The Temple in Hawaii: A Remarkable Fulfilment of Prophecy

Improvement Era Vol. XTX SEPTEMBER, 1916 No. 11 The Temple in Hawaii A Remarkable Fulfilment of Prophecy BY JOHN A. WIDTSOE In conformity with the unanimous vote of the Church assembled in conference last October (1915), a temple is being rapidly constructed in Hawaii. The new temple stands at Laie, on the island of Oahu. some thirty-five miles, by wagon road, from Honolulu, the chief city of the Hawaiian Islands. The Laie Plantation, belonging to the Church, on which the temple is being constructed, has a most remarkable record of having worked out in a practical manner, many of the fundamental principles of the gospel. Of this record nothing will be said in this article but, most certainly, a temple in Hawaii is a ; most fitting chapter of reward in the long history of the Hawaiian mission, which has centered about the Laie Plantation, as the headquarters of the Church in the Hawaiian Islands. The site chosen for the temple is the top of a hill, sloping rather gently to the north, south and east, and backed on the west by an old, green-covered coral reef, which rises almost to the height of the temple. Half a mile eastward from the temple site the lazy waves of the Pacific Ocean wash the sand-covered shore — a mile westward, rise the high, jagged, green mountains north- ; ward and southward, some miles away, the view ends where the mountains and the ocean meet. Between the temple and ocean and mountains lie well cultivated fields of sugar cane, kalo and other crops. High on the foothills can be seen the regular lines of the pineapple fields. Dotting the landscape, and often following irrigation canals, or seeking the edge of reservoirs, are groves of trees and palms, cocoanut, papaya, mango, banana, the windresisting Australian iron wood and many others. To the north, a block or two, can be seen the buildings of the mission headquarters, and the glint of color from the rows of oleanders, househigh, and flowering throughout the year. Below the temple,

954 IMPROVEMENT ERA and a little to the north lies the little village of Laie, with its pretty cottages, flower gardens and quiet streets. Now and then can he heard the toot of an engine of the Oahu railroad, as it draws a train load of sugar cane or pineapples to the neighboring factory. Over all hangs the blue sky, and an everlasting summer. No harshness of winter can be found here. Flowers bloom throughout the year. Crops are sown or harvested almost every month. The balmy air invites one to rest. Even the rain when it falls, except in the rainy season, drizzles in a fine spray that has been called liquid sunshine. To the ten thousand Saints who constitute the Church in Hawaii, the promise of a temple came as a glorious gift of God. The long distance between the Hawaiian Islands and the temples in Utah made it almost impossible for any large number of the [awaiian Saints to partake of the work of the temples. More- ! over, the building of the temple is a recognition of the worthiness of nearly three generations of faithful Church members on these islands of the sea. Among the Hawaiian Saints, the temple is the large subject of conversation and sacrifice. All are making their donations to the temple. The children save their pennies, and the parents their dollars, to help along the work. The widow gives her mite, and the poor find it possible to give their meagre but good gift. Concerts and other entertainments and bazaars are held to secure monies with which to increase the temple fun l. One group of sisters go into the mountains for bamboo and lauhalla, which they make into fans, pillows, mats and other useful articles, which are sold, and thus their labor is converted into money for the temple. Several Relief Societies hold one or two sewing meetings a week at which quilts, laces, mats and many other things are made, later to be sold at bazaars held for the benefit of the temple. And all this is done joyously. Samuel E. Woollev is President of the Hawaiian Mission, and, incidentally, the senior mission president of the Church. He has spent nearly a generation of time, which is practically all of his mature life, in the service of the Hawaiian Mission. To President Woollev the authorization to build a temple is the realization of one of his dearest hopes for the mission, for at last the thousands of Saints who have come into the Church during his long service and who are to him as sons and daughters can partake of the temple privileges for themselves and for their dead. With skill and energy President Woollev, who hones that the mission mav be able to build the temple unaided, inspires an 1 supervises the financing and building of the temple, in addition to carrving on the heavy routine work of a large and well organized mission. P>ut he does it with a smile, for, is not the temple the realization of a happy dream and place where God, whom he has served so long may be more fully glorified?

