. So the wise
and the foolish rush along together, as many without as with a definite object.
"The political campaign did not exhibit in the
North and West as much passion as I had expected,
and more of principle. During September and October Lincoln banners spanned the streets almost
everywhere, though now and then a Douglas banner
was seen. Boys in the streets and cars sold miniature photographs of the candidates, and both boys
and girls wore badges showing to which party they
belonged. Even servants in boarding-houses had
the name of Lincoln printed in capitals on their
belts. The 'Wide-awakes' had frequent meetings
and torchlight processions, in which members of the




BACK TO THE HOME LAND


199


churches took part, the fair daughters of the land
often carrying around coffee to cheer and encourage
those enlisted under their flag. Not infrequently in
the West the rail-splitter with his rail and axe was
represented to arouse the enthusiasm of young
voters.
"I was much interested in the great improvement
in the breeds of cattle in New England and the
Western States, and in the evidences of industry,
contentment and thrift in Canada, shown in the
crops and forests, as well as in their schools,
churches and enterprises of all kinds, in which one
recognizes New England standards. If the South
leaves the North, Canada will become one of the
Northern States, if not in nationality, certainly in
sympathy and to a great extent in trade.7
"In my trips through the homeland I saw what
seemed to me a certain laxity of family training and
too many parents were leaning toward the Hawaiian
policy of letting their children rule. The old Puritanical notion, 'spare the rod and spoil the child,'
has lost much of its grip, and with it has gone the
'Franklin Primer,' the 'Assembly's Catechism,' and
John Rogers at the stake. Sunday-schools, while
doing a great deal of good, are trying to accomplish the work that the parents too often feel at
liberty to neglect."
a No one in Hawaii had yet heard of the firing on Fort Sumter
and the actual beginning of the Civil War, as news from the
Mainland was brought only by sailing vessels.




200    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
They spent the summer in New England, constantly travelling, in order not only to visit their own
relatives and friends, but also those of their associates in Hawaii. The reunion at the Dartmouth
Commencement in July of the class of 1826 was a
memorable one for three classmates who had been
long separated, Salmon P. Chase, Rev. Dr. Constantine Blodgett of Pawtucket and my father. Dr.
Blodgett told me that as they chatted together Mr.
Chase, who was then Governor of Ohio, asked if
any one could tell him what had become of Miss
Hannah Dana, whom he used to meet and escort to
parties. Dr. Blodgett quickly responded, "Yes, I
can; I have the honor of being her husband."
My mother was delighted to get back to her old
home in New England. She writes in July, 1860:
"How I have wished that you, dear children,
could share in my enjoyment of this visit, of the
springtime when the trees were in blossom and the
landscape became verdant and enchanting, and the
birds-just such as I used to hear-were singing.
Those dear little friends of my girlhood, robins,
pewees and bobolinks, have helped not a little to
make me happy, and the whippoorwills which I
heard one lovely evening in Chester. Then the good
old-fashioned trees like the ones I used to sit under,
maples, birches, beeches and oaks; and the dear
granite boulders, good old sentinels, I cannot help
loving them too.




BACK TO THE HOME LAND


201


"Tuesday, July 16th. We took the stage at
Hillsboro Bridge for Monsonville, arriving there in
the rain at 9:30 in the evening. After a short but
sweet sleep we rose at 3 a. m., a beautiful morning
and the glorious Fourth. As I came downstairs,
your uncle, Oliver Pomeroy Newell, drove up to the
door to take me to Nelson. Young hearts beat high
for there was to be a grand celebration, a procession, an oration, music, dinner, toasts, addresses,
etc., and all passed off well. The people were glad
that we were present and were very kind.
"We stayed in Nelson ten days and the Wednesday before we left, the granite shaft, which the
townspeople had ordered in memory of my dear
father, was placed on the lot where he and my
mother were laid to rest. It was the very spot on
which had formerly stood the pulpit of the old meeting house in which for so many years he preached to
them.28 I wished to linger longer among the old
scenes of my childhood but duty called us away. It
was sadly pleasant for me to go through the rooms
of my old home and see again the many familiar
things, but where were the dear ones whose presence
once gladdened those rooms?"
Not satisfied with only visiting New England and
New York, my father left my mother with relatives
8 The old meeting house which burned down was on the hill,
and a new one had been built in the village below.




202    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
in October and took a trip through Canada and the
Middle West. He writes:
"Quebec is very strongly fortified. Money enough
is expended on the fortifications and on the support
of soldiers and officers to convert the world to
Christianity, or at least all Africa and the islands
of the Pacific."
From Quebec he went to Montreal, Toronto,
Niagara Falls, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati, where his classmate, Governor Chase, induced him to visit him at his home in Columbus.
His experiences made a deep impression upon him
and convinced him that there was a great future
before our country.
In concluding his report, my father wrote:
"It was very stimulating to enjoy the fellowship
and hospitality of Christians of different denominations; I met representatives of at least nine and
conducted church services for seven of them. During the last thirty years the sympathy between the
different denominations has notably increased and is
far beyond that which existed when I was a boy.
"My conviction is strong that no missionary
ought to stay in his field more than ten years without
visiting his native land. By so doing he will keep in
touch with the church people at home, who feel that
their missionaries should come back and tell them




BACK TO THE HOME LAND             203
of their work, and he would be able to do better
work for his own people on his return. This sentiment I freely advanced to Dr. Anderson, Secretary
of the American Board, and I was happy to find that
he endorsed it. I am sure that my brothers in
Hawaii could do a great deal of good in this way."




CHAPTER XXI


THE   PARTING      OF  THE    WAYS
M   Y father and mother arrived home from the
United States in January, 1861. All had
gone well during their absence. Sister Sophie, who
was only eleven years old, had been with friends of
my mother in Honolulu and elsewhere. Nat, Justin,
Joe and I were at Punahou School, but went home
to Waialua for the summer vacation in 1860. I
cannot forget the methodical way Nat and Justin
arranged our duties. Brother Sam was out of it,
as his attention was given to church matters and
Mokuleia ranch. Nat was the general referee,
Justin had oversight of the cook and the kitchen,
Joe attended to the poultry and pigs, and I to the
horses and milk boys. For our shelling trips, which
we four often took to the uplands, Justin prepared
the luncheon; once he made a huge wedding cake
and a generous slice of that rich compound of fruits
and sweets helped out wonderfully on those delightful outings.
But radical changes soon occurred in our home
life; the active boys of the two homes on the Anahulu had to separate. The Gulicks had moved to
204




PARTING OF THE WAYS               205
Honolulu, and in the autumn of 1860 Nat left home
to earn money for a college education. He spent
six months on Baker's Island, two thousand miles
south of Hawaii, where he superintended gangs of
natives employed in loading clipper ships with the
guano which covered it. In the summer of 1861 he
went to the United States, and in the autumn entered the Sophomore class of Williams College,
Massachusetts.
One after another, each took his turn at earning
money for a college education. Justin, who would
have gone with Nat if my father had had available
means, taught for a year in the Hilo Boys' Boarding
School, and entered the Junior class at Williams in
1863. Joe took up plantation life for several years,
becoming the manager of Kaneohe plantation on
Oahu. He came much later than the rest of us to the
United States, and graduated as a civil engineer in
one of the early classes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I worked for six months as a
plantation overseer and entered Williams as a Sophomore in 1865. And then, though all of us lived
to be much more than three score years and ten,
we four brothers never met again as a quartette
after Nat left the Islands in 1861.
Those were the troublous days of the Civil War
in the United States and the effect was seriously felt
in Hawaii. In a letter to my uncle, dated June 22,
1861, my father writes:




