Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1852-07-10
For the Polynesinn.
rHE CYNIC.

For the Poynesinn.
THE CYEIc.
Cyncs say this world but world Of misery and pain
But they found in womans smle muscs dulcet aD
These have the power chase away anguish deps
To light smile on sorrows lips, and cheer the brow Of
The CYNIc is one of those canine reasoners or
dogish philosophers, who never sees good quality
In his neighbor, and seldom fails to discover bad
one. Like the owl, he is watchful in darkness, but
blind to light. searching for rats, bats, mice and
other vermin, and never seeing noble game. His
misanthrophy places all human actions in but two
classes, "openy bad, and secretly bad" with this
result that all is selfish at the bottom that all vir
tue, generosity, disinterestedness, &c., are not
good, but merely ,eear that appearance-that no
man does good thing except for profit. The ef-
feet of such mans conversation upon your feel
ings, is to chill and scar them; to send you away
sore and morose. His criticisms and inuendoes
fall Unfortunately upon all lovely things, like
frost UPON flowers. If man is said to be pure
and dastc, he VIII answer: Yes, he may be in the
day time. If woman is pronounced virtuous,
he will reply: yes, as yet. Mr.. A. is a religious
man: yes, on Sundays. Mr. B. is about to Join
the church: certainly; the elections are coming
on. The minister of the gospel is called an ex-
ample of diligence: It's has trade. Such man
is generous: Of other mems money. This man is
obliging: to fuA suspicion, and cheat you. That
man is upright: because he is green" Thus his
eye strains out every good quality, and takes in
only the bad. To him religion is nought but hy-
pocrisy, and honesty preparation; virtue only a
want of opportunity, and undeniable purity, asceti
cism. The live-long day he will cody sit with
sneering lip, uttering his sharp speeches in the
most quiet manner, and in polished phrase, trans
fixing every character which is presented. His
words are softer than oil, yet are they drosrn
s,cords."
All this, TO the young, seems wonderful know
ledge of human nature they honor man who ap-
pears to have found out and kno,u so much Of
mankind. And the result why. .they soon be-
gin to indulge in flippant sneers and with SUPER
ciious brow and impudent tongue, call to naught
the wise, the long tried, and the venerable.
That man is corrupt enough there is no doubt,
but do believe that something good has survived
his wreck; that religion has restrained much evil,
and something restored: yet, look upon the hu-
man heart a volcano, great mount of fire -
fear it, dread the crater of the human heart
| trembe when on the fiery stream see its lava
rolling. HENCE, if | can discover one flower
springing up or blooming upon the old crust of
past eruptions," am the more glad. We should
not be so ready in rejecting appearances of virtue
in the corrapt heart but the more eager aad ready
| to see its light.
| Upon grave stones have seen the green moss
growing to the mouldering pile the clambering
ivy clinging; from the mistletoes dying branch
green buds freshly springing and, God be praised,
something green, something fair to the sight and
grateful to the heart, may yet twine around and
grow out of the seams and cracks Of the desolate
temple of the human heart
Who has ever walked through Thebes, Palmyrn,
or Petraa, and surveyed the wide extended waste
| of broken and breaking arches, crumbled and
crumbling atars, fallen>and falling pillars. effaced
cornices, toppled and topping walls and crushed
statues, with no feelings but those of contempt p
Who, unsorrowing, can behold on the carved pill
! lar the Stork's nest-on marble pavements the
dancing Satyrs, and where beauty once dwelt the
nesting scorpions, and dragons the sole tenants of
palaces? 1t seems to me, that amid such melan-
choly splendor, even the misanthrope might learn
to weep. If here and there stood an unbrulsed al
tar. or craven and unblemisAed column, or a
nearly perfect statue, he might well feel love tors
beautiful wrought man, when all else Is SO
dreary and deselate around. Thus, though man Is
as desolate city, and his passions are the wild
beasts of the forest bowling in kings palaces, yet
he is Gods workmanship, and thousand touches
of exquisite beauty remain. Since Christ hath put
his sovereign hand to restore mans ruin. many
points are remoulded, and fair form OF a new
fabric already appears growing from the rulns and
the first faint fame is gllmmeri1g upon the re-
stored altar.
1t is painful, indeed, to indulge in such habtuai
severity of opinion upon our fellow men indeed,
we cannot do il, without inuring the tenderness
and delicacy of our own feelings yet man will
Be what his most cherished feelings are in other
words, the spirit of the human heart u'I hare Its
way If the heart encourage generosity, every
feeling will be enriched by 1t II 1t nurse ptter ana
envenomed thoughts the poison Will be ABSORBED
by the spirit, and such men will ersecf among men
as FURNISHED adder, whose life is mischief, and
whose errand is death.
Althouoh experience should correct the indis-
crjmnate confidence of the young, no experience
should render them callous to goodness wherever
seen "He who runs may read" and ne who dill
gently searches for flowers, VIII surely nno .aen
and he who loves weeds, will always find weeds
Nav It be remembered, that no man, who Is not
himself mortally diseased, will have relish for
disease in Others "A swollen wretch, oiotched
all over with leprosy, may ana viii & snn nueUs Uh,,s
at everv wart of excresence upon oeauty ."hiie
mood and wholesome man will be panied at It.
and seek not to notice it. Reject, then, my young
friends. the morbid and dogish ambition OF the
| Cvnic. or never call yourselves men,
Koloa, Kauai June I4th, 1852.
Mr.. Editor.-I notice in your report of Agneul-
tural products, the articles of Figs and Stravber-
res were not mentioned. Now we have the above