William Ruschenberger was an American doctor, botanist, writer, and naval officer. From 1835 to 1837 he was fleet surgeon for the East India Squadron, which for a period was stationed in Hawaii. This 1836 entry, written in Honolulu, was published in Ruschenberger's book A Voyage Round the World, and was likely among the first pieces of criticism leveled against the missionaries, whose influence in the islands was then at a peak.

A change has taken place in certain customs, which must have influenced the physical development of the islanders. I allude to the variety of athletic exercises, such as swimming, with or without the surf-board, dancing, wrestling, throwing the javelin, &c., all of which games, being in opposition to the severe tenets of Calvinism, have been suppressed, without the substitution of other pursuits to fill up the time. Whether sinful or not, will depend upon the religious code by which they are measured. But let this be as it may, these exercises and games affect the health and longevity of the people, being deprived of these sports, they labour only to obtain food, which may be two days in the week, and having no mental relaxation, the remainder of the time is devoted to sleeping, or drinking, and other vicious practices.

It must be borne in mind, that we are speaking of people whose blood has always moved beneath a tropic sun, from their most remote ancestry to the present time. They cannot endure the same uninterrupted and incessant labour as Europeans or Americans, without a very much greater wear and tear; and though capable of very severe toil and great physical achievement, it is only for a short time together, and is generally followed by long periods of rest. Within the tropics, the inhabitants require longer periods of relaxation, both from mental and physical employment, than in temperate climates.

Now, simply desisting from labour is not rest, particularly in young subjects; people, to enjoy life, require more; they want amusement, without which they flag, the spirits droop, disease follows, and they drag on a miserable, misanthropic existence, till death closes the scene.

Would these games have been suppressed had the missionaries never arrived at the islands? It is fair to presume that they would have continued in use. Can the missionaries be fairly charged with suppressing these games? I believe they deny having done so. But they write and publicly express against the laws of God, and by a succession of reasoning, which may be readily traced, impress upon the minds of the chiefs and others, the idea that all who practice them secure to themselves the displeasure of offended heaven.

1836: “PEOPLE, TO ENJOY LIFE, WANT AMUSEUMENT." A MISSIONARY CRITIQUE BY WILLIAM RUSCHENBERGER

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