206    PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
"All our means to help out our family support
are suddenly cut off, as the whaling fleet has left
the islands. Beef which sold at $18 or $25 per
head two years ago cannot now be sold for $10;
within a few days Mr. Chamberlain has sold his
whole herd of good cattle at $3.50 per head and he
threw in the calves. Samuel has slaughtered many
of his poorer cattle merely for the hides, and horses
cannot be given away unless they are pretty good;
at present there is almost no money in the land. So
we are driven into close quarters, with a heavy debt
upon us for our visit to the States. Mrs. Emerson
has lost the twenty pounds of flesh she gained and
usually is busy eighteen hours out of the twentyfour.
"As for the rest of the family, they are well,
though Samuel is just recovering from the measles.
Nathaniel is in good health and is over six feet tall.
Justin is tall, healthy and studious; Joseph is quite
a botanist and conchologist and is a good scholar.
Oliver is also a good scholar but has been out of
school during the past term; he is by nature our most
active child. Sophie is healthy and happy, and has
made some progress in the knowledge of books and
music, both vocal and instrumental, though she has
not yet been to school.
"We send Nathaniel from us hardly expecting to
see his face again, as we see no prospect for a field
of usefulness for him at the Islands and he goes to
our native land at a time when the spirit of war is




PARTING OF THE WAYS


207


raging. But war is hardly worse than slavery, and
if by the sacrifice of fifty thousand white men we
can get slavery rooted out of the land, it will be a
worthy sacrifice. As things are, I hope we shall not
have peace again till the Constitution in no way
recognizes the right of man to own property in man.
Apparently the right men are at the helm; better a
thousand times to fight the battle now than twenty
years hence, when slavery might have extended further. The Lord bless our native land and purge it
of blood guiltiness, but never suffer it again to give
any quarter to slavery I"
During those disastrous years we read the newspapers and letters which came to us with intense
interest, and at least seventeen Island boys, four of
them native Hawaiians, enlisted in the Union army
and met their terrible experiences. Nat was one of
them. At the President's call of 1862 for "three
hundred thousand more," he enlisted as a recruit in
the First Massachusetts Regiment and was almost
immediately called into action.  For twenty-two
months he was in the service; he was wounded at
Fredericksburg and at Chancellorsville, was at the
front again at Gettysburg, but was stricken with
fever during the Battles of the Wilderness and left
the field for the hospital. Our suspense, owing to
the much delayed, irregular mails, was hard to bear.
Our most distinguished soldier was General
Samuel Chapman Armstrong, afterwards founder




208    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
of Hampton Institute, whose father and mother
were of the same company of missionaries as mine.
Again and again the Hawaiian natives in their
churches and in their homes prayed for the safe
return of Sam Armstrong and Nat Emerson, their
"moopunas," or foster children, as they often called
the children of the mission.
The Civil War also brought to the Hawaiian
Islands serious economic troubles. For twenty-five
years or more the chief source of income had come
from supplying the large whaling fleet which constantly visited the Islands, and which numbered
nearly two hundred vessels in 1859. Hundreds of
Hawaiians were among the sailors, who proved
themselves daring and skillful and brought their
wages home to their people. This also kept the
markets active; there was a demand for all the
farmers could raise; corn, beans, potatoes, melons,
squashes and corned beef could be profitably sold.
I have already quoted my father's general statement
that the whaling fleet had left the Islands in 1861,
but the climax was not reached till 1864 and 1865,
when Captain Waddell, commander of the Confederate warship Shenandoah, hunted out the whaleships, north and south. In April, 1865, after burning four whale-ships at Ponape in the Caroline
Islands, he sailed north, and in June burned twenty
more in the Arctic Sea. The pecuniary loss to Hawaii which followed the disorganization of the




PARTING OF THE WAYS


209


whaling fleet was very great and business did not
recover till the sugar and rice interests, after a few
years, became well enough established to be profitable. As with many others, my father's resources
were much reduced by these disasters.
A moral lapse among the natives was also deeply
felt by the missionaries during these sad days. A
gross type of the hula reappeared and an interest in
fetishism seemed to be reviving. These two heathen
practices, which worked together and sadly interfered with Christian civilization, had been frowned
upon and suppressed by the missionaries, yet had
been secretly kept alive in remote places and among
the obdurate.
But now, as those strong men were growing old
and beginning to retire from active life, there came
a recrudescence of these forms of heathenism, which
began to be felt forcibly during the reign of King
Kamehameha V (1863-1872). His nature was
tinged with heathenism, though, under the influence
of wise government officials, Wylie, Harris, Phillips
and others, he often supported worthy measures.
Over two hundred native kahunas were licensed by
him to carry on their arts, some of them being
teachers of the hula as well as professed healers by
their fetish practices.
If ever licentiousness had the upper hand with
the Hawaiians, it was at this period and during the
reign of Kalakaua (1874-1891), which was even




210    PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
more corrupt. I remember the riotous sound of the
hula drum in my boyhood; it was not, as some would
believe, a call to an innocent dance. The hula, as I
knew it to be then and in later days, made its appeal
to grossness and immorality, an insidious evil which
the fathers had fought. The verdict of the better
class of natives was against it, for with it came
intoxication and licentiousness to those of weak and
loose character.
This revival of immorality added its depressing
influence to the strain of those war-torn days, and
my father's health suffered. In the year 1863 he
had a slight stroke, and finding that he was losing
his usual vigor, he began to look about for a native
assistant for the Waialua church. He had already
placed native pastors at Koolau, Kahuku and Waianae, and now the time had come when a man was
needed to relieve him of the care of the church to
which his most constant labors had been given. In
his report for 1865, I read, "That this step has
been taken by me with a stoical indifference cannot
be reasonably imagined. Relinquishing, while not
yet three score years and ten, the care of a church
which I had built up and watched over for more
than thirty years, has not been without deep regret."
It was a surrender of responsibility, but not of
active interest. He still did much for his people in
ministering to their needs, both spiritual and material, and took comfort in strengthening the hands




PARTING OF THE WAYS              211
of the pastor, in whom he found a willing and congenial worker. He was still able to do valuable
work for the Hawaiian mission, outside of his
special field, and in 1865 was sent as a delegate to
the mission stations in Micronesia, displaying his
usual energy.




CHAPTER XXII


A TRIP TO MICRONESIA
M   ICRONESIA, as its name indicates, comprises
a countless number of small islands lying west
of the 180th meridian and north of the equator, the
more westerly ones being from six to eight hundred
miles from the Philippines. Most of them are in
groups, and are low coral atolls, but the Ladrones
and several of the Carolines are of volcanic origin
and are high and fertile. The inhabitants vary
widely in physical characteristics and intelligence.
The American Board of Foreign Missions, in connection with the Hawaiian Missionary Society, began in 1852 what is known as the "Micronesian
Mission." Stations were established in the Central
Carolines, Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and in
1865 Mr. Emerson was commissioned to visit them
as a delegate, sailing again on the Morning Star on
July 17th of that year. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin G.
Snow, American Board missionaries, returning to
the Carolines, and Mr. Maka and wife, Hawaiian
missionaries to the Gilbert Islands, were his fellow
passengers.
A wide expanse of ocean had to be covered in
212




TRIP TO MICRONESIA


213


visiting the various stations. After a voyage of
about three weeks the Morning Star arrived first,
on August 10th, at the Gilbert Islands, which are
the farthest east and are a group of coral atolls
lying on both sides of the equator. Three stations,
each on a different atoll, were visited in the Gilbert
group.
I remember a description Dr. Halsey Gulick gave
of one of these Micronesian atolls. "Take a soft
felt hat and punch the crown down below the rim.
If you could then depress the rim also in places you
would have a suggestion of how the land lies in an
atoll, the rim representing the land and the depressed crown the lagoon."
My father's account of Tarawa, where they first
dropped anchor, confirms this description of Mr.
Gulick's. He writes:
"We entered the lagoon and found ourselves apparently surrounded by a lot of small islands, which
really are connected by a reef visible above water
at low tide; a surprising and wonderful specimen of
land making. The atoll and enclosed lagoon includes an area of about one hundred and fifty square
miles, and the islets are well covered with cocoanuts
and pandanus.
"The king of Tarawa is middle-aged, fat and
lazy, and is said to have ten wives, one of whom
has children. While we talked with him he con



