320

THE MARQUESAN MISSION.

The whole number of hopeful converts received Number of into the churches of the Micronesia mission,

converts,

1870. is 667; namely, 250 on Ponape, 226 on Kusaie, 140 on the Marshall Islands, and 51 on the Gilbert Islands. The printing amounted to 2,408,218 pages; namely, for Ponape, 381,600 pages; for Kusaie, 223,200; for the Marshall Isles, 381,726; and for the Gilbert Isles, 1,050,192.

Printing.

Mission to the Marquesas Islands.

The singular origin of the mission to the Marquesas Islands, and its establishment in 1853, have been described.1 It was deemed essential to the success of the enterprise, that the Hawaiian Board, along with their annual supplies, should for a time send also a delegation. The delegates have generally been an American missionary and a lay member of some one of the Hawaiian churches.

State of the

The mission, in 1857, had four stations and five schools, and Isaia Kaiwi received ordinamission. tion during the visitation of that year. Owing to a necessary and unexpected delay in the visit, there had been some suffering, and clothes, plates, knives, and forks had gone to pay for food. Yet the brethren were all resolved on continuing their mission; and, not fearing the natives, and being needed in many places, they resolved each one to occupy a separate station. In 1863, the six missionaries were all Hawaiians. Five years later, fortyseven persons were admitted to the church in the space of twelve months. Three of the original missionaries sent out in 1852, are there still, and have shown great energy and perseverance, as well as

1 See Chapter XXIX.

INFLUENCE OF THE MISSIONS.

321

good judgment, in their labors among the fiercest tribes of Polynesia.

Reacting in

fluence from

these missions.

The reacting influence of the Marquesan and Micronesian missions upon the Hawaiian churches has been highly salutary. The announcement of letters received, or of the return of a missionary brother from either field, is sure to make a sensation in a native audience; and rarely is a prayer offered by an Hawaiian, without at least one petition for his brethren, who have gone to carry the gospel to other islands.

21

CHAPTER XXXVI.

RESULTS.

1870.

THERE can be no reasonable doubt, that the American Board was right in beginning as early

The closing process commenced

at the right time.

as 1848 to bring its mission at the Sandwich Islands to a close; though the untried process, in every stage for the next fifteen years, was full of perplexity. Never did the Prudential Committee find it possible to see far ahead. Only from step to step did it please God to make the way plain. Nevertheless the belief was ever confidently entertained, that the leadings of his good providence were followed.

The satisfactory result.

This belief was confirmed in the year 1863, when the missions no longer saw cause for delaying to place the native churches on an independent footing, with a native pastor as soon as possible for each church, whom the people would be expected to support. Nor can we too much admire the courage which then freely opened the doors of the annual business meetings of the mission to native pastors and delegates; substituting the native language for the English, and giving an equal vote to all, whether natives or foreigners, though with the certainty of being numerically outvoted by the native-born members at an early day. There are

THE NATIVE MINISTRY.

323

now fifty-eight churches on the Islands, with a membership of fourteen thousand eight hundred and fifty. There are thirty-nine native ordained ministers, all but three of whom sustain the pastoral relation, and five native licentiates with the care of churches. Besides these, nine ordained native ministers and seven licentiates are employed in the foreign missions on Micronesia and the Marquesas Islands. The whole number of ordained native ministers, therefore, in the home and foreign service, is forty-eight, and of licentiates twelve; making a total of sixty. The cost of this native ministry, wherever laboring, is defrayed wholly by the Hawaiian people. This native ministry, as a whole, is gaining in the estimation of their flocks, and of the missionaries. Discipline is faithfully administered in most of the churches; the interests of education are cared for, and there is an increasing sense of responsibility for the advancement of Christ's cause. The amount contributed by the native churches for Christian objects, in the year ending May, 1870, was thirty-one thousand and seventy dollars in gold, which would average a little more

324 THE PASTORATE CHIEFLY NATIVE.

than two dollars for each church member on the Islands.1

chiefly native.

The entire pastorate on the island of Oahu is now The pastorate in the hands of native-born inhabitants, two of them being sons of missionaries. One of these missionary sons has a partial support from abroad, but the other, and all the Hawaiian pastors, are sustained by their respective churches. The pastorate on the island of Kauai is wholly in native hands; also on Maui, Kauai, and Molokai, with the exception of the college church at Lahaina luna. Three American missionaries remain pastors of churches on Hawaii; but their work is passing more and more into the hands of natives, of whom there are seventeen already ordained on that island. From the time of Mr. Thurston's retirement, North Kona, as well as South, were under the supervision of Mr. Paris, and the seven church organizations all of them with ordained native pastors, with almost twice that number of neat substantial churches built by native enterprise wisely stimulated and directed, — happily exemplify the missionary's true policy of devolving all possible responsibility and labor upon the people and the native ministry.

The supply of native ministers promises at present to meet the demand. Mr. Coan has been educating them for the churches in his district. The Theological School at Wailuku, under Mr. Alexander, is a successful enterprise. Sixty-two have been

1 Some readers will be interested in knowing, that the average contributions of each member in nine of the churches under native pastors, for the year under consideration, was four dollars and ten cents. Of twenty-five of the churches under native pastors, it was two dollars and forty-seven cents; and the average contribution of each member, in six churches un der pastors of foreign origin, was two dollars and eighty-three cents.