The Hawaiian Mission Headquarters

The Hawaiian Mission Headquarters BY J. BRYAN BARTON

Every tourist and traveler who visits the Hawaiian Islands usually devotes the greater part of his sight-seeing to the city of Ilonolulu and to the volcanoes, both active and extinct, which are to be found in various places upon the islands. As a result, readers frequently find vivid descriptions of the surpassing beauty of Honolulu and of the wonders of the active volcano Kilauea, upon the island of Hawaii which descriptions, for the most ;

Photo by II. W. Waymsnt. A FIELD OF SUGAR CANE IN BLOSSOM

part, truthfully portray the beauty and grandeur of these noted places. But the placs of the greatest interest, perhaps, to Latter-day Saints, and the place about which little is written, is Laie, the Hawaiian mission-headquarters. Laie is of unusual interest because of the uncommon nature of the work being done there by our missionaries. Laie. then the Dougherty ranch, was chosen as a fit gatheringplace for the Saints, in 1864, by Joseph F. Smith. W. W. Cluft and Alma L. Smith, who reported to President Brigham Young. He sent Francis A. Hammond, George Nebeker, Alfred Randall and Phillip Pugsley to investigate. They purchased the ranch for $30.C00, on time. For a number of years it was conducted as

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SPS Sj^-^jSjBjgsi sb Photo by II. W. Wayment. LOADING CANE AFTER IT HAS BEEN BURNED AND CUT

private property, but came into possession of the Church, in about 1877. The narration of the various steps taken, and of the numerous overcome, from the time of the selection of the difficulties Church had obtained complete possession of the land site until the and had begun the foundation of a village and the operation of a sugar cane plantation, would make a long and, perhaps', uninteresting account. Suffice it to say, that about 6,000 acres of land were purchased, extending for two and one-half miles along the coast, and inland about four miles, to the tops of a range of mountains running almost parallel to the coast line. It is situated on the northeast coast of the island of Oahu, and about thirty-five miles, by stage, almost directly north of Honolulu. With full possession of this land, the Church began to invite

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Photo by IT. W. Wayment. LA IE SCHOOL HOUSE

570 IMPROVEMENT ERA

its upon the various islands of the group, to remove converts, to Laie. Everything possible was done to make Laie a most desirable place in which to live, and improvements are still being made ; so that these, together with its natural favorable location and agreeable climate, make Laie an ideal gathering place for our Saints. Each newcomer who expects to remain permanently in Laie is given a building spot, ranging in size from a few square rods to

— an acre or two apparently limited only by the desire to keep clean and orderly a large or a small yard around the home. The title to the land is retained by the Church. Each resident is encouraged to build and own his home, so that he acts merely as a

Photo by H. W. Wayment. AN OLD-FASHIONED GRASS HUT IN HAWAII steward of the land, keeping it free from rubbish and beautifying it with grass, flowers, trees and shrubbery of various tropical kinds. The village has been provided with a water system, the supply for which comes from a twelve-inch artesian well, driven over three hundred feet into the ground. For the use of the land and the convenience of water piped to the house, each householder is — charged the yearly rental of twenty-five cents scarcely enough to pav the interest on the money invested. The remainder of the arable land outside the residence portion is used mainly for the cultivation of sugar cane and taro. The taro roots, when cooked and pounded into a sort of a paste. is called "poi," which is the Hawaiian staff of life in fact poi and ;

fish form the chief diet of these people.

THE HAWAIIAN MISSION 571

The higher upland parts of the plantation are used for the growing of pineapples, and for the grazing of the plantation's six hundred head of cattle. In connection with the plantation, the Church has opened a general merchandise store for the accommodation of the inhabitants of the village, and for the additional purpose of controlling the merchandising carried on in the village so that no liquor is ;

sold unless done so secretly and against the law. The Church also maintains a district school, under the direction of the mission president supported wholly by Church funds, ;

taught entirely by experienced teachers called from Zion for that work. The present enrollment is over one hundred. The further advantage of living in a Latter-day Saint environment, under the leadership of the president of the mission and his associates, was an inducement to the Saints to make their homes in Laie. About eighty families of Saints, in addition to many non-"Mormon" Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Portuguese laborers and gardeners, have availed themselves of the opportunity to live in such a community, and have made their homes here. The work of the missionaries consists in directing the temporal as well as the spiritual affairs of these people. All of them are being taught to be sober, industrious and economical at d ;

those who will listen are being taught the principles of the gospel, in the English and the Hawaiian language. The people are surrounded with a wholesome environment, free from some of the temptations and vices that exist in many other places here in Hawaii, and elsewhere in the world. As a result, many Hawaiian Saints rival the Photo by h. w. Wayment. Saints of Zion in integrity of home of One of the Saints in l.me character and sincerity toward the work of God, which augurs well for the advancement of the gospel in this land. At the present time, about twenty-two per cent of all the inhabitants of Hawaiian blood on the islands, are members of the Church— a total of approximately eight thousand fivehundred. Elder Samuel E. Woolley, of Grantsville, Utah, who has spent twenty-five years of his life as a missionary among the Hawaiian people, is president of the mission. Elder W. J. Cole, of Nephi, Utah, who has with him his wife and family^ is assist- and president of the Laie confer- ant manager of the plantation their various ence. The following are assisting with the work in

?71 IMPROVEMENT ERA

positions as indicated: Adelbert Bigler, St. George, Utah, mission clerk; II. \Y. Wavment, Ogden, plantation timekeeper; Wilford II. Shurtliff, Ogden, principal of the school, with Sisters Josephine M. [verson, of Salem, Utah, and Kate P. McAllister, ni Salt Lake, at teachers; Thos. B. Farr, storekeeper, and Sister Thos. B. Farr, of Ogden; and the wr't:r, whose work is in the store and post-office. 1.AIK, OAHU, II. T.