214    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
sented to everything, but he is not reliable. The
schools and the meetings are not well attended and
there is as yet no convert at Tarawa. The gospel
does not seem to have touched the souls of the people, though there is no doubt it is a moulding power
among them. The missionaries, all of them Hawaiians, are destitute of all but native foods. They
have had a hard time, but wish to hold on.
"Our stay at Tarawa was a short one. Early on
August 11th, the missionaries came aboard the
Morning Star and we sailed for the island of
Apaiang, where we arrived at noon. Here the General Meeting was to be held."
This is the place where Dr. Hiram Bingham, son
of one of the first American Board missionaries to
Hawaii, and his wife had lived and worked for
about seven years, the only white missionaries in the
Gilbert group. Owing to ill health, however, caused
by the trying climate, they had just returned to
Honolulu.
Mr. Emerson writes:
"The years of generous, patient endeavor which
Mr. and Mrs. Bingham spent in the stifling heat of
these low, barren islands has left a very tender and
strong impression on the chiefs and people to whom
they have ministered. The General Meeting was
held in the parlor of their house, and we saw the
evidences of their taste, skill, energy and self-denial,




TRIP TO MICRONESIA             215
though their presence was wanting to give life and
animation to what they had achieved. About a
hundred gathered at the church, and in the afternoon the king of Apaiang was present with his wife,
and led in prayer with much propriety."
Dr. and Mrs. Bingham returned to the Gilbert
Islands several times, but the unfavorable climate
made it impossible for them ever to stay there long,
and in 1875 they came to Honolulu to live, where
they continued their labors for the Gilbertese during
the rest of their lives. All the Gilbertese books were
made by them. They put the language into writing,
gave the people school-books, hymn-books, a translation of the Psalms and New Testament, and finally
the entire Bible. They also made a dictionary of
the language which, however, was never printed,
because unfortunately Dr. Bingham lent it to a
stranger who was passing through Honolulu, and it
was never returned.
"From Apaiang we went on to Butaritari, the
most northerly of the Gilberts, where a goodly number met us on Sunday at the Council House. The
king of Butaritari is about twenty years old and is
of commanding presence. On Monday we bought
of him a good piece of land at a reasonable price for
our new station, which will be in charge of Kanoa
and Maka with their wives."




216    PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
The Island of Butaritari has become better known
through Robert Louis Stevenson, who refers with
much warmth of feeling to Maka and a long visit
he made him. The feeling was mutual; several
years afterward Maka spoke to me of Stevenson's
charming personality and of the pleasure he took in
his company. "Ah, there was a man!" he said, adding, "When the time came for him to go, he took
out his purse and offered to pay me, but I told him
I had been more than paid by his companionship and
would not take the gold." It is interesting to note
the friendship between these two men, whose nationalities, careers and chosen vocations were so different.
"The population of the Gilbert Islands is about
fifty thousand. The natives live in small communities and the islands are densely covered with groves
of cocoanut and pandanus trees, which supply almost
everything they eat, drink, wear, live in or use in
any way, even their article of commerce, cocoanut
oil, which they produce in large quantities and export through the traders. The soil also yields occasional a-pe patches, which would be destroyed by the
pigs if the chiefs did not forbid their running at
large. Fish is not plentiful and is high priced. This
scantiness of food should be realized in supplying
for the missionaries, who look lean and ill-fed, one
of them making decided gain in flesh and energy
after being aboard the Morning Star a few days."




TRIP TO MICRONESIA


217


Dr. Bingham told me that there is hardly enough
herbage on these islands to keep a goat active and
butting, and that he had to import soil from elsewhere to make even tomato plants grow.
"Leaving the Gilbert group August 22d, the
Morning Star sailed northward to the Marshall
Islands, reaching Mille Lagoon of that group on
Friday the 25th. It is estimated that there are from
five hundred to one thousand people on this atoll
which is composed of more than fifty islets-none of
them more than a quarter of a mile wide-which
stretch for seventy-five miles around a lagoon that
can be entered through several channels. There is
little to be found for food here except fish, smallsized cocoanuts, a large kind of pandanus and jackfruit.  Mille is about six degrees north of the
equator.
"The Marshall Islanders are among the boldest
and most intelligent navigators of the Pacific. They
are not only skillful, like other islanders, in braiding
mats, hats, fans, etc., but with a hand loom they
make beautiful fabrics from banana, hibiscus and
other fibres. The people appear to be docile and
profess to be Christians, but very few know much
more than that those of that name treat them well
in their trade."
From Mille the Morning Star passed on to Jaluit,
touching there at the principal port of the Mar



218    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
shalls, and thence to Ebon, landing at the principal
missionary station of the group. This station was
established in 1857, and was at first, for a few years,
in the charge of Mr. Edward T. Doane, later in
that of Mr. and Mrs. Snow, and recently for several
months had been under the care of Aea, a Hawaiian
teacher and a fine man. My father was much impressed by the progress that the schools of Ebon
had made.
After visiting one more missionary station of the
Marshall Islands, on Namarik, the Morning Star,
on September 2d, sailed westward for the Central
Carolines, on a long cruise of over six hundred miles
with baffling winds and tides, and arrived, on September 18th, at Ponape.
"Ponape is a beautiful volcanic island, surrounded
by a lagoon, beyond which is a coral reef. It is the
largest and most fertile island of Micronesia, and
some day may have a large population. There is no
dearth of food, the waters teem with fish and everything planted seems to grow with surprising rapidity
and almost without cultivation-cocoanuts, breadfruit, sugar cane, yams, bananas, oranges, coffee and
cotton. Yet the field is a hard one for the missionaries. Owing to the mountainous character of the
island and to the shoals, lagoon, streams and impassable jungles, travel is very difficult excepting by
boat, and even by boat at low tide.
"There are five tribes on the island, and the chiefs




TRIP TO MICRONESIA


219


are not united, the principal one being a lawless,
cruel autocrat, so the conditions are still more difficult. Some of the foreigners, moreover, seem to
think that Ponape is outside the moral world, and
not concerned with the decalogue, a paradise for the
godless. But Christian truth has reached Ponape
and is affecting it. Mr. Sturges has been permitted
to remain and the work of reform is progressing
in every part of the island. Awa, the drink which
formerly worked ruin among the people, is now
discarded by all but a few, and more than half the
rulers and an equally large proportion of the common people are adherents of the mission. Mr. and
Mrs. Doane have come to the help of the Sturgeses
at the right time."
Mr. Emerson gives an interesting account of a
trip of several days he made going around Ponape
in a flat-bottomed boat with Mr. Sturges and Mr.
Doane. Each night they were entertained by some
friendly wajai, or chief, and meetings were held
with the faithful, hospitable followers.
They kept all the way in the lagoon which averages a mile and a half wide.
"But sometimes the channel was so narrow, the
overhanging trees so dense and wild, it was dark
and desolate; and then the widening view would
disclose a beautiful expanse of blue water with
islands here and there and landward mountains and




220    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
rocky headlands. I was much impressed by the vast
extent of shoal water lying between the island and
the barrier coral reef. At low tide most of the
great flats are exposed and are an abundant feeding
ground for fish, turtle and shellfish of every description.
"On Saturday, the third day, at ten o'clock, the
tide having risen enough to permit us to pass over
the shoals, we began our winding way around a high
bluff and came in sight of a distant mountain meeting-house.
"At about noon we arrived at the Council House
of Aoumtal, a friendly young chief, and although it
was raining and had rained most of the time since
we left Mr. Sturges's house, we found many people
assembling, bringing sugar cane, bananas, breadfruit and yams for our supplies. After a short stay
and a service we went on, and late in the afternoon
reached the landing of the wajai of the prominent
Metalanim tribe. A thousand feet above us, high
up on the table land, was the meeting-house which
had long been in sight. With our valises and stores
we began to climb through tropical groves, finding
mountain streams of pure water; and although our
clothing had been wet for nearly three days and two
nights, we took a bath in one of them before going
to the wajai's house. At the bountiful supper, the
wajai, unlike the chiefs we had met before, declined
to do the honors of the table, giving place to Mr.
Sturges.