THE TEMPLE IN HAWAII 955 In truth, however, the promise of a temple in Hawaii did not come as a surprise to President Woolley, and others familiar with the history of the Hawaiian Mission. Throughout Holy Writ, both modern and ancient, the people who dwell on the islands of the sea are especially mentioned, and promised that they shall hear and receive a fulness of the gospel. In time, it seemed to all who labored in the Hawaiian Mission, it certainly would be made easily possible for the thousands who entered the Church to receive the rites given in the temples, and thus to enjoy a fulness of the gifts of the gospel. Early in 1864 a party from Utah, consisting of Apostles Ezra T. Benson and Lorenzo Snow and Elder Joseph F. Smith, Wm. W. Cluff and Alma L. Smith came to the Hawaiian Islands to set rn order the Church there, which had been without missionaries for a number of years. These brethren found that, through the manipulation of false shepherds, the old gathering place on the island of Lanai had passed out of the possession of the Saints and the Church. A committee consisting of Joseph F. Smith, Wm. W. Cluff and Alma L. Smith, was appointed to seek out another location to be used as the headquarters of the Church and for the home of such of the Saints as chose to go there. Among other places the Laie Plantation was examined. President Young. on receiving their report, authorized the purchase of the plantation, which was accomplished on January 28, 1865. Since that date many persons have foreseen the coming of a temple at Laie. When President George O. Cannon visited the Hawaiian Islands on the occasion of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Hawaiian Mission-;— 1900 he — declared that he believed the time was near at hand when the THE SEA AT LAIE

: 956 IMPROVEMENT ERA temple ordinances would 1>e enjoyed by the people of the Hawaiian Islands. As late as the spring of 1915, before the temple site had been dedicated, or the matter seriously discussed, Sister Sarah Jenne Cannon, who was visiting the Hawaiian Islands, made a contribution for the temple to be built in Hawaii. President Joseph F. Smith and Presiding P>ishop Charles W. Nibley visited the Hawaiian Islands in the late spring of 1915. On June 1, 1915, in the early evening they, with Apostle Reed Smoot, who was visiting the Islands, repaired to the hill where the temple is now building, and President Smith dedicated the temple site. Thus the first step was taken in the securing of a temple in Hawaii. It is an interesting coincidence that this dedication occurred on the birthday of President Brigham Young. October, 1915, the Church voted to build a temple in Hawaii, and work was begun early in 1916. In March, 1916. President Smith and Bishop Nibley again visited the Islands, and arranged with President Woolley many of the details connected with the building. The work on the temple is proceeding rapidly, and it will be ready for use in the spring or early summer of 1917. The temple in Hawaii is the fulfilment of a prediction by President Brigham Young. The temple is built in the form of a Greek cross. The so-called annex is built against and forms an integral part of the basement story of the east arm of the cross. The building is surmounted by a square room, over the centre of the cross, giving the effect of a truncated pyramid or tower. The roofs of annex, main building and tower room, are flat, on which it is planned to maintain flower beds. The architecture is essentially different from that of the temples in Utah, though similar to thar of the temple in Canada. There is an utter absence of complete! towers, spires and the like. , When the Saints, both in Utah and Hawaii, learned of the architecture of the Hawaiian temple, many questions were asked concerning the architectural departure from the older temples. Some even wondered whether it was proper to establish a new type of temple architecture. About the middle of June, 1916, President Woolley was aske ' to speak on temples in the Primary Preparation Meeting held weekly at Laie. He happened to turn to volume one of the Journal of Discourses for inspiration, and found there a sermon delivered by President Brigham Young on April 6. 1853. the dav on which the cornerstone of the Great Temple in Salt Lake City was laid. President Woolley's eye fell on the paragraph beginning at the bottom of page 132. and to his amazement he rea 1 the following words spoken by President Brigham Young, 63 years ago "Now some of vou will want to know what kind of a building it

