Scenes in the Hawaiian Islands and California

Great our joint rejoicings here,
For the stranger guest we see;
Cordial welcome, friend, to thee.

"Sailing far to reach our homes,
From America he comes;
Lo! in peace he enters here;
Welcome to our hearts sincere.

"Now on this delightful day,
We, in love, unite to pray:
Here beneath our temple spire,
We our welcome give thee, sire.

"Jointly chanting, now rejoice;
Brethren, all unite your voice;
Husbands, wives, and little ones,
Greet this friend with grateful tones.

"This is he who hither sends
These true missionary friends,
To enlighten our dark mind;
Thanks and love to one so kind.

"Let us then all rise and sing,
And our grateful succor bring;
For our sire our love to prove, —
Love, good-will, unceasing love."

Grandpa then made an address, and told them about the missions in Western Asia. Then Kanoa, the missionary to Micronesia, made a prayer; after which, he and his wife sung a Micronesian hymn. Grandpa told them, in another short address, about the India missions. Mr. Lyons then arose and spoke about his own mission, and introduced his senior deacon, Timotao Nalanipo, who made a speech in Hawaiian. Mr. Lyons translated it, and I will read you the translation.

"The church-members of the highlands of Waimea, the old men, the aged women, the strong men, the youth and children tender, through me, their salutation to you, the secretary, your companion, and daughter. Great, indeed, is our joy in being permitted to see you, to welcome you to our land. You have been sent by the learned Missionary Society of great America, as its delegate, to see the works of the gospel heralds you have sent to us.

"We, the ancient men of Kamehameha's time, were once idolaters, murderers, guilty of infanticide, polygamy, and constantly quarreling one with another. On the death of Kamehameha, the kingdom devolved on his son Liholiho. He abolished idolatry, broke the tabus; men and women for the first time ate together, and the temples and gods were burned to ashes.

"Still we lived on in poverty and darkness, and in secret worship of idols, and were without the knowledge of the living and true God. Men, women, and children were promiscuously devoted to the most sordid pleasures, heathenish dances, and revelries, day and night. In the year 1820, the missionaries, Mr. Bingham and company, came to these islands to proclaim the blessed gospel to us, who knew not God, nor had heard of the death of Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. It was you, the Missionary Society you represent, that loved us, and sent the good missionaries to our dark land.

"The king and his premier allowed the missionaries to dwell with us to introduce a new order of things; to teach us first the twelve letters of the alphabet, then spelling, then reading and writing.

"During the forty-three years the missionaries have resided on the islands, much seed has been sown, much labor performed, and wonderful have been the results. We were once all dark, buried in darkness, sunk to the lowest depths of ignorance, roaming about the fields and woods, like wild beasts, without clothing, our naked bodies most shamefully exposed and blackened by the sun, without books, without Bibles, without Christianity, plunging into the darkness of hell. Now we are clothed, like civilized beings; we are Christianized; we are gathered into churches; we are intelligent; we are supplied with books, Bibles and hymn-books; and are living for God and for heaven; and this through the labors of the missionaries you have sent us.

"Our joy is inexpressible in seeing you; and we beg you to carry back to your associates, to the Missionary Society, to all the American churches connected with it, the warmest salutations of the churches of Waimea and Hamakua."

This good old man has since died, and gone, doubtless, to be with his Lord whom he so long loved and served.

At the close of the Hawaiian address, another original native hymn was sung, composed by Samuela, and sung to the tune of "Farewell, farewell is a lonely sound."

"Auwe; auwe; aloha la
Ka malihini hou
Ma keia la hauoli nei
Ua hui pu kakou.

"Auwe; auwe; aloha la
Ka malihini hou
A eia la ua komo mai
Ka luakini nei.

"Auwe; auwe; aloha la
Ka malihini hou
A na ia nei i hoouna mai
Na misionari nei.

"Auwe; auwe; aloha la
Ka ekalesia nei
Kane, wahine, kamalii
Kokua pu kakou.

"Auwe; auwe; aloha la
Ka makua a kakou
Aloha a mahalo pu
Ka malihini hou."

Mr. Lyons translated it for us: —

"Oh! oh! we'll welcome you, sire,
The stranger we now greet.
This is a gladsome day, sire;
For we together meet.

"Oh! oh! we'll welcome you, sire,
The stranger of whom we've heard;
Lo! now with us you enter here,
This temple of the Lord.

"Oh! oh! we'll welcome you, sire,
The stranger to our land;
'Twas you who loved and sent to us
The missionary band.

"Oh! oh! we'll welcome you, sire,
Say all the brethren here,
Men, women, and the children, sire,
Unite in love sincere.

"Oh! oh! we'll welcome you, sire,
Our father and our friend;
Our best respects and wishes has
This stranger to our land."

After this was sung, we shook hands with nearly all in the church. Many, to our embarrassment, brought little tokens of good-will in money, amounting in all to ten dollars. With this we bought Hawaiian Bibles to be distributed among the people. Imagine a man, coming up to shake hands, but stopping before he did it diving his hand into the pocket of his pantaloons, taking out a quarter of a dollar and laying it on the table, then shaking hands as if he had paid for it! They have, however, none of that feeling.