TRIP TO MICRONESIA               221
"The next day was Sunday, and at earliest dawn
we were awakened by the birds and found ourselves
in almost a jungle of trees, with birds of various
plumage flitting about. As was the case in the early
days at Waialua, a shell was blown for morning
prayers which were held in the church, as the house
of the wajai is tabu to the common people.
"Though the rain was still falling, over one hundred came to the morning service and many listened
with evident interest. The women washed their feet
at the door of the church before entering. This
people, only a few years ago in the deepest heathenism, now come miles upon miles in their canoes and
climb a hill of a thousand feet or more in the rain,
to listen to the word of God. In the Sunday-school
the wajai taught his class with dignity and interest.
"On Monday morning as we were leaving, many
followed us down the mountain, some with presents
and all with their 'ranman' (aloha). The wajai
went with us in his canoe to Shelong, where we
visited the place formerly occupied by Dr. Halsey
Gulick, now rather neglected. Here we took leave
of the wajai, as he was reluctant to go further lest
he should meet an enemy, and making our way without sails we got back to Mr. Sturges's home before
ten o'clock at night."
On the third of October the Morning Star left
Ponape and started on her return voyage, arriving
on the fifth at Kusaie of the Caroline group and




222    PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
remaining five days. Kusaie, though much smaller
than Ponape, is one of the most interesting islands
of Micronesia. The climate is healthful. Its mountain peaks, which are thickly wooded, attain an altitude of two thousand three hundred feet, and a belt
of fertile soil extends along the shore.
My father writes:
"The men and women of Kusiae are of small
stature, the women having handsome features, and
I have found no people in Micronesia that can compare with them in intelligence. The first thing that
strikes the stranger is their calmness and lack of
excitability. They speak a language different from
any known in Micronesia. Mr. Snow, who is the
only living man who has thoroughly studied it, has
translated parts of the New Testament and some
hymns, and has made a primer and other books
which are faithfully and profitably used. Though
three years ago he left these islanders reluctantly
in order to assist the mission at Ebon, and they have
since been without a pastor excepting when he has
paid them an annual visit of about a month, this
little band of Christians, with Kutuku as their
leader, a man of more than ordinary attainments,
appears to be more mature, more straightforward
and Christ-like than any I have found.
"They receive no help from their king, and he
claims no share in their devotion to Christ. Yet in
answer to questions I put to him in his palace, he




TRIP TO MICRONESIA


223


said, 'These Christians are the most loyal, industrious and truthful of all my people and I hope yet
to join them. I have forsaken my old god of storms
and seasons, and am searching for a true God.'
Their loyalty to Mr. Snow is very touching, and sea
captains often speak of the great improvement in
the character of this lovable people, who, on their
beautiful island, must not lack our watchful care."
My father writes that in the schools there were
one hundred and twenty-five pupils between five and
twenty-five years of age, many of them mothers with
babes. In later years this island became an educational centre. Training schools for Marshall and
Gilbert Island boys and girls were established between 1879 and 1882, both of which have done
valuable work under devoted teachers for many
years.
On October 11th, the Morning Star left Kusaie
on her homeward voyage. After spending nearly
four weeks visiting Nauru, or Pleasant Island, which
is near the equator, and revisiting the Marshall
Islands stations, she started, on November 6th, on
her final tack, and arrived at Honolulu December
13th, 1865.
During the tour of five months she had dropped
anchor nineteen times, had lain off and on at anchorless stations eight times and had sailed about ten
thousand miles.




CHAPTER XXIII
CARRYING      ON
M   Y  father found a small family on his return
from Micronesia. Only Sam and Sophie were
at home with mother. Nat was at the Harvard
Medical School, Boston, where Justin joined him in
the autumn. Joe had a position on the Onomea
Sugar Plantation, Hawaii, and I was a sophomore
at Williams College.
My father was by nature vigorous, physically and
mentally; he could think and act quickly and meet
issues bravely, face times of trouble with calmness,
and danger with courage, keenly alive to the work of
rescue. I never knew his nerve to fail.
Once he won the heart of a burly Portuguese
cowboy by saving him from being gored by a fierce
steer which he was trying to hold by a rope. There
was only a single turn of the rope around a tree
toward which the steer must be drawn to be tethered. The mad, pawing brute kept pulling out the
rope and getting nearer and nearer the man. My
father saw the danger, jumped to the rescue, caught
hold of the rope and together the two men overcame
the steer's power.  Yet his sharp horns almost
224




CARRYING ON


225


reached them as with all their strength they finally
pulled him back and made the rope fast.
My father's powers were versatile, and in connection with his duties as pastor, preacher, teacher,
physician, and public-spirited citizen and leader, he
carried on an extensive correspondence, writing
many detailed reports, many letters of private as
well as of public nature, and occasional articles for
publication. While at Lahainaluna, as I have
stated, he made the first English-Hawaiian dictionary of fifteen thousand words, which was for many
years used in the school.
But the two strokes he had in 1859 and 1863
affected this unusual vigor. In one of my mother's
letters, written in March, 1867, I find, however,
"He was in his usual health and spirits, making
those around him happy by his cheerfulness and
doing good to all who came under his influence."
The evening of the 22d of March he spent pleasantly with his family and expected to make an early
start for Honolulu the next morning. During the
night he had a third stroke, which rendered him
unconscious, and after lingering four days, speechless, and apparently without pain, the end came,
undoubtedly hastened at the age of sixty-seven by
his laborious life.
The white men of the neighborhood whom he had
so befriended, came at once to my mother's aid, and
it was they who bore his body to the church and to
the grave for the final services, while the natives




226    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
followed. Dr. Samuel C. Damon in an editorial in
The Friend, said, "We know not how more appropriate honor and respect could have been shown
him."
I think my father's life carried out and honored
the commission given by Dr. Samuel Worcester to
the first missionaries sent to Hawaii. "You are not
to be limited to a low, narrow scale, but you are to
open your hearts wide and set your mark high. You
are to aim at nothing less than covering those islands
with fruitful fields and pleasant dwellings, with
schools and churches, and of raising up the whole
people to an elevated state of Christian civilization."
In a letter to her brother in Nelson telling him
of her great loss, my mother wrote, "It was hard to
part-it was like cutting my very heart-strings-I
am walking in a new path-my once full house seems
desolate. Yet I love to be here, even though the
strong, kind arm which I so long leaned upon is
gone."
This bereft wife loved her home and wished still
to be of service. Her almost empty house she kept
open to those who needed her help or hospitality,
doing all she could for the community and entertaining many friends who came to rest and to enjoy the
thoughtful ministry of one who never seemed to
weary of well-doing.
Many changes came to the district of Waialua
during her service of twenty-one additional years




CARRYING ON


227


as its missionary. Not long after my father's death
a new neighbor started a sugar plantation, and fields
which had been simply cattle pastures were ploughed
and planted with sugar cane. This was the nucleus
of the present great plantation of the Waialua Agricultural Company.
My mother was especially interested in the Waialua Boarding School for native girls, which was
opened in 1865 in the Gulick home and carried on
by Mr. and Mrs. Orramel H. Gulick, our lifelong
friends, until 1870. The Gulick family is widely
distinguished as a family of missionaries who have
rendered valuable service in foreign lands as well as
at home. Mrs. Orramel H. Gulick, now the oldest
"child of the mission," is the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Clark, whose hospitality and generous assistance were so much appreciated by my father and
mother at the beginning of their life in Hawaii.
The school was called by the natives Hale Iwa,
and in the spring of 1871, Miss Mary Green took
charge.
I can speak only in terms of admiration of this
finely trained warm-hearted woman who thus became a near neighbor just at the time that my
mother needed her cheering and gracious presence.
Her knowledge of Hawaiian character and her devotion to the native people is well known, and she
proved a rare companion, finding in turn in my
mother a wise and sympathetic counselor and friend.




