p. 90 | Hawaiian Islands by William M. Healey

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 11, 1886

Hawaiian Islands.

By William M. Healey

I left San Francisco, December 20, in the mail steamer Mariposa. About one hundred miles from San Francisco, we met a storm and heavy gale of wind, which lasted four days. The waves rolled over the main deck of the steamer for hours at a time, and frequently dashed entirely over the ship.

The officers said it was the roughest sea they had encountered for years. Nearly all on board were sick, not excepting the doctor.

We reached Honolulu in seven days. The city is built along the water’s edge, for two miles or more, and reaches back from one-half, to three miles, toward green hills which rise several hundred feet above the sea. As one looks upon the city thus beautifully located, and nestling in a dense growth of tropical foliage, he may well be reminded of the familiar line in the missionary hymn, “Though every prospect pleases.” But he needs only to land and walk along some of the streets to feel the force of the following line, “And only man is vile.”

Honolulu has about twelve thousand inhabitants, about two-thirds being Chinese and natives. There are many Roman Catholics here, especially among the natives. The Congregationalists are the only organized Protestant society here. They have two churches for English-speaking people, one for the natives and one for the Chinese. Brethren Scott and LaRue have circulated reading matter quite thoroughly through the city, and already see some fruit of their labor.

Since our arrival, we have moved the mission to another house, near by, but more convenient than the former one. A house of five or six rooms rents for from $20 to $30 per month.

A hall such as would rent in the United States for from one to five dollars a night, here costs from $10 to $30 per night, if one can be obtained at all.

We have held meetings in the mission rooms on Sabbaths and Sundays; but these rooms are not large enough to permit us to accommodate more than thirty or forty persons at the most. Therefore we have not made any public announcement of these meetings.

We spent several days searching for a suitable lot on which to pitch the tent, and found lots scarce and hard to obtain. But we fully believed it was the will of God that a tent should be pitched in this city, and so prayed for him to open the way for us, and continued to seek for the way, that we might see it when it should be opened, as it finally was. We have obtained a beautiful lot in a central location, and expect to pitch the tent and begin meetings this week. We see no cause of discouragement sufficient to dishearten us, although opposition is already manifest against the truth. But we believe God has some souls here to be sealed with the “seal of God,” and there are others who must be warned that they may be without excuse in the Judgment. We shall expect our people to pray for the cause here, and shall be encouraged thereby.

The mail comes regularly from San Francisco each month, and a special mail between the regular Australian boats; so that we expect mail about every two weeks. Our address is Honolulu, H. I. W. M. HEALEY. Jan. 11, 1886.