The Pacific Commercial Advertiser leads with the full text of a sermon delivered by Reverend E. Corwin at Fort Street Church in Honolulu titled "Loyalty, the Duty of Every Subject." Preached on May 11, 1862, just days after Hawaii's Legislature convened, Corwin's lengthy discourse argues that Christian subjects are biblically obligated to obey civil rulers and support their government. The sermon emphasizes that true loyalty isn't merely passive compliance but active participation in public morality—paying taxes, praying for rulers, and being "ready to every good work." Corwin makes a striking distinction: he acknowledges that revolution against tyranny may sometimes be necessary, but argues such crises are "very infrequent among civilized peoples," occurring perhaps once or twice in a nation's lifetime. The reverend frames loyalty as religious duty rooted in divine command, not just political pragmatism, and warns against citizens who consider themselves patriots while contributing nothing to public welfare and morality.

In 1862, the Hawaiian Kingdom was navigating a precarious political moment. The islands had only recently consolidated under King Kamehameha III's successors, and the American Civil War was tearing the United States apart—raising questions about authority, loyalty, and the limits of obedience. Corwin's sermon, published in full, reveals how Hawaiian elites were grappling with governance and social order. By invoking biblical duty alongside civil obedience, Corwin was helping legitimize the Hawaiian monarchy to a religiously educated audience. This wasn't abstract theology—it was political messaging disguised as scripture. Within a decade, Hawaii would face increasing pressure from American interests, making sermons about loyalty to rulers remarkably prescient.

• The newspaper charged $4 per year for city subscriptions but $7.60 annually for papers sent to 'foreign countries'—including the U.S. mainland—which included both American and Hawaiian postage. This reveals Hawaii's position as geographically remote and politically distinct, not yet fully integrated into American postal systems.
• The printing office advertised services for 'Auction Bills,' 'Shop Bills,' and 'Circular Blanks'—suggesting a bustling commercial economy with auctioneers, merchants, and businesses needing sophisticated promotional materials. This hints at substantial trading activity in 1862 Honolulu.
• Two doctors advertised their services: Dr. J. Mott Smith (dentist) at Fort and Hotel Streets, and Dr. M. Hoffmann (physician/surgeon) at Makee's Block. The specificity of street addresses and professional specialization suggests a growing urban medical infrastructure.
• Corwin's sermon explicitly debates whether revolution is ever justified, concluding that 'nine needless revolutions are inaugurated by ambitious demagogues without sufficient cause, where one is consummated from patriotic motives.' This is strikingly pragmatic theology for a religious leader in a monarchical society.
• The newspaper itself was only in its sixth volume, having just reached issue 312—suggesting The Pacific Commercial Advertiser was founded around 1860, making it a very young publication covering a rapidly changing society.

• Reverend Corwin preached this sermon the very week Hawaii's Legislature opened in 1862—he explicitly notes it was 'hastily prepared after the opening of the Legislature last Thursday.' He was essentially doing real-time religious commentary on government events, making the pulpit a site of active political discourse.
• Corwin's text quotes extensively from Paul's Epistle to Titus and Romans, using scripture to argue that passive non-resistance is a Christian virtue—yet he simultaneously acknowledges that sometimes violent revolution is 'essential to the saving of the State.' This tension would become explosively relevant: within 30 years, Hawaii's monarchy would be overthrown in a coup backed by American businessmen, and this very theological debate about when resistance is justified would echo through Hawaiian political history.
• The sermon was published in full at the direct request of prominent Honolulu citizens including R.C. Willis, E. Hill, and J.H. Wood, who wrote to the editor asking for publication because they believed such discourse 'would have a good influence' on the community. This was organized advocacy for religious messaging as social policy.
• The 1862 date places this sermon during the American Civil War—a moment when the concept of 'loyalty to government' was violently contested in the United States. King Kamehameha IV (who would have been reigning at this time) was educated in America and maintained relationships with both Union and Confederate sympathizers in Hawaii.
• Corwin explicitly mentions 'constitutional government' as the framework in which his duties as a minister operate, yet the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1862 was still an absolute monarchy with a constitution that had been substantially revised just two years earlier in 1860. The term 'constitutional' here was doing significant political work.