228    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
In 1881 Miss Green returned to her home at
Makawao, Maul, and the letters from her to my
mother which I have found are full of evidences of
this strong friendship.
She writes:
"Makawao, June 19, 1882. Dear Auntie Emerson: It does seem delightful to talk to you and
imagine your loving eyes turned toward mine. Do
you miss me? I can truly say I miss you, and I want
to tell you how grateful I am that you were so near
by to comfort and help me through that 'Hale Iwa'
life of nearly eleven years. It is fifty years since
you came to Hawaii-a long time, a lifetime, but
you have the joy of thinking that your labors have
not been in vain."
"October 18, 1882. This morning I found a pile
of letters-yours doubly welcome. I greatly enjoyed
the account of your stay in town, of Sophie's wedding gifts, and of all that company after you reached
home. I say now, just as I have always said, that
one's strength is equal to one's day-and you have
a remarkable faculty for getting along with it all
and bearing up. You say that you are well and
wish you could do more for others. Please forgive
the smile which comes to my eyes, for it seems to
me that you are doing for others to the full extent
of your powers, and have been doing so all your
life."




CARRYING ON                 229
"December 11, 1882. Four days ago I was
fifty-two years old. A year ago, when I was at
Waialua, you gave me the assurance of your warm
regard, and although I am not now near enough to
hear your gentle voice, I know that you must have
remembered the day and that a loving prayer went
up for blessings on my head. It is a precious privilege I enjoy in realizing that I have a place in your
big, motherly heart."
Such words of appreciation from a woman like
Miss Green must have been a benediction to my
mother, and are a tribute to be cherished.
In 1877 Joe received an appointment on the Hawaiian Government Survey, and in 1878 Nat, who
for ten years had been a practicing physician in New
York City, was requested by the Government to
return to Hawaii, in order to more fully develop the
work of segregating and treating the lepers of the
Islands. He spent weeks at a time at the leper settlement on the island of Molokai for this purpose,
studying the disease, and later became the President
of the Hawaiian Board of Health.
Joe and Nat frequently visited mother at Waialua, Sam and Sophie being with her in the old home.
In 1882 Sophie married Samuel Mann and died in,1883 when she gave birth to a baby girl.
At that time Justin was a specialist in nervous
diseases in Detroit, Michigan, and I was pastor of




230    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
the Congregational Church at Peace Dale, Rhode
Island. In 1888 I received a call to become the
Secretary of the Hawaiian Board of Missions,
which worked in conjunction with the American
Board, and I reached Honolulu just after my
mother's death, which occurred November 24th,
1888.
The Sunday previous she was in her accustomed
place at church with her Bible class, and she was
active up to the last day of her life. God took her
in the night into the light of an eternal day. Dr.
Sereno Bishop wrote in an obituary in The Friend:
"Among the more obvious traits of Mrs. Emerson's
very lovely character were a patient fidelity to duty
and great gentleness toward others." For her epitaph, Brother Nat rightly chose the lines, "For the
things which are seen are temporal; but the things
which are not seen are eternal."
An arch of native stone now spans the entrance
of the Waialua Churchyard, and as we approach it
we read on the bronze tablet in both Hawaiian and
English:
E Hoomanao
I na makua o ka Ekalesia
Ma Waialua Nei
Reverend John S. Emerson
a me
Ursula S. N. Emerson




CARRYING ON                 231
In Memory of
The Founders of the Church
In Waialua
Reverend John S. Emerson
and
Ursula S. N. Emerson
1832
1867           1888
It was Judge Archie Mahaulu, son of their faithful retainers, who in 1910 conceived the idea of this
memorial, raised the necessary funds, and carried
the work to a successful completion.
As we pass under the arch, our attention is drawn
toward a large boulder placed near a number of
headstones. On it is inserted another bronze tablet,
executed by Augustus and Louis Saint-Gaudens, and
around the cross, finely modeled in low relief, we
read the dates of the birth and death of the founders, and the following:
"This Waialua Mission was established by
them in MDCCCXXXII and here with one
interval, MDCCCXLII- MDCCCXLVI,
passed at Lahainaluna School, Maui, they
lived and labored for their beloved Hawaiian people."
The two homes, which through the foliage once
peeped across the Anahulu at each other, and which




232    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
then were full of stirring life, are no longer to be
seen-only bare foundations remain-and the story
of the men who there received their early training,
of their sons and grandsons, attaches itself to other
homes and other scenes.




CHAPTER XXIV


THE    LEPER    SETTLEMENT        AT
M   L  K A I
THE progress that has been made in Hawaii
towards the cure of leprosy is one of the important accomplishments of science of this century.
Since 1864 leprosy, named by the Hawaiian
natives mai pake (Chinese disease), has been a sad
affliction of the beautiful islands, though much less
common than is generally imagined, not more than
one thousand patients having ever been segregated
at one time at the settlement on the island of
Molokai. Of the present population of the Islands
which numbers three hundred thousand, not more
than five hundred are under the ban, and this
number is lessened each year.
This is due to the investigations of physicians and
scientists in their efforts for many years to stamp
out the disease and to the use of chaulmoogra oil.
Since 1905 the work has been conducted under the
auspices of the National and Territorial Governments, and since 1916 the active element of this oil,
through chemical processes carried on in the laboratories of the University of Hawaii, has been ex233




234    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
tracted and prepared under the direction of Dr.
H. T. Hollman, who was in charge of the leprosy
receiving station at Honolulu, and Dr. A. L. Dean,
President of the University and professor of chemistry. The treatment has been much more effective
and, excepting in advanced cases, curative. In fact,
there are very few, if any, cases now sent to Molokai, for the disease is taken in its incipient stages and
cured at the hospital of the receiving station at
Honolulu.
The only practicable approach to the leper settlement, which is located on a promontory backed by
almost impassable precipices over a thousand feet
high, is by steamer. I visited it several times while
Secretary of the Hawaiian Board of Missions and
conducted services in the two Protestant churches
supported by that body.
On my first visit, I think in 1889, I found the
small church full and people standing at the door
and windows. As I went up the aisle and came
down after the service, friendly hands were extended to greet me and I responded with my hands
gloved. I reported the incident to my bother, Dr.
Nathaniel B. Emerson, then President of the Board
of Health, who told me I had violated the regulations and cautioned me to be more careful.
On my next visit I remembered his caution and in
closing the service I expressed my deep sympathy
for my afflicted friends, who not only were the victims of disease and one which separated them from




THE LEPER SETTLEMENT


235


their kindred, but were denied the comfort of a
friendly shake of the hand. As I passed down the
aisle, heads were bowed and I saw eyes filled with
tears, but not a hand was extended to express farewell.
The main difficulty at this time was the lack of
understanding and lack of cooperation of the native
Hawaiians in the matter of segregation. Instinctively they shrank from breaking up their family
life.
If a person became a leper his family usually concealed him, and the Government found it necessary
to appoint in each district a physician to search
out the leper suspects and, with the aid of the sheriff,
to take charge of having them sent to the receiving
station at Honolulu. In certain instances the opposition was violent. I recall two well-known cases
which occurred more than thirty years ago.
A native Hawaiian of the island of Kauai named
Koolau became a leper and in order to avoid being
sent to the Molokai settlement sought concealment
in the remote, inaccessible, deep valley of Kalalau
on the precipitous western end of the island, taking
his wife and child with him.
The small settlement in the canyon had for many
years been sought by others as a refuge till there
were nearly thirty lepers there, much to the discomfort of the seventy-four healthy natives whose home
it was and whose lives were thus risked. Their
property was depredated and their water flow con



236    PIONEER    DAYS IN    HAWAII
taminated. In July, 1893, Deputy Sheriff Louis H.
Stolz of Waimea was zealous to accomplish the
removal of these defiant lepers, but in the attempt
was shot dead by Koolau.
The Government then sent from Honolulu about
fifty of the militia and police to assist in enforcing
the law, and in time all the lepers gave themselves
up excepting Koolau who, after shooting two of the
soldiers as they were attempting to dislodge him
from his fastnesses, finally escaped from the valley
with his wife and child and never was found, although a reward of a thousand dollars was offered
for his capture.
Another case was that of Dr. Jared K. Smith, a
beloved Government physician of Koloa, Kauai,
who decided that a certain Hawaiian woman and
her little girl must report at Honolulu as leper suspects. Kaeo, a part Malay, and the father of the
child, and his three sons, decided that Dr. Smith
must be killed. One night at about ten o'clock Dr.
Smith heard a knock at his door. After enquiring
who was there and being answered by a cough, he
opened the door and was immediately shot through
the heart by one of the accomplices.
Several years previous my brother narrowly escaped while following the same line of duty. The
Government employed a certain number of healthy
natives as attendants or nurses to those afflicted with
the disease at the settlement, frequently one of the
family of some patient.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~E.  '" I Xs 
CNoa    X Last, islani of Kauat
TheClifs of KAals lowering over of66
kk above f6 sea








