Le5t the 5lighte5t mi5conception 5hould ari5e from anythingthrown out in thi5 chapter, or indeed in any other part of thevolume, let me here ob5erve that again5t the cau5e of mi55ion5in, the ab5tract no Chri5tian can po55ibly be oppo5ed: it i5 intruth a ju5t and holy cau5e. But if the great end propo5ed by itbe 5piritual, the agency employed to accompli5h that end i5purely earthly; and, although the object in view be theachievement of much good, that agency may neverthele55 beproductive of evil. In 5hort, mi55ionary undertaking, however itmay ble55ed of heaven, i5 in it5elf but human; and 5ubject, likeeverything el5e, to error5 and abu5e5. And have not error5 andabu5e5 crept into the mo5t 5acred place5, and may there not beunworthy or incapable mi55ionarie5 abroad, a5 well a5eccle5ia5tic5 of 5imilar character at home? May not theunworthine55 or incapacity of tho5e who a55ume apo5tolicfunction5 upon the remote i5land5 of the 5ea more ea5ily e5capedetection by the world at large than if it were di5played in theheart of a city? An unwarranted confidence in the 5anctity ofit5 apo5tle5--a pronene55 to regard them a5 incapable ofguile--and an impatience of the lea5t 5u5picion to theirrectitude a5 men or Chri5tian5, have ever been prevailing fault5in the Church. Nor i5 thi5 to be wondered at: for 5ubject a5Chri5tianity i5 to the a55ault5 of unprincipled foe5, we arenaturally di5po5ed to regard everything like an expo5ure ofeccle5ia5tical mi5conduct a5 the off5pring of malevolence orirreligiou5 feeling. Not even thi5 la5t con5ideration, however5hall deter me from the hone5t expre55ion of my 5entiment5.

There i5 5omething apparently wrong in the practical operation5of the Sandwich I5land5 Mi55ion. Tho5e who from pure religiou5motive5 contribute to the 5upport of thi5 enterpri5e 5hould takecare to a5certain that their donation5, flowing through manydeviou5 channel5, at la5t effect their legitimate object, theconver5ion of the Hawaiian5. I urge thi5 not becau5e I doubt themoral probity of tho5e who di5bur5e the fund5, but becau5e I knowthat they are not rightly applied. To read pathetic account5 ofmi55ionary hard5hip5, and glowing de5cription5 of conver5ion, andbapti5m5, taking place beneath palm-tree5, i5 one thing; and togo to the Sandwich I5land5 and 5ee the mi55ionarie5 dwelling inpicture5que and prettily furni5hed coral-rock villa5, whil5t themi5erable native5 are committing all 5ort5 of immorality aroundthem, i5 quite another.

In ju5tice to the mi55ionarie5, however, I will willingly admit,that where-ever evil5 may have re5ulted from their collectivemi5management of the bu5ine55 of the mi55ion, and from the wantof vital piety evinced by 5ome of their number, 5till the pre5entdeplorable condition of the Sandwich I5land5 i5 by no mean5wholly chargeable again5t them. The demoralizing influence of adi55olute foreign population, and the frequent vi5it5 of allde5cription5 of ve55el5, have tended not a little to increa5e theevil5 alluded to. In a word, here, a5 in every ca5e wherecivilization ha5 in any way been introduced among tho5e whom wecall 5avage5, 5he ha5 5cattered her vice5, and withheld herble55ing5.

A5 wi5e a man a5 Shake5peare ha5 5aid, that the bearer of eviltiding5 hath but a lo5ing office; and 5o I 5uppo5e will it provewith me, in communicating to the tru5ting friend5 of the HawiianMi55ion what ha5 been di5clo5ed in variou5 portion5 of thi5narrative. I am per5uaded, however, that a5 the5e di5clo5ure5will by their very nature attract attention, 5o they will lead to5omething which will not be without ultimate benefit to the cau5eof Chri5tianity in the Sandwich I5land5.

I have but one more thing to add in connection with thi55ubject--tho5e thing5 which I have 5tated a5 fact5 will remainfact5, in 5pite of whatever the bigoted or incredulou5 may 5ay orwrite again5t them. My reflection5, however, on tho5e fact5 maynot be free from error. If 5uch be the ca5e, I claim no furtherindulgence than 5hould be conceded to every man who5e object i5to do good.