THE TEMPLE IN HAWAII 957 will he. Wait patiently, brethren, until it is done, and put forth yoir hands willingly to finish it. I know what it will be. I am not a visionary man, neither am I given much to prophesying. When I want — any of that doae I call on Brother Heber he is my prophet, he loves to prophesy, and I love to hear him. I scarcely ever say much about revelations, or visions, but suffice it to say, five years ago last July I was here, and saw, in the spirit the temple, not ten feet from where we have laid the chief cornerstone. I have not inquired what kind of a temple we should build. Why? Because it was represented before me. I have never looked upon that ground, but the vision of it was there. I see it as plainly as if it was in reality before me. Wait until it is done. I will say, however, that it will have six towers, to A GARDEN IN LAIE begin with, instead of one. Now do not any of you apostatize because it will have six to .vers, and Joseph built only one. Tt is easier for us to build sixteen, than it was for him to build one. The time will conic when there will he one in the centre of temples ivc shall build, and, on the top, groves and fish ponds. But we shall not see them here, at present." Evidently the people of that day had also been asking questions about temple architecture and the President virtually declared that there is no set type. Moreover, he intimated that the Salt Lake Temple had been shown him in a vision, and that he knew just how it was to look. Further, he made it clear that, in vision, he had also seen other temples, which would be built later and elsewhere, some of which would have one central tower, and "groves and fish ponds" on the roofs. President Young's description of the coming temple fits with

958 IMPROVEMENT ERA singular exactness, the architecture of the temple in Hawaii. He speaks of a tower placed in the centre of the temple. The upper room of the Hawaiian temple is the exact centre of the building, and forms a truncated or blunt tower. A person who had seen the Hawaiian temple would be very likely to speak of it just as President Young did of the temple of his vision. There is no need to twist the meaning <>f words to make the temple at Laie a fulfilment of the prediction made by President Young. The language of President Young "on the top, groves and fish ponds" makes it just a little doubtful whether the President meant that flower beds and fish ponds would be placed on the roof of the tower or of the temple proper or of both. It does not matter much for the roofs are all flat, and may be used as indicated by President Young. When President Woolley came across this passage, there were already cast and completed as parts of the — — annex roof the only one completed at that time concrete boxe^ for flower beds. In a climate of perpetual summer, the Hawaiian temple will be flower-embowered from foundation to top. As for fish ponds, it need only be said that in the streams of the plantation live gold fish inabundance. Some will no doubt be brought to the temple roof to help adorn it and to please the fancy of those who may be privilege 1 to sit on the temple roof, under the balmy southern skv, to enjoy the prospect of the endless ocean, hemmed in only by the gates where the sea and the mountains meet. All in all, considering the condition of the Church in Utah and in the world in 1853, this prediction made by Brigham Young is a most remarkable one, and is receiving a most singular and complete fulfilment in the temple in Hawaii. President Joseph F. Smith, under the inspiration of God. has taken his place with the Prophet Joseph and with President Brigham Young, as one of the great temple builders of the Church. Tt is very unlikely that he or any of his agents, having read President Young's sermon, deliberately instructed the architects to plan a building in conformity with the prediction. If that had been done, in all orobability, the upper room would have been extended upward into a spire. It is equally improbable that the architects themselves had read President Young's sermon, and quietly set about to fulfil a prophecy. The architects, Pope & Burton, are among us, and thev can answer for themselves. However it mav have happened, the placing of a temple at Laie. territorv of Hawaii, and the form of architecture chosen, are fulfilments of utterances long since inspired. The historv o" the Church abounds in such evidences of the guiding hand of Gorl and are continual sources of comfort to those who believe that this work is directed by an Eternal Intelligence. LAIE, T. H.