GROWTH OF IMMORALITY. 117 early took occasion to declare publicly her intention to pursue the policy, and carry out the measures, of her predecessor. While Kaahumanu lived, the authority of the government was freely employed to main- Church and tain religious order and influence. The state. mission was not responsible for this; it grew out of the fact that the supreme power in a despotic government was wonderfully united with piety in the rulers. It was somewhat analogous to what existed in the palmy days of the Israelitish nation, and in the Puritan age of New England. Perhaps it was well for the Sandwich Islands, that this union of church and state was dissolved before the government had begun to use it for secular and unhallowed purposes. Kinau was well disposed, but her influence was inferior to that of her predecessor. Num- Growth of bers of influential persons, in the younger immorality. class, were impatient under the restraints of Christianity. Most of the personal followers of the young prince were of this class, and some of them went so far as to advocate a system of loose morals and heathenish sports. The most zealous and influential of these was Kaomi, the son of a naturalized Tahitian by a Hawaiian mother. He possessed considerable shrewdness, and early manifested a desire for instruction, made good progress for a time, and became a teacher and exhorter. After several years, he desired baptism, but it was not granted. He soon showed that he was not a fit subject. His personal affairs becoming embarrassed, he attached himself to the immoral, denied the inspiration of the Scriptures, and declared that he had tried religion 118 ACCESSION OF THE YOUNG PRINCE. and found nothing in it, and would again try the pleasures of the world. He became a favorite with the dissolute young men about the prince, and with the prince himself, who made him his counselor. The infidel party, under Kaomi's lead, coincided with the libertinism of influential foreigners; and the newly formed party entered boldly on a course, which created some alarm for the peace of the nation, and even for the safety of Kinau and her friends. Kuakini came up from Kailua, and Hoapili from Lahaina, to see what they could do to save the nation from confusion and disaster. They were but partially successful. The young 1833. prince, then scarcely eighteen years old, had been thwarted by Kinau in a favorite scheme, involving more expense to the deeply indebted nation than she thought it able to bear, and was determined to reign as king. The high chiefs demurred, supposing his intention was to set aside Kinau, to abrogate the existing laws, and promote Liliha or the plebeian Kaomi to the second rank in the kingdom. There was no small agitation. Intoxication and licentiousness increased. But a kind Providence continued to watch over the nation. The prince summoned the chiefs and people to hear what was his pleasure. The community was perplexed by conflicting rumors. At the time for the meeting, many of the praying women assembled, and besought divine interposition. The convocation Accession of was held in the open air, and Kinau, with dignified step, walked calmly into the crowd, and saluted her brother. He announced his majority, and his claim to rule as supreme sovereign. It was for him to say who should be next the young prince. INCREASED DEMORALIZATION. 119 to him in rank, in accordance with the usage of the government, and great was the anxiety when he lifted his hand to designate which of the three candidates then standing about him, should be the premier; and there was no small relief and A wise satisfaction when he named Kinau. It choice. was afterwards conceded by him that no measure of the government would be constitutional without her concurrence, though this was questioned at first. ment of the The king's proceeding disappointed the infidel party; and when they inquired why he Disappointhad done thus, his reply was, "The king- infidel party. dom of God is strong." He attended church next day, and afterwards requested a supply of Hawaiian New Testaments for his personal attendants. demoraliza The restraints upon the manufacture, sale, and use of intoxicating liquors, were now re- Increased laxed; though Kinau, Kuakini, Hoapili, tion and Kaikioewa refused to grant licenses. Kaomi and a large class of foreigners favored the opposite policy; and the king was led to believe that his revenues would be augmented by encouraging the traffic. Of course there were men ready to bring to the Islands as much of the poisonous liquid as could find a profitable sale. Among those who bought were some of the king's agents. Certain places, devoted to the old saturnalia, were for a time exempted from the laws of order; but it was not so over the largest portion of the Islands, and Sabbath riding for amusement could not gain popularity even at Honolulu. The agitation was of course unfavorable to the schools, and diverted attention from the "one thing needful.” 120 of order. RESTORATION OF ORDER. Yet it is a question, whether all this was not Restoration finally overruled by divine Providence, so as to be productive of more good than evil. Kaomi soon fell into neglect, and died, and none mourned the loss of the infidel despiser of revealed religion. In the year of his apparent triumph, ending with June, 1834, the additions to the churches had been one hundred and twenty-four, and there were only five excommunications. The readers in the schools were reputed to be twenty thousand, and the number of Christian marriages was eleven hundred. At Honolulu, the seat of this agitation, the Sabbath congregation was about two thousand, and half of the congregation were learning a verse daily in the Scriptures. Efforts for seamen. It was in this year that special efforts began to be made for improving the moral and religious condition of the foreign residents and seamen; first by setting apart a member of the mission for that purpose; and then by the arrival of the Rev. Mr. Diell, as a chaplain of the American Seamen's Friend's Society, a most useful agency, which has been kept up since that time. It should Improve- be gratefully acknowledged, also, that the young monarch gained in experience and character as he advanced in years; and though never regarded as a man of piety, he deserves and will ever have an honorable place in the history of this nation. ment of the king. CHAPTER XVI. PREPARATION FOR THE GREAT AWAKENING. 1833-1837. interesting THE attention of the Board at home was now directed to the question, how to bring the A new and evangelical agency to bear, in the shortest question. possible time, upon the entire people of the Sandwich Islands; and thus, should the divine blessing attend the effort, afford an impressive illustration of the renovating influence of Christian missions. The Hawaiian nation presented the best field for such an experiment within reach of the Board.1 Accordingly, in the year 1833, the Committee directed Inquiries a large number of inquiries to be ad- the mission. dressed to the mission. The answers to these inquiries covered more than three hundred pages of letter paper, and contained a full account of the religious condition and prospects of sponses. the Islands. A very condensed view of the facts thus presented will suffice to prepare the way for an intelligent account of the Great Awakening, which may be regarded as having had its commencement in the year 1836. proposed to The re The total population of the Islands, at that time, was believed to be about one hundred and thirty thousand, of whom but little more than one half 1 See this first stated in the Annual Report of the Board, 1837, p. 97. |