The Hawaiian Archipelago - Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, And Volcanoes Of The Sandwich Islands By Isabella L. Bird
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Difficult Distances The Sick And Lame Were Brought On Litters And On
The Backs Of Men, And The Infirm Often Crawled To The Trail By Which
The Missionary Was To Pass, That They Might Hear Of This Good News
Which Had Come To Hawaii-Nei.
There were but these two preachers for the 15,000 people scattered
for 100 miles, who were all ravenous to hear, and could not wait for
the tardy modes of evangelization.
"If we die," said they, "let us
die in the light." So this strange thing fell out, that whole
villages from miles away gathered to the mission station. Two-
thirds of the population of the district came in, and within the
radius of a mile the grass and banana houses clustered as thick as
they could stand. Beautiful Hilo in a short time swelled from a
population of 1000 to 10,000; and at any hour of the day or night
the sound of the conch shell brought together from 3000 to 6000
worshippers. It was a vast camp-meeting which continued for two
years, but there was no disorder, and a decent quiet ruled
throughout the strangely extemporized city. A new morality, a new
social order, new notions on nearly all subjects, had to be
inculcated as well as a new religion. Mrs. C. and Mrs. L. daily
assembled the women and children, and taught them the habits and
industries of civilization, to attend to their persons, to braid
hats, and to wear and make clothes.
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