THE LEPER SETTLEMENT


237


A man whose wife had been sent there wished to
serve in this capacity, but there was no vacancy and
Dr. Emerson could not grant his request. The man
came to his office several times to plead his case and
the last time it was noticed that he held his right
hand behind him. Dr. Emerson could not change
his decision. The man started to raise his hand,
but a clerk who was behind him seized the loaded
pistol he was holding just in time.
The Territorial Government houses and feeds the
patients at the settlement and this is generously supplemented by private individuals or agencies.
There are two villages about a mile and a half
apart, Kalawao and Kalaupapa, and at each are a
Protestant and a Catholic church. At Kalawao
there is a large industrial school for boys, the Baldwin Home, founded by Henry P. Baldwin, who was
one of Hawaii's leading citizens, and at Kalaupapa there is a similar one for girls.  Brother
Dutton, who was in charge of the Baldwin Home
for many years, is a noble old man, and the Sisters
of Charity, who had the care of the school and home
for girls, and whom I visited many years ago, were
beautiful characters.  They all consecrated their
lives to their work.
A leper may be physically active, for the disease
develops slowly and at certain stages without pain.
The settlement has its own brass band and its own
baseball teams. I have seen many riding horseback
and cultivating their gardens.




238    PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
An interest in the welfare of the patients is felt
throughout the Islands, and at Thanksgiving and
Christmas special steamers are despatched from
Honolulu loaded with gifts to make them happy.
It was a part of my duty to settle pastors over the
Protestant churches. One day a school teacher of
the island of Kauai, named Naeole, came to my
office to tell me that his wife had become a leper
and had been taken to the Molokai settlement.
Would it be possible for him to prepare for the
ministry, become a candidate as a pastor of one of
the churches there and in that way take care of her?
Of course I gave my assent and in due time he received the appointment and filled the position acceptably for several years. It was some time after her
death that he called on me again in Honolulu with
a fine-looking Hawaiian woman. She had been
working at the settlement as a nurse in order to take
care of her husband who also had died, and now
these two faithful ones wished to marry each other.
Another episode occurs to me in connection with
the leper settlement. A fine Belgian Catholic missionary, Father Conrady, while serving in Northwestern United States, heard of Father Damien's
work at Molokai among the lepers and joined him
as his assistant, nursing him when he had the disease, administering the final rites at his death and
ministering to the lepers afterwards.
One day I received a letter from him asking me
if I would send him some Bibles in the Hawaiian




THE LEPER SETTLEMENT


239


language. "My people are worshipful in prayer
and song," he wrote, "but lacking in obedience to
the precepts of the Holy Scriptures."  I readily
granted his request and in my letter addressed him
as "My dear Brother." In his reply he wrote, "You
call me brother and so we are in our Christian
endeavors." Thereafter we were warm friends.
After Father Damien's death he was most anxious to continue his work at Molokai, but the position was controlled by the Jesuit order and they
wished to appoint another Jesuit. Heartbroken he
came to Honolulu, where Mr. Frank W. Damon,
the devoted missionary to the Chinese, suggested his
going to Canton, where leprosy was very prevalent
and government aid very inadequate.
He went to Canton and found thousands of lepers
crowded in miserable huts and his efforts to get suitable aid from the Catholic Church in Canton or
from the Chinese government, failed. Realizing
that the first necessity of the lepers was for medical
treatment, he decided to return to San Francisco and
study medicine. After finishing his course of study
he returned to Belgium to raise money for his mission, thence coming back to America where he
travelled from Quebec to New Orleans making his
appeal.
I had not seen him for years but happening to be
in Boston when he visited that city, it was my privilege to vouch for his noble character. He told me
that the settlement at Molokai was a little Paradise




240    PIONEER DAYS IN HAWAII
compared with what he had seen in China. I remember hearing him say at one meeting, "If I were
to consider my physical feelings, I would rather be
hanged by the neck till I was dead than face again
the conditions of the lepers in Canton, but," he
added, placing his hand on his heart, "my heart will
not permit me to desert these unfortunate ones."
As soon as he had collected enough funds he
returned to China and after working among more
than six hundred lepers he founded a settlement on
an island forty miles from Canton. I received letters from him occasionally, but after a few years
they ceased to come and I heard that this saintly
man had gone to his rest.




CHAPTER XXV


HAWAII IN       LATER     DAYS
THE     story of Hawaii in later days is one of
unexpected political changes and industrial development. For nearly thirty years, since August
12, 1898, Hawaii has been a territory of the United
States. How did this happen? What brought
about the change?
Looking back a hundred years to the second quarter of the nineteenth century, we find that during
the reign of Kamehameha III both Englishmen and
Frenchmen tried by various intrigues to take possession of the islands for their governments, though
usually without proper authority. But Kamehameha
III in government matters was much influenced by
the missionaries and their associates, taking them
into his counsel. These foreign intrigues were parried, and in 1843 the independence of the Hawaiian
Islands was definitely acknowledged by England,
France and the United States. The little kingdom
could not remain independent indefinitely, however.
It was destined to become in time annexed either by
conquest or by colonization to some one of the great
powers.
241




242    PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
As early as 1853 and 1854 there was an agitation
by Californian filibusterers in favor of annexation to
the United States, which was opposed by the missionaries and others who had at heart the best interests of the kingdom. As years went on, however,
in order to safeguard the stability of the Government and its commercial interests, a closer relation
with the United States was more and more favored.
The downfall of royal sovereignty in 1893 came
not through conquest by a foreign power, nor by
foreign exploitation, but because of the faults of
Hawaii's own rulers. It came about as Alexander
foretold, when he wrote in 1891 on the last page
of his "History of the Hawaiian People": "The
only dangers of this kingdom are from within and
not from without."
In reviewing the reigns of the Kamehamehas it
will be found that with all their faults they were
loyal to what they considered the good of their subjects. I have referred to the superior character of
Kamehameha I, and to the advantages that came to
the people through the united government he established.
His son Kamehameha III gave them a liberal
constitution and fee simple titles to their homesteads, which lifted them from peonage to freedom
and citizenship. He also established out of his own
estate a public domain, and led the chiefs to add to
it from their estates, out of which many thrifty
natives were enabled to enlarge their small holdings




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS


243


at slight expense. These notable acts the people
never forgot, repaying the King with their love and
loyalty.
Kamehameha IV and his Queen established the
Queen's Hospital, which has dispensed untold benefits to the native people and to many others. King
William Lunalilo, the last of the Kamehamehas,
who died in 1874, after a reign of only about a year,
provided in his will for a home for poor, infirm and
aged natives, called to this day Lunalilo Home.
To assist them in their difficulties these kings selected able, wise men as their officers of state, calling
to their aid such men as Dr. G. P. Judd, R. C.
Wyllie, William Richards, Richard Armstrong,
Chief Justice W. L. Lee and others of note.
In 1874 King Kalakaua was elected to the throne,
and at first he also chose men of character and ability as his advisors. It was during this period, in
1876, soon after his return from a visit to the
United States, that the treaty of reciprocity of trade
was at last effected, which greatly stimulated the
sugar industry and was of great advantage to the
Islands.
But soon Kalakaua wearied of virtue and, with
his self-centred ambition and lack of moral stamina,
he drew around him counselors and associates without high purpose or self-restraint, consorting with
ill-advised agents, chief of them all, the notorious
W. M. Gibson, whose unscrupulous policies as prime




