Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1861-03-30

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on the possible remedies for these eUis-5y JOHN RAE
4. w., VI. d., s. s. r., " E, District Justice and
Coroner for Hama, Mani, Notary Public for Maui
author Of NEW PRINCIPLES OF POLITICAL ECONOMY,
Sc, &C, &c.
IContinuedI
If it has been the youths i'll fortune to fall into the
hands OF lazy guOramuS, man who knows next TO
nothing, and cares not t. learn any thng who has no
idea of discipline other tn that of keeping each
scholar in his place. and other notion of teaching
than that of hearing each drwl forth his lesson best
he may; or if he get dull perception that things are
not going fast enough, of endeavorng to quicken the
progress by general application of the rod the case is
perhaps still worse. Condemned to remain for all the
weary hours, his thoughts fixed on vacancy and his
body to one spot young body and spirit begin droop
together, and to him his schooling converted into an
engine to reduce him. far its powers compass
it, to the condition of an idle mOonstruck driveer
If you would end well you must begin we'll At the
period which refer when the nations had awak ened
to just sense of what, and how important education
is ; when Prussia and France doing so much for
the school, when in the latter country, the original
phoshphc genius has had to boast of since the days
of DeS Carte, had not dSlined all the powers
of his comprehensive mind the work of regeneratng
her school system, would have thought that an
intelligent legislator would have understood all the
importance of right commencement.
To me, therefore. it seems unquestOnable that what
means the legislator could have then commanded
the first school, schools effective possible The
numbers taught should have been consideration al
together secondary that of their being taught well
for it from these that TO issue the future
teachers Of the nation. 1t alimportant, there
FORE that they should have received the very best edu
cation possble-:hat is, that they should have been
trained all the energies Of their minds TO the
acquisition of the particular branches of knowledge or
art assigned them and that they should have known
them thoroughly and we'll If one is to introduce new
Of 1;t+l-
he take five Seeds or a hundred, or two hundred but
Is almportant that they be OF the best species and
the best variety Of that species. School education was
to Hawaiians precisely like and-if of a right
~ort-most excellent plant, to be spread all their
isl nds.
Another thing, about which there ought not con-
ceive, to have been any doubt in the mind of the
legislator, that of having separate schools for the
different sexes. This NAV be debatable question in
countries, but to any knowing the Of
Hawaiians there ught to have been question about
it here.
| think, also, that some European language-and
that language naturally the Engish-ought to
have formed prominent part of the Of study.
So alone could the native Hawaiian be placed any
thing like equality with the white man alone
could any portion of delcacy purity and elevation of
sentiment be infused into the natural lOveabeness of
the native female character.
There another branch of eucaton the introduction
or On-intrOductiOn of which could only have been
determined by circumstances. ailude TO instruction
in the arts such as carpentry, blacksmith work &c
Two things would have made very desirable 1st the
Importance of knowledge of such arts to the social
progress of the nation ID, that these much
better suited to the natural bent and capacity of many
youths than the languages and sciences But the
means of such instruction might not have been at
hand
Come we now to consider the proprety of positive
enactments with respect particulars pertaining the
commerce of the These conceive ought have
been simply supplementary to the general sