| Show sandwich islands extracts Extract 8 of a letter from elder B P ajohn john son to prest H 2 C kimball HONOLULU OAHU sandwich islands march 28 1854 i ali AH our missionaries are still in the en enjoyment boym it of comfortable health healthy and with the blessing 6 1 g of on conr r father in heaven attending their ministry altho their efforts meet with much opposition upon some of the spirit of persecution is boldly manifest since the imprisonment by oil one e of the rev government officers of all the elders sent by our oct conference to the island of hawaii under the pretence predence pre tence of a quarantine one of our native meeting houses in the same district has been destroyed and the same influence the children of the saints are fined and imprisoned for refusing to carry one day out ont of each week wood sand and stone for the construe construction of a presbyterian meeting house bouse and for the support of this same priestly dignitary and his influence so far controls the civil magistrates that no appeal to the higher courts can be obtained altho for such proceedings there is not even the shadow shado of of legality these with many other similar transactions transact iona upon that and the other islands have been for the last few months annoying and vexatious within the last few days we have learned that brother J H Kou an educated and highly useful N native elder has been arrested on the island of kou kon ai the combined influence of a hand band of priests who not only make merchandise merchandize dize of the gospel but also sit in the judgment seat finding no other method to protect weir kneir craft against net the influence ortruth of truth which heso he so successfully taught they have confined him in jail under one thousand dollar bonds the pretence predence pre tence of his illegal marriage he having married a second leeond wife some years after the legal divorce and second marriage marii W of his bis first wife and these pharisaic phara Baic hypocrite nave overl overlooked olied all the licentious licentiousness fiess arid and corruption which exists so universally among the foreign and native population rendering these Islan islands dx as they have been justly called the brothels of the pacific i to honor the law and sanctify abb polluted country by venting their reft taus and political ire fre upon one who fro from ev every evidence is strictly tee keep pingA ingAe law hw of chastity and in bonor honoring log his marAs marriage ge relation has i st set an exa example worthy of imitation by riK CT 1 1 I 1 whom he is condemned k such Is fe the influence against which we have 1 tto contend r on tend that it seems difficult at ates to another I 1 I 1 I 1 ohp contempt thih inspired in view 61 ft 50 if their ter hypocrisy when applying to them or OW those under their theirly influence bence for a or justice and equal rights which wt ofton do but with that success only which was met with bysa iutA under similar I 1 circumstances in all ages of the world the native saints are generally alive to th the I 1 work and evince much anxiety Vor tile the publication of the book of mormon aid other works in their own language guve and fr for a wa way y to 0 open ea which they can emigrate to the gathering place of the clurah you have mo jao doubt erre ere this his learned of elders tanner and mcbride haying huong sailed to california under udder the ithe direction of the president Pies ident of the mission and the committee appointed to procure and establish a pre press for the benefit of the hawaiian ainee and for the further spread of the cause of truth mp upon n the pacific isles the a saints ants upon these lands number in the vicinity cikity of four thousand and the force of their education former bit habits bits and influence of examples around them tender render necessary that continued instruction and precept which can be imparted only the medium of the press it etwas deemed heat that br mcbride whose health did not seem eem adapted to this climate should proceed to I 1 san francisco with the means then in hand band and 1 loam learn lit in relation to the prospects of procuring the bill at that place and to seek also wisdom and the council of br J M horner to whom we had written upon the subject to augment the amount of means on an hand band by procuring contributions while traveling in the lis dis and atio also when preaching the gospel and setting citing forth this object of his mission a I 1 the committee appointed to select a place for the gathering of the saints upon these lauds lands have not yet succeeded in procuring one and owing to the peculiar circumstances and character of this hid peo had almost deemed it impracticable to previous to our reading in the tenth general epistle a permission for the saints in the torrid zone to gather to lower california As the want of a vessel seems the only obstacle to speedy commencement of their emigration it has been deemed expedient for elder tanner to proceed to california and try to procure a vessel to commence the emigration of the saints and to enable the returning elders to go home the present year we haye have received the deseret news up to the first of december and the first no of vol second of the seer my health has much improved the he coolum coolness of the winter reason deason and I 1 trust that the approaching hot weather will not take the same elfert effect upon my health as the summer past I 1 feel that I 1 have been greatly blest and sustained since ince starting upon this mission and I 1 hope I 1 nay may ever humby humbly seek to te lionor honor I 1 the high calling to be it servant of god I 1 |
