The National Era

LETTER FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS

Makawao, Maui, May 8, 1852

To the Editor of the National Era:

"The Sandwich Islands as they are, not as they should be." This is the title of a pamphlet of 18 pages, by Mrs. E. M. W. Parker, San Francisco, which now lies before me. You may see it ere this letter reaches you, for I suppose the authoress prepared this choice morceau for her friends of the United States, and of the South particularly, as she is evidently partial to the institution of slavery.

From a sense of duty I hasten to prepare an antidote to the bane: for though I think that the great majority of your readers will see at a glance that no dependence can be placed on the accuracy of the statements here made, still some may be deceived, and ignorantly condemn the missionaries and the people. There are also found, everywhere, those who eagerly seize and readily swallow anything in the shape of slander, however gross it may be, which is told of missionaries. I am not unwilling, however, to let our friends see how we and our people are sometimes treated

Allow me, then, to make a few brief remarks on the said pamphlet; I will be as brief as possible.

I find no fault with the title of the pamphlet—"The Sandwich Islands as they are, not as they should be" I think I could write at least eighteen pages on this title, and I see no objection to speaking and writing of them in this style, just as we might write or speak of the United States, or of the British Islands, as they are, not as they should be. Who believes that the United States are all that they should be? Who of the missionaries at these islands has said, or hinted, that the state of things was as it should be? It is marvellous that any person of reflection should attempt to fix odium on a degraded pagan nation, because in thirty years from the commencement of labors in their behalf, it is not elevated to the highest possible state of Christian civilization. A former laborer at the islands, writing on the unreasonable expectations of many in regard to the speedy regeneration of a heathen nation, employs this forcible language: "And if in twenty, or thirty, or forty years, you can heave up a nation from the unfathomable depths, and place it on a firm underpinning at the same altitude with New England society, we shall stand aghast with apprehension that the immutable laws of Nature are broken, and that nothing can be told us too strange for belief; and that no fabric of a night vision is so baseless, but that it may be substantially realized."

So much for the title of the pamphlet. I have no objection whatever to the wording. If used, as it doubtless is, as a term of reproach, it has no force whatever.

2. The authoress ascertained what the islands were in an incredibly short space of time. She touched at Lahaina, and was there a part of one day—long enough, however, to learn that coffee grew wild, and that cotton is indigenous—neither of which is true; and a great many other things, which were all new to me. At Honolulu and immediate vicinity she remained a few weeks; but with her intuitive skill in acquiring knowledge, she felt herself competent to write a pamphlet, "The Sandwich Islands as they are." The venerable Mr. Thurston, who has been on the ground thirty-two years, would shrink from the task of describing the islands as they are. Do you marvel at this woman's facility in acquiring knowledge? I can tell you in a short compass. She had, all except what she says she saw—viz: coffee growing wild, indigenous cotton, and the boughs of the sandal wood, which almost meet over head, but which, gentle reader, is not found on Oahu, certainly not in the vicinity of the pale, or Pa-rah, as she calls it—I repeat, she had all what she has retailed as facts, from the poor creatures who hang about hotels in Honolulu, who guzzle beer and New England rum, wallow in the slough of licentiousness, and who will swear to as many falsehoods as their leisure and their ability enable them to manufacture. She probably looked over a file of the Sandwich Islands Gazette, the News, the Times, and the Weekly Argus—papers as vile and slanderous as ever issued from the press anywhere since the art of printing was discovered.

Again: The pamphlet reeks with the vilest falsehoods. There are well nigh as many gross lies as there are paragraphs. It is no use to specify, for all is nearly alike, so far as destitution of truth is concerned Think of such statements as that the people are kept under their teachers, "from fear that the missionaries will pray them to death," that "Dr Judd purchased 17,000 acres of land for fifty cents;" that "three of the King's children"—she (the Queen) never had but one, which to my knowledge died of sickness at Lahaina, as I went at once, and saw the King and Queen, and the corpse of the child—"disappeared immediately after their birth;" were murdered, of course And of the "missionaries being supported entirely by the gains of licentiousness" Such are some of her statements.

3. The slanders of this woman are as cruel as they are false. Indeed, their baseness is only exceeded by their want of truth. In speaking of the missionaries, she says—"My blood stirs with indignation, as I contemplate the unblushing effrontery of these people, who send their whining beggars around the world, asking alms in Christ's name, to contribute to the pleasures of their own useless existence She attacks and slanders Dr Judd and his family by name, puts an infamous falsehood into the mouth of Mr. T. Coan, and has a sling at the seamen's chaplain: slanders the Government and the people generally. In a word, the pamphlet is a cruel and base attack upon men and women, both foreign and native, of whom she knew little or nothing, and who are quietly and industriously doing all in their power for the good of their fellow-men. All this she does where, with a little pains-taking, she might have obtained full and accurate information of the state of things in 1820, and of the changes which have since taken place.

