Governor Waihee Identified Mother For Being ‘Hung’ Nanette Napoleon’s hard work gives everything she does aplomb. A case in point is her front page story in “Today,” the cultural and literary section of the Honolulu newspaper, titled “Who Killed David Douglas? Napoleon mentions Sarah Joiner Lyman as a knowledgeable person of the time (1833). Lyman, a missionary, was the first to chronicle Pele’s volcanic action. Seeing my mother Ruth Hualani Lyman Rath at a Daughters of Hawaii function, Governor John Waihee declared for all to hear: “You Are Hanging In Hilo!” Mother resembled her ancestor Sarah, whose portrait hangs in Lyman Museum in Hilo. Governor drew attention to that, in flattery to her. Forthright Sarah was inspired when hearing Charles Finney’s lecture in Boston. Finney’s the one who initiated “The Second Great Awakening” the changed America’s religion practices from staunch Calvinism. Finney espoused “Women’s Right To Equality.” Sarah immediately inspired to become a Missionary, but needed a husband immediately in order to get on a sailing ship headed for Hawaii. Within days she was introduced to David Belden Lyman. They married almost immediately. In Hilo both created an Industrial Arts School for Hawaiians, Lyman’s housed students in their frame home shipped from New England. It now is the Hilo museum. Thats where the Governor saw Sarah’s portrait hanging. Mother never was hung, she worked with the Kalaupapa leper colony. Mother certainly resembled marvelous innovative Sarah. Our genial Governor loudly complimented her on this. Nanette’s “Today” story says Sarah-- the first person to record earthquakes and volcanic warnings—expressed gloom about Douglas’ death in her writings. and if a person who caused his death had been caught he’d have been hung from a tree! That was how the justice system worked then.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 03:34:31 +0000
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