Honolulu August, 1828 Housekeeping at Last in Two Little Rooms
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Honolulu We have a very hot summer, no rain, the earth parched, and clouds August, 1828 of dust blowing every day. I have emptied quarts of it from my bed cover at night, and it pours in so thickly that in a few minutes it is Housekeeping at last in two little rooms and a chamber, under the impossible to distinguish the color of the different furniture. same roof with the Binghams! The clapboards are bare and admit quantities of dust which the trade-winds bring in such fearful Our yearly supply of sugar, flour, and other stores, sent from Boston clouds. We have three chairs, a tale, and a bedstead. Dr. Judd has in a whale-ship, was carried by mistake to Japan whaling grounds, converted the wooden trunk that Uncle E made for me into a safe and we have been on short allowance. The drought almost for our food, by placing it on stilts set on pans of tar water, which produced a famine in the vegetable kingdom. Our good queen- keeps out roaches and ants. Mrs. Bingham kindly allows me to have mother has often been absent, and we have missed her presents of one of her trained servants, who does the washing and assists in the taro, fish, and other good things. The poor cattle have almost kitchen. starved, and of course our supply of milk has failed. We have commenced a school for native women, which already Honolulu numbers forty-five, including Kaahumanu, Kinau, Namahana and November, 1829 several of their attendants. They are docile and very anxious to learn. I devote two hours a day teaching them to write on paper; After many months of hard labor our new thatched church is Mrs. Bingham spends two hours more in giving them lessons on the completed. Several hundred men at a time have been engaged in putting on the thatch under supervision of Governor Boki. The slave, and teaching them how to divide words and sentences. They prefer to join words together in continuous lines across the page, church has a neat pulpit, of native mahogany (koa) furnished by without stops or marks. Our school-house has no floor, nor desks, Kaahumanu. The young king was anxious to have it grand as the only substitute being a long board, supporter by crosstrees for possible, as it was his chapel. the writers. A flag is raised to signal the hour for school. I cannot begin to say how happy I am to be here, and how I love to work for this interesting people. I little thought when teaching children in the State of New York what the discipline was preparing Judd, Gerritt, P. A Hawaiian Anthology. New York: Macmillan Company, 1967. me for. I was but sixteen when I made my entrance as a school teacher. Honolulu The first effort was made with the children of the church members, November, 1829 in an unfurnished building. Cotton cloth was scarce, and the people were poor; but water, thank Heaven, was plenty. We brought the I record another anecdote of Kaahumanu; the incident occurred a children together, looked into their bright faces, asked their names, few weeks before the dedication of the church. Mrs. Bingham, Miss sung to them, and asked them to join us. Thus we discovered they Ward, and myself were spending the day with her in Manoa valley. possessed the requisites for musical culture, ear, and voice. We As we were seated at our sewing, Kaahumanu very kindly inquired made for them drawings in natural history. A description of each what we thought of wearing at the dedication of the new church. taught them, in the form of questions and answers. Without waiting for an answer, she added: It is my wish that we dress alike; I have made a selection that pleases me, and it only These exercises gained their attention and gave them some idea of waits your approval.” She ordered the woman in waiting to bring order. The singing and pictures attracted other children, and the the material; it was heavy satin, striped pink, white and blue. numbers increased. Seated together on the mats, it was difficult to keep them quiet, for their tongues and elbows were in constant We were sorry to oppose her wishes, and she was unhappy all motion. Some method of seating them separately was a subject of afternoon. As we were about to leave in the evening, she resumed study. Wooden seats were too expensive. The parents of the her cheerful manner, and asked what we would like to wear on the students were happy to work and with the aid of a bright sun long occasion. We thanked her and said we would like to make rows of seats with braided mats were set up. something handsome for her, but we should prefer black silk to anything else for ourselves. She made no reply, but bade us an Native women helped in teaching reading; and oral lessons in affectionate good-night. The next morning we received two rolls of geography, with the aid of outline maps, were given them. The black silk, with an order to make her dress exactly like ours. elements of arithmetic also were taught in the same simple method. As the children had never before seen a map of the world, Kaawaloa, Hawaii they were quite astonished at the comparative littleness of their 1829 own islands. I had the honor of assisting some of the ladies of the mission in organizing the first school for native women. The adult portion of the population had been collected into schools by thousands, and Judd, Gerritt, P. A Hawaiian Anthology. New York: Macmillan Company, 1967. were learning to read and write. But the children were not yet tamed, and to catch them even was considered impossible. Article XXVII Article XLV Preaching and School First Introduction of a Written language The first time that Mr. Thurston preached before the king through An alphabet of twelve letters was fixed upon which would give an interpreter, was from these words: “I have a message from God every sound in the pure Hawaiian dialect. In one year and nine unto thee.” The king, his family, and suite listened with attention. months after the missionaries left the brig Thaddeus, a Hawaiian When prayer was offered, they all knelt before the white man’s spelling book was issued from the press. The chiefs received it with God. deep interest; the scholars with enthusiasm. Writing letters in the native language was soon introduced. A door was now opened The king’s orders were that none should be taught to read but those which allowed learning to become general. of rank, those to whom he gave special permission, and the wives and children of white men. For several months his majesty kept In the morning more than sixty natives of rank were there foremost in learning, then the pleasures of the cup caused his books assembled and all behaved with an affecting decorum, rarely seen to be quite neglected. Some of the queens were ambitious, and at public places. Thus, evening and morning the missionaries made good progress, but they were met with serious interruptions, continued to teach and assist Governor Cox of Maui (brother of going from place to place with their intoxicated husband. The young Kaahumanu). He said, “others might do as they pleased, but he prince, seven years old, the successor to the throne, attended to his should have all people taught to read and write, and to understand lessons regularly. Although the king neglected to learn himself, yet the good Word.” So he not only opened his own house for the he was considerate to have his little brother apply himself, worship of God, but for school in instruction for himself and others. threatened punishment if he neglected his lessons. He told him that he must have learning for his father and mother both, - that it Gov. Cox’s example produced happy effects. A multitude flocked to attend public worship, headed by kings and chiefs. The principal would fit him for governing the nation, and make him a wise and characters, almost without exception, together with common good king when old. people, united in cry, “Give us books. Give us teachers.” This new The king brought two young men to Mr. Thurston, and said: “Teach impulse called into exercise all the energies of the mission. Scholars these, my favorites, Ii and Kahuhu. It will be the same as teaching from the school already established at our house, gave help in me. Through them I shall find out what learning is.” To do his part to instructing the people. The king sent for one hundred spelling distinguish and make them respectable scholars, he dressed them in books, to give to his friends and attendants. a civilized manner. They daily came forth from the king, entered the Thurston, Lucy G. Life and Times of Mrs. Lucy G. Thurston. Honolulu: The Friend, presence of their teacher, wearing white, while his majesty and 1934. court continued to sit in their girdles. The Great Awakening English and then enrolled in the Foreign Mission School in Connecticut. Between June 1831 and April 1837, five new companies of American Board evangelists arrived in the islands. By the beginning of 1838 Opukahaia was an exemplary convert. He took delight in praying, nearly ninety workers were in the field. publicly and privately. He kept a model Christian journal, translated the book of Genesis into Hawaiian, and began to work on a Thousands of natives came to church regularly.