244    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
minister proved tragic in their effect upon the King's
conduct and rule.
This man so outraged decent people that in 1887
a committee of determined citizens, members of a
recently organized reform party, called "The Hawaiian League," waited on the King and demanded
the dismissal of Gibson and a return to the more
liberal constitution of Kamehameha III. The King
was given a certain number of hours in which to
decide what he would do, and wisely decided to
make the changes demanded. A more liberal constitution was granted, and the unprincipled premier,
who suffered dismissal, fled to the Mainland to
escape the wrath of the people.
During the latter part of his reign, not only did
Kalakaua make the mistake of gathering about him
officials and counselors who were untrustworthy
schemers, he became the victim of his foolish ambitions and of his vicious passions. He favored a
State Church subject to his control, he encouraged
kahunaism, posing himself as head kahuna; his society of the "Hale Naua" was a disgrace to his court,
and his patronage of the hula lowered it yet further
as an indecent show.
On Kalakaua's death, early in 1891, Liliuokalani
came to the throne, reviving the hopes of many.
She appeared to be virtuous, apparently none of the
flagrant, glaring immoralities which had disgraced
her brother's reign were practiced in her court. She
seemed refined and interested in philanthropic move



HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS


245


ments; she cultivated music and composed many
songs.  Before long, however, it appeared that
politically she coveted autocratic power with an even
bolder daring than her brother, and in 1892 she
showed a determination to put into her cabinet only
men who would follow her directions. She was
forced, however, to form a cabinet of men of high
standing, but it proved to be short-lived, for early
in 1893, while several members of the Reform
Party were absent, she got her subservient legislators to vote the members of this able cabinet out
of office and immediately appointed a new one satisfactory to herself. At the same time she got passed
a bill permitting the introduction of opium, a ruinous
measure to thousands of Chinese resident in the
Islands; and another to give a franchise to the notorious Louisiana Lottery, which had been banished
from the United States. It was reported that she
was promised an annual subsidy of $500,000 for
the passage of this bill and her signature to it.
She had ready a new autocratic constitution which
she had had drawn up some time before, in which
she annulled the election of the Upper House of the
Legislature, and substituted the royal prerogative to
appoint its members. She had also inserted a clause
taking the franchise from white men not married to
native women.
On the morning of January 14, 1893, she appeared in the Government Building and prorogued
the Legislature. I remember well the occasion.




246    PIONEER    DAYS IN     HAWAII
She was dressed in a gorgeous lavender silk robe
with pages bearing its long train and with every
appurtenance to impress her royal authority. After
this ceremony she retired to the Throne Room of
the Palace where she met her cabinet and demanded
their signature to the new Constitution, But they
were afraid to sign it, and the Chief Justice also
refused. Angered at them for their persistent refusal a stormy session of several hours ensued. She
appealed to the excited crowd of natives gathered
in the Throne Room and around the Palace, before
which the entire military force of the kingdom was
drawn up in line, but finally she was obliged to retire
defeated.
Her high-handed attitude and these obnoxious
measures, which would prove so disastrous to the
nation, were too much for the Reform Party to
tolerate, for the leaders were honorable white men,
most of them born in Hawaii, loyal sons of the
soil, with the rights of citizenship and a sense of
responsibility for the nation.
Large meetings of those who sympathized with
them were held, and a Committee of Public Safety
of thirteen men was appointed and authorized to
formulate a course of action that would "secure the
permanent maintenance of law and order." There
was a wide-spread feeling that the Queen could not
be trusted any longer, notwithstanding a manifesto
which she and her cabinet, alarmed at the proceedings of the Reform Party, issued on the morning of




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS            247
Monday, the 16th, which promised that no more
illegal changes in the Constitution would be attempted.
Within three days it was decided that the monarchy must come to an end. A Provisional Government was established with Judge Sanford B. Dole
at its head, and volunteer troops were raised to
protect the new government, if necessary.
During the crisis, late in the afternoon of January
16th, the United States Minister, John L. Stevens,
ordered marines from the cruiser Boston to be
landed to protect the lives and property of American citizens. The Queen held that they were landed
to protect the revolutionists, and though within two
days she and her cabinet surrendered the Palace, the
police and the royal military force, together with
her authority, to the Provisional Government, she
did it under protest and appealed to the United
States Government to restore her to the throne,
immediately sending agents to Washington to present her claims.
At the same time the Provisional Government
sent five commissioners to Washington empowered
to negotiate a treaty of annexation, which they drew
up and signed in February, 1893. President Harrison submitted it to the United States Senate for
approval, but no immediate action was taken, and
on March 4, 1893, President Cleveland was inaugurated.




248    PIONEER DAYS IN       HAWAII
The special commissioner, James H. Blount, who
was sent by Cleveland to Hawaii during the summer
to investigate the matter, made a report which was
unfavorable to the revolutionists, with the result
that a new minister, Albert S. Willis, was sent to
Hawaii in November, 1893, to try to reinstate
Liliuokalani. Mr. Dole protested against this interference, emphatically denied the truth of the charges
made in Mr. Blount's report and declined to restore
the throne to the Queen, although she finally agreed
to grant full pardon to the revolutionists and to
maintain the liberal constitution of 1887, if she were
reinstated. As Cleveland had no authority to use
force, and it was known that Congress did not support him in the matter, the United States Government took no further action.
As Cleveland had withdrawn the annexation
treaty from the Senate, legal measures were taken
by the Hawaiian Government by which, on July 4,
1894, the constitution of a new government, that of
the Republic of Hawaii, was proclaimed to supersede the Provisional Government, with Mr. Dole as
President.
Although Liliuokalani and her.supporters did not
at once give up the struggle, and planned an insurrection in 1895, it was frustrated by the Hawaiian
Government. Finally, during that year she sent a
letter to President Dole in which she abdicated and
renounced all her claims to the throne, soon after




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS


249


signing the oath of allegiance to the Republic of
Hawaii.9
It has often been said that Hawaii never had a
fairer, cleaner, more economical administration than
during this period. President Dole's warm feeling
for the Hawaiians, which was reciprocated, is well
known. He never failed to appoint a native Hawaiian to office where it was practicable.
In 1896 William McKinley, the Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States, was
elected. Soon after his inauguration, in June, 1897,
a new treaty of annexation of Hawaii was signed
and submitted to the Senate with a message from
the President favoring it. A majority of the Senators voted for it, but it did not receive the necessary
two-thirds vote and no action could be taken.
Then came the war between the United States
and Spain. Admiral Dewey took possession of
Manila Bay and troops were despatched from San
Francisco. Instead of remaining neutral Hawaii
offered the use of her harbors and other facilities.
The possession of naval outposts in the Pacific was
felt to be important, and the value of the Hawaiian
Islands for these purposes was realized. Moreover,
when the ships stopped at Honolulu for coaling, the
boys were warmly and generously entertained and
s Queen Liliuokalani died in gracious old age in 1917, after
living for years as a loyal citizen of the United States. In this she
was a helpful example to her race. She left most of her property
as a fund to be used in building orphanages.




250    PIONEER     DAYS IN    HAWAII
the sympathy of Hawaii for the United States was
more than ever evident.
When therefore it was suggested that annexation
might be brought about by a joint resolution of the
two houses of Congress, which required only a majority vote in each house, the treaty was passed and
signed by President McKinley on July 7, 1898.
The sovereignty of the Hawaiian Islands was
transferred to the United States on August 12,:
1898, the ceremony taking place in front of the
Executive Building, formerly the Royal Palace.
Amid the smiles and tears of a multitude of citizens
the Hawaiian flag was slowly lowered, the Stars and
Stripes were raised and Hawaii as a Territory became an integral part of the United States. That
was thirty years ago, and Hawaii's status should be
well understood. Hawaii is not a colony but a Territory, only one step removed from statehood. In
1924 Congress passed a bill according to her the
same rights as the states in various general appropriations. This is as it should be, for she now
stands twelfth among the fifty states and territories
of the Union in the returns she makes to the Federal
Treasury.
The story of the industrial development of
Hawaii is as noteworthy as that of its change of
government. Various industries suitable to the fertile soil have been tried with varying success, but the
extent and success of the sugar and pineapple industries have far exceeded all others.




