Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 152, 30 June 1894 — Christian Progress. [ARTICLE]

Christian Progress.

It wi»s in the year of 1886. The Paradi»e of the Pacific was in the nsnal Sanday repose. The professional Christians had returned from chnrch and were iu their hamhle, but comfortable and at-that-time-not-mortgageil- homes —thaokinp the Sapreme Beiop for his watchfalnes over the select ! —and the dividends. The fire hell suddeuly sent ont its monotous' and warning soand. In those d*ys the bell was heanl, in those days numeroos volnnteers rnshed forward to save property and lives. The religioas capitalist shrugged his shoulders when the clang of the bell reached his ear and he said, ‘*Chinese shebangs only, let thern barn." But soon it was known that the fire bad spread, that the property of the trne Christians was iroperilled i and they rushed to the scene. Who among our kamaaina* don,t remember the day. Who ean forget the missionaries joy wheuever a saloon went into ashes, “thank be to the Lord” ; and their apparently regret when l the churches were laid low. The j smoke from the s,aloons, they said, was biack as the heart—if ' lie has got any —of their devil. | The stnoke frora the debris of the ■ Betbel Church was white and 1 pure as thesoul of Crnzau,Opden | and Company. The fire was put j out. The town was saved from utter destruction and our Christians were in high plee as a1so were the Chiuese who succeeded in saving their gold and “dope. - No churclies arose, though, on the burned preraises Tbesaloons were ali rebnilt and prospered eversince. Bat on Bethel street, in the center of the town, a number of Christiaus gatbered. aml in a lia.Il of their own. tried to improve the moial and religioos «tanding of their fellow-men. The “ heathen” raonarchy was abandoned; the immaealale, the virtuous, and trnly Christian mon took charge. Since yesterday, the Iih!1 on Bethel street is used for the sale of hop-ijeer, aud the CLristian governnu*nt smiles sefenely.

The Evolution of the Judiciary. W'ell, may JnJge Frear read a paper on the “Evoliition of the Judiciary” for verily the “Judiciary” has evolved some curious sj>ecimens. Judges inade out of toti»l strangers wbose legal knowletlge was practically nnknown and of no experience in our Courts—l»oys just out of college aml who uever apj)eared in a case in Court appointed—and junior partners of prominent po!iticians foisted to the supreme Bench over the heads of meu of loug rxperienco and stamling at the bar. The Monarcby has been called “rotten” bnt never bave the KoyaIist Cabinets nnder tbe Monarchy made the Judiciary Department u pension bnrean for rewarding political services, as has been done by the nnimmaeulate missionary p.g. A political jndiciary commands tbe rcspect of no one, not even the politicians who control it, and woe to the country in whieh politics is Uie dominant motive in selecting the dispensers of justice.

Owing to Uie arrival of the Monowai tbe meeting of the Historical Society was postponed. Judge Frear's pap«r oc tbehistory o( the jadieiary in Hawaii will be pablished in ihe society’s pap«r.