Announcements—More than just lost dogs and store sales.
Cover Image: Masthead of Ke Alaula, printed on November, 1871. (Digitized from microfilm.)
Orramel Hinckley Gulick, or Oramela (Oremela) H. Kulika, as he was known in Hawaiian, was the publisher of the Alaula, a newspaper1 intended to educate children. He is ordained in 1862 and in 1870 was assigned by the American Board to teach in Japan. He leaves Hawaiʻi with his wife Ann Eliza (Clark) on June 23, 1870 aboard the Ekake (Ajax). He writes to his Alaula and the Kuokoa of his impressions along the way.
Aloha Nūhou Monday!
Dear Reader:
Orramel Hinckley Gulick, or Oramela (Oremela) H. Kulika, as he was known in Hawaiian, was the publisher of the Alaula, a newspaper intended to educate children. He is ordained in 1862 and in 1870 was assigned by the American Board to teach in Japan. He leaves Hawaiʻi with his wife Ann Eliza (Clark) on June 23, 1870 aboard the Ekake (Ajax).
On the way he writes to the Kuokoa of his travels across the United States under various titles, “Palapala mai a Rev. O. H. Kulika mai,” “Mai a Rev. O. H. Kulika mai,” which ran from September 24, 1870 to June 10, 1871. In the meantime, he also sends letters to his Alaula (now published by Anderson Oliver Forbes) describing his the trip, “He Palapala mai Amerika mai,” appearing from September, 1870 to February, 1871.
On May 13, 1871 he begins his column, “Mai Iapana mai,” which ran in the Kuokoa until September 2, 1872. That same month in Alaula, May, 1871 he begins his column, “Palapala mai Iapana mai.” This runs until July, 1872. The following comes from the third in the Alaula series.
Image: Portrait of O. H. Gulick. Bishop Museum Archives, SP 128170.
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org .
Image: Portrait of Mrs. O. H. Gulick. Bishop Museum Archives, SP 204503.
Image sharing on social media is welcome. For all other uses please contact Archives@BishopMuseum.org.
Letter from Japan.—Number 3.
Kōbe, Japan, July 18, 1871.
To the “Alaula:” Aloha ʻoe;
During the past month, that being June, I was fully absorbed in spending time with my youngest brother, John Gulick, who lived in China as a missionary for seven years. He landed here along with his wife of the 1st of June, and the left for America and Britain to see their brothers and sisters, and then return to their parents living with you in Honolulu. Because I was caught up with them, my letter to you was not complete before the mail ship for June had already left.
The persecution of our desciple.
I have already spoken to you of the terrifying persecution of the Roman Catholic desciples by the government of Japan, and their worshiping of their aliʻi, that being the Mikado, as a God. Today I will tell you about our being persecuted by the governement because they were angered at the name Christ in the gospel. The persecution however did not reach our own bodies. They are afraid of the haole and the warships, therefore, they do not detain us, but instead they persecute our desciples. In this way:
I had barely hired a Japanese man to teach me the language of the land. He stayed with me and returned at night to his wife to sleep. During school hours he taught me, and during his time off, he would spend his time copying the books of the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, and John, translated into Japanese by one of the missionaries, but not published. This man named Yeinosuke stayed with me for three months, and prior to that he was employed as a teacher to my fellow laborer for a year or so.
This Yeinosuke possessed some enlightenment from among the word of God, along with us teaching him. We hoped that he would become a true worshipper. He regularly held family prayer in his home, and came to the morning gatherings of my fellow laborer.
In the late night of the 30th of June, this man and his wife were arrested by the sheriff under orders by the governor of these towns, and they were thrown into prison. Also taken were the book of Mark and some other books we left in the hands of this worker of ours. I along with my fellow missionaries sought intently on means to free this desciple and friend of ours from the hands of these persecutors of his. We inquired of the government officials the reason for the arrest of our worker, but they did not tell us. We asked what were the crimes with which he was charged, but they did not answer at all to that question. His wrongdoing was clear to us however, that was his associating with us for a long period, and his listening to the teachings pertaining to the kingdom of Chirst. This was a great offense in the minds of these pagan aliʻi, and in order to scare him and so that people do not associate with us, this innocent man was arrested, and thrown into jail along with his wife. This is the second week that they have been imprisoned and it is not known when they will be let free. Perhaps we will see thier faces once more, perhaps we will not until the day they die. We are praying feverently to God that He give hope, and strengthen the faith of this one being persecuted in His name, and to save him from the jaws of the lion.2
There was a proclamation published by the government these past few days, stating: “Heed carefully the laws pertaining to religion, and should a person speak to another about Christianity and try to convert them to that religion, let them go immediately before the government officials and report the name of the one seeking to convert them to that religion.” Christ is the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
O. H. Gulick.
1O. H. Gulick also known for having a hand in Japan’s first Christian weekly newspaper, Shichi Ichi Zappō (1875–1883).
2This Yeinosuke Ichikawa (1831-12/25/1872), a book lender and Japanese language teacher would not be let out of prison, and he died the following year.
Image: Excerpt from article describing Tokyo of the Meiji Period. “Yedo,” Ka Hae Hawaii, March 21, 1860, p. 202.
Currency there is like this [above], it is equivalent to two cents; it is made of copper; there are many kinds of currency.
It is problematic for the haole merchants because the people do not want currency from foreign lands. What is desired there is currency from Mexico, however it is worth but a fraction there. And therefore, trade is problematic.
Image: Front and back image of Tenpō Tsūhō coin. Private collection.
This post is part of He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers, a partnership between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu with assistance from Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority for their support. Learn more about this project here.
