Missions

A Narrative of Five Youth from the Sandwich Islands Now Receiving an Education in this Country

1816 · 271 — <p>New York: J. Seymour American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions Agents Appointed to Establish a School for Heathen Youth 1816. first edition. modern 1/4 niger morocco. Good. Inspiration for the First Mission to Hawaii. <br /><br />Rare in commerce most copies have been acquired by American institutions. Few copies have come to documented auction in the past 100 years. Of those made available about half are decommissioned library copies including a copy that sold for over $15000 at a 2006 Sotheby's auction.<br /><br />Condition: Very Good<br /><br />IMPORTANCE & BACKGROUND<br /><br />A biographical account of the lives of five Hawaiian youths who would come to form a core of initial students enrolled at the new Foreign Mission School established at Cornwall Connecticut in 1816. The vivid accounts of Captain Cook's and others explorers' voyages to the Sandwich Islands Hawaii and other Pacific islands generated interest in the U.S. to properly educative Hawaiians in both academic and Christian teachings. The school formed under the direction of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ABCFM would serve to educate foreign students in preparation for missionary work in their native lands and elsewhere. <br /><br />A Narrative of Five Youth from the Sandwich Islands was the first of many publications intended to raise funds and stir up popular support for the new school as well as for the first Christian mission sent to the Hawaiian Islands three years later. The publications were a great success leading to the significant funding and public support critical to early efforts to fold Hawaii within the cultural and commercial influence of the United States.<br /><br />BOOK INFO<br /><br />Published in 1816 in New York by J. Seymour under the direction of ".agents appointed to establish a school for heathen youth" e.g. American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. First edition first printing. Bound in modern 1/4 green niger morocco with gilt spine lettering over finely woven green cloth backed boards. Refreshed endpapers. Thin Octavo 8 1/2" x 5 1/8". Collated and complete: 3 4-44 p. <br /><br />ABOUT THE WORK & HISTORICAL CONTEXT<br /><br />By the early 1800s Hawaii had become a key aspect of America's growing trade with China. It was a critical resupply port for American ships on the trade route to China and a lucrative source for sandalwood. American merchants saw commercial possibilities that could be expanded. Protestant missionaries saw heathens in need of salvation via Christian conversion.<br /><br />This is a biographical account of and strong bit of fundraising propaganda on how five Hawaiian youths were saved from their heathen ways and savage pasts through a civilized education and Christian conversion. While the backgrounds of the youth vary - one was the son of a chief and another the survivor of brutal inter-tribal warfare for example-- the stories of these five youths share a number of common elements. All had spent time as sailors on American trade ships. Three had served at sea in the War of 1812. Most had experienced periods of extreme hardship after reaching New England. All found sponsors teachers and spiritual guides who helped them on their path to converting to Protestantism.<br /><br />CONDITION INFO<br /><br />The book is Good to Very Good by early 19th century American imprint standards.<br /><br />Binding is tight. Leather is supple. Areas of dust and light soiling to cloth. Lightly toned pages overall with light foxing. Some abrasion to paper along gutter margins of first few pages. Browning to first and last page with some brittleness and chipping. The paper used by the printer was quite thin so the text block background is darkened a bit by opposing page text on the same leaf as in all copies. No writing ex libris marks or library markings. Slight loosening at the head of the first few leaves where binding cords are exposed. A few smudges marginal paper nicks and other signs of light handling.<br /><br />.</p> J. Seymour, American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (Agents Appointed to Establish a School for Heathen Youth)