I am ashamed, I confess, to say so much in defence of myself and missionary friends from the attacks of this false and vile woman, for only a vile and false woman could have penned so shameless a pamphlet. But I feel that she has not merely attacked us, she has reproached the God of missions, who has wrought by our instrumentality. One would think, from reading her pages, that not a single convert had been made here during the last thirty years, and notwithstanding the immense amount of money expended." Indeed, she expressly says, not that she thinks, or in her opinion, but says—"The wonderful accounts of revivals and reformations which have reached them, (the people of the United States,) only exist in the brains of the inventors," &c. She adds—"The most important changes which the missionaries have effected are, inducing the natives to go to church, and to wear bonnets." But lest it should be thought that the missionaries had, after all, done a mite of good, she adds—"and even of the latter, (wearing bonnets, they made a good speculation: for they purchased them in Boston, at a shilling each and sold them to the natives for three and five dollars, imposing a fine on all females who did not wear a bonnet in church " She tells her readers that, as the result of thirty years of missionary labor among the Hawaiians, the people "have sunk into the position of slaves;" that, fined, imprisoned, whipped for disobedience, and stripped of everything, they writhe, "and would doubtless rebel, but for the fear of being prayed to death by the missionaries." They do, it seems, die from this cause: and she concludes this part of her story by exclaiming, "Oh! Superstition! thou friend of missionaries and terror of barbarians!"

But for the forbearance of God, whom she insults by these malicious, slanderous falsehoods, she might tremble lest his anger should scathe her at once Let me say to her, through your columns, a day is coming, and it may be near at hand, when you will stand at the bar of Eternal Justice, and meet the charges which here you made against them. Let not a moment be lost in re-examining these charges, and ascertaining, as you surely will, their falsehood. Seek forgiveness of Him whose servants we are, and tell the world that you were grossly deceived in making the statement contained in your pamphlet. Thus show that you have the feelings of an honorable, truth-loving woman. May God in mercy grant you genuine repentance!"

But, Mr. Editor, I have not quite done with this woman, who has so disgraced her sex by writing so false and malicious a pamphlet, though, but for the cause of holy freedom, I would not add another syllable. After saying that the men "will not work," and that "they are absolutely unable to perform hard labor if they would"—both of which statements are absolutely and outrageously false—she denies that, under any form of government, they would become valuable subjects. She adds— "Whether eventually these islands should be annexed to the United States, or become an independent republic, the introduction of slavery is indispensable to their value." She pronounces that, from the nature of the climate, "Slavery will certainly exist ere many years be passed,"&c.

A straw indicates the current, my dear sir no less than an important plank. Mrs. Parker was from California, and has returned thither. I heard, just before I saw this pamphlet, from a gentleman living at Honolulu, who said that he supposed some of the passengers of the Game Cock, who landed at the Islands last autumn, came down to see if they could establish slavery among us. It is said that they broke open the mail on their way down, and destroyed some of the contents. The news of their intention reached us before they came, and special means were used to frustrate their designs. They have mostly returned; but I shall be happily disappointed, if either that company, or some other equally desperate, is not upon us to survey our fields, and plant the vile institution of slavery, we are so near California! And do you not hear that in some way slavery is likely to be introduced into that country? In God may we confide always—to Him look for aid at all times. But when we turn away from His throne, all is dark and sad. The heart sinks in discouragement.

What may be his purposes relative to the system of slavery, how soon and in what way it shall terminate, we cannot tell But of one thing I am almost certain. Unless there is a striking change among you at home on this subject, so striking as to cause the whole system to be loathed and destroyed, slavery will be introduced into California, and its mildewed breath will wither the few green spots of that gold-cursed land, and we shall hear again of the monster He will creep over the Pacific which separates us, and unless the mercy of God prevents, we shall feel his grasp, and see our people writhing in chains. God grant that I may be mistaken! but I solemnly believe that we shall be called to engage in the strife which is always connected with the detestable system. For one, I shall redouble my efforts in the cause of Holy Freedom. Something I have all along done by my pen in relation to slavery in my own country, and in other lands to me foreign; by my voice among my own people in describing the evil, and exhorting them to pray for the subjects of this system, and to aid, according to their ability, in saving the enslaved of every land. But now I feel that we may have something more to do than to pray and contribute for the enslaved of other lands. God helping me, I will die for this people, ere the chains are fastened upon them. And I think I shall not be alone in my opposition to this accursed thing. Though many, in my opinion, of the foreign residents among us, would not lift a finger to keep out slavery; nay, would rejoice in its introduction, that they might thereby obtain laborers with less trouble and expense; still there are some who feel deeply that no curse so bitter could be brought upon us and upon the people. Some among us would lay down life if that would save us from the infliction of so tremendous an evil. Those of us who feel thus are determined to be up and doing. We shall labor and pray, form societies, and bring up the people to feel and act as they may be enabled to do. Pray for us.

that we may be saved from the curse, which like a mighty incubus is weighing down the life of our own beloved land.

May 10—You will be very glad to hear that the Hawaiian Constitution, which is being revised at the present time, prohibits slavery most decidedly. We must have a change of government ere the system can be introduced here. But you know the nation is weak and the enemy strong and wakeful. Uneasy spirits are talking of annexation. 'Can't take care of themselves,' you know, is the cant of multitudes. How kind the wolf is, when proffering aid to the helpless lamb! When, oh when will the powerful become honestly and efficiently the succorers of the weak.

Yours for the right,

J. S. GREEN