A City Effort in Honolulu by J. W. McCord

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 21, 1916

A City Effort in Honolulu

By J. W. McCord

"ALOHA" is the word most frequently heard by the haoles (white men) in Honolulu. When a steamship from America ties up alongside the wharf, the band greets the stranger with the sweet strains of "Aloha." In mansion or hut, on the street, everywhere, "aloha" is the word of greeting for native and white man.

Aloha means "love, affection, good wishes, kindly concern, sympathy, rejoicing, sorrow, greeting, good-by." Anything and everything good that you could possibly wish the one dearest your heart, is expressed in this word.

That the native can thus greet the white man, speaks volumes for the native's magnanimity. When we remember what the white man has given to the natives in return for their generous hospitality, a stronger word than magnanimity, if there is one, could well be used.

When Captain Cook discovered the islands in 1778, "he was received kindly by the natives," who thought him a god. Cook estimated the island population to be approximately 300,000. Today the natives number less than 30,000, and some authorities say 20,000. That is one thing that civilization has done for them. "There was practically no disease among them when the white man came. Cook's crew introduced the curse peculiar to civilization, which, coupled with measles, also imported, swept away 200,000 of them in fifty-eight years. The Chinese brought them leprosy.

"To this day there is not a venomous reptile nor a poisonous plant or vine in all Hawaii. Flies and mosquitoes were unknown till the ships of the white man brought them.

"Wild fruits grew in abundance. For the mere trouble of gathering them the native had coconuts, dates, bananas, guavas, plantains, yams, mountain apples, water lemons, and breadfruit. The waters teemed with fish, and the forests yielded hogs and wild fowl. There was plenty for all, and to spare. Today there are one hundred and ten charity organizations in Honolulu alone, a city of less than 60,000."

A century ago the land was owned by the king and his chiefs, while the common people were serfs, who could be moved about from place to place at will.

Later a Hawaiian king gave up the major portion of the crown lands to his people. Because of this generous gift every Hawaiian family had sufficient land to furnish the simple necessities of life, which for them consisted of poi, fruit, vegetables, and fish.

The white man, taking advantage of conditions which were favorable to himself, soon obtained possession of the major portion of the land. This was accomplished in various ways. The natives were inordinately fond of dress, and they were somewhat improvident, and very hospitable. Their knowledge of land values was naturally limited, and these traits were taken advantage of by the enterprising Yankee to his own profit.

The white man brought his vices as well as his virtues, and his vices stuck. One of them was rum, and the natives soon became apt pupils in the college of John Barleycorn. To satisfy their craving for strong drink and gaudy dress, the natives sold their land for a song. Five acres of land for five yards of calico, was a good bargain for the native; and sometimes the land was obtained by downright fraud. Land which was sold some years ago for a small boat, worth perhaps $25, today is worth about $100,000.

The Hawaiian Islands now belong to the United States, and it is a singular coincidence that the islands and this country began their career as nations about the same time. At the time Washington was winning the Revolutionary War, Kamehameha I was creating a nation in Hawaii. Before this the islands were ruled by a number of petty chiefs, who were all the time fighting among themselves. The battle of the pali put an end to internecine strife, by making Kamehameha the Great the supreme ruler, and the founder of the only dynasty that has ever ruled the islands.

The pali, or "cliff," is twelve hundred feet deep, and is one of the show places of Honolulu. It was here that four thousand soldiers were hurled to death by Kamehameha, and a tablet in commemoration of the battle is placed near the site of the tragedy. These islands are now completely under the control of the white man.

We found great difficulty in starting our work here. Time after time we were refused when we tried to rent a lot within the fire district. After two months' fruitless search we were compelled to go outside of the fire limit to hold our meetings. Yet God was with us from the start, and to him belongs all the glory for the victory obtained.

Some of the finest people in town attended our meetings, and forty-five accepted present truth. During the ten weeks the meetings lasted, our attendance averaged over two hundred an evening. The brethren there considered this excellent for Honolulu. Our expenses of course were heavy, amounting to nearly $1,400 for the meetings alone, but the Lord touched the hearts of the people and our donations fully covered the expenses. Everybody in the local church worked faithfully. If any family should be singled out above another in this respect, Brother Kumalae's ought to be mentioned. Not only did this brother and sister give much help financially, but the whole family, father, mother, and eight children, attended every meeting. God blessed our brother and his dear companion. A brother, sister, niece, and also a brother-in-law, took their stand for the truth during the meetings. In addition to this, nearly every man working in Brother Kumalae's ukulele factory accepted present truth. The matron of

the leading hotel in town accepted the Sabbath, as did others, and their names are written in the book of life. Brother and Sister McKeague did good work, for which we are thankful.

I am now working in Pasadena, Cal. Thus far we have held fifteen meetings, and the average attendance has been seven hundred and thirty each evening. We have a splendid interest and good collections. The sympathy of the people is with us, and we believe the Lord will gain a splendid victory in Pasadena.

Doubtless the brethren and sisters in Honolulu will read this report, and to them and the kind friends there, I wish a hearty "aloha." J. W. McCORD.