University of Virginia Library

AT ALL TIMES IT WAS DEATH FOR A WOMAN

to eat of the fruits of the Islands, at any time, or in any place. Perhaps the men remembered the difficulty between another woman and some fruit some time back, and didn't feel justified in taking any more chances. (Laughter.)

By and by the American missionaries came, and they struck off the shackles from the whole race, breaking the power of the Kings and Chiefs. They set the common man free, elevated his wife to a position of equality, and gave a spot of land to each to hold forever. They set up schools and churches and imbued them with the spirit of the Christian Religion. If they had had the power to augment the capacities of the people they could have made them perfect, and they would have done it, no doubt.

The missionaries taught the whole nation to read and write, with facility, in the native tongue. I don't suppose there is to-day a single uneducated person above eight years of age in the Sandwich Islands! It is