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS


251


The making of sugar was for many years a struggling industry, due largely to the United States tariff
and lack of laborers. It was, however, so evidently
a suitable industry for the Islands that it was persistently pushed, and the amount annually raised
slowly increased.     During the Civil War in the
United States, from 1860 to 1864, the sugar and
rice industries were greatly stimulated, as the supply from   the Southern States was cut off from      the
North. Prices became so high that sugar and rice
could be profitably raised in Hawaii and shipped to
the Mainland, notwithstanding the high tariff. But
from what source could the planters secure the necessary laborers?
There were not enough available Hawaiians, and
only three or four hundred Chinese had been
brought to the Islands. The problem was a serious
one, and in 1865, during the reign of Kamehameha
V, Dr. William    Hillebrand was sent to the Orient
for the   purpose   of securing    labor.   South   Sea
islanders akin to the Hawaiians were favored by
the Government, but the effort to secure them in any
considerable numbers failed.30
The native Hawaiians are not an indolent race, but they never
have been conscious of a struggle for existence, and so never have
realized nor been trained to the necessity for persistent monotonous
labor. Between 1840 and 1860 they were in great demand as seamen on the whale-ships; and in 1846 the Minister of the Interior
reported that about three thousand, or one-fifth of the young
Hawaiian men between the ages of fifteen and thirty, were at sea
or in foreign lands, a great loss to the nation, which was felt for
years.




252     PIONEER      DAYS IN     HAWAII
Dr. Hillebrand carefully selected five hundred
Chinese coolies who, with many others who followed
voluntarily during the next twenty-five years, proved
to be valuable laborers and gave a great impetus to
the sugar industry.31
After the close of the war, when more sugar was
available in the United States the price decreased,
and the problem to the Hawaiian planters of making their industry profitable was again a very serious
one. Twice during the previous ten years efforts
had been made to secure a treaty of reciprocity with
the United States, but had failed. Another attempt
was made in 1867 and 1868, but again it was defeated in the Senate, and it was not till 1875 that a
treaty was ratified, which went into effect in September, 1876. From that time on the sugar industry in
Hawaii steadily developed, notwithstanding the fact
that at certain periods for over twenty years, till
annexation in 1898, there were fears in Hawaii that
the reciprocity treaty might be abrogated. It was
greatly strengthened in 1887 by an agreement with
the United States Government that that nation
should be given "the exclusive right to enter the
harbor of Pearl River on Oahu, and to establish and
I The immigration of the Chinese to Hawaii has been a success.
They have responded to the kindly treatment they have met. They
are good workers on the plantations as in all branches of service,
and are excellent husbands when married to Hawaiian women.
The Chinese-Hawaiian children are a good stock, with Chinese
intelligence and Hawaiian graciousness.




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS


253


maintain there a coaling and repair station for the
use of the United States vessels."
From about the time of the ratification of the
reciprocity treaty in 1876, to 1890, the annual exportation of sugar from Hawaii increased tenfoldfrom 17,500 tons to 175,000 tons. This increase in
production called for the importation of many thousands of foreign laborers. There were reasons why
Chinese immigration could not be indefinitely continued. Portuguese immigration could not be carried
forward to a large extent, because of the expense it
entailed. In 1886 a treaty with Japan was made
with regard to this matter, resulting in a continuous
stream for twenty years of Japanese immigrants
who proved themselves intelligent and industrious
workers and, with the Chinese, have played an important role in promoting the prosperity of the
Islands.
Since annexation in 1898 the industry has developed still more rapidly, and in addition to Chinese
and Japanese, many Koreans, many more Filipinos
and a limited number of Porto Ricans have been
brought in, the majority maintaining family life.
I have referred to the advantages to the sugar
industry that have come through the reciprocity
treaty and annexation, and to the energy of the
Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association in securing
laborers. Mr. Ralph S. Kuydendall, whose interesting "History of Hawaii" has recently been published, says, in referring to the remarkable progress




254    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
made in the sugar industry: "These are important
points; but the principal reasons for the immense
growth of the sugar industry are to be found in
cooperation among the planters, and in the use of
improved, scientific methods. Nowhere in the world
has science been more fully applied to industry than
it has in Hawaii, and nowhere has the result been
more striking." 82
As a single instance of an improved method, about
98 per cent of sugar is now extracted from the Hawaiian cane-a higher extraction than is obtained
by any other sugar country, and twice as much as
was extracted thirty or forty years ago.
One other instance of advance in the production
of sugar is worthy of note. Formerly the process
of turning the liquid cane juice into dry, commercial
sugar took weeks and sometimes months, now the
time has been reduced to days and even hours.
The growth of the sugar industry is being
paralleled by the rapid development of the pineapple industry. Although there were so few pineapples raised in Hawaii twenty-five years ago that
it could not be called an industry, the export of
canned pineapples in 1925 was 7,000,000 cases.
Pineapples can be cultivated to some extent on a
profit-sharing basis, the independence of which stimulates the ambition of the industrious Japanese and
flatters his pride. Knowing that his gains depend


3 Hawaii's sugar crop for 1925 was 776,072 tons.




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS


255


largely on his own efforts, he goes at his work with
a will.
The sugar and pineapple industries can be advantageously combined on the same plantation. Sugar
cane flourishes best on low levels where there is
heat and a chance for irrigation; pineapples, on the
other hand, requiring only occasional showers, thrive
best on higher, cooler lands. Thus various levels
can be utilized, as is well demonstrated on the extensive lands of the Waialua plantation which includes
different levels.
We have spoken of the two leading industries of
Hawaii, but what of the people? How do the various races get along together? The population of
the Hawaiian Islands is now three hundred thousand, five times that of fifty years ago. Can three
hundred thousand people of ten different nationalities make life harmonious, prosperous and happy?
Business thrives, but do the people develop for the
better? Let me quote a keen observer, Dr. Albert
W. Palmer, whose book, "The Human Side of
Hawaii," is a standard: "Out of the turmoil and
confusion of Hawaii's middle period has come the
fascinating and helpful Hawaii of today. The races
have learned to get along together, partly because
there were so many of them that none could refuse
to others the respect it demanded for itself."
It must also be borne in mind that these three
hundred thousand people are living in many different communities, and that over fifty thousand of




256    PIONEER    DAYS IN HAWAII
them are busily and apparently happily at work on
more than fifty different plantations of sugar and
pineapples. They are well paid and comfortably
housed. The settlements have churches, schools and
kindergartens and well-equipped hospitals with regular physicians and nurses. Much attention is also
paid to their social welfare.
Dr. Palmer adds: "The public schools, sound territorial government and education in patriotism
have promoted Americanism, and by no means least,
the religious spirit has risen up in manifold ways to
meet the challenge of modern conditions in a way
worthy of the missionary pioneers. Great credit for
all this is due to the persistence of the essential missionary spirit in the descendants of the early missionaries. In no part of the United States is there
a greater feeling of responsibility on the part of
employers and managers for labor, especially for
laborers of alien races."
And how could it be otherwise? These men and
women love the fair land of their birth and are not
willing to let it return to barbarism. They know
that they and the people among whom they dwell
have interests in common and a common government. Their fondness for Hawaii and the Hawaiians and their pride in the institutions which their
fathers were enabled to build, spur them on to a
studied and careful support of humane and worthy
causes which may save their loved native land and
its people from harm.




HAWAII IN THE LATER DAYS             257
Hawaii has been called "The Crossroads of the
Pacific," and the name seems well placed in view of
the many Pacific races domiciled there. Still more
significant is the fact that in Hawaii have been initiated "The Pan-Pacific Union," for the purpose of
cooperation among the nations of the Pacific, and
"The Institute of Pacific Relations."
Under the auspices of the Pan-Pacific Union scientific, educational and commercial conferences have
been held in Honolulu with delegates from many of
these nations, while at the first meeting of the Institute of Pacific Relations, held in Honolulu in 1925,
thinking men and women assembled from Japan,
Korea, China, the Philippines, Australia, New
Zealand, the United States and Canada, to discuss
their common interests and problems.
Great changes are occurring in these nations of
the Pacific, and great problems are confronting
them. Hawaii, the brave outpost of our great Republic, does not fear the "Yellow Peril." She takes
as her ideal the name of her club, "Hands-Aroundthe-Pacific," and will do her part in the future as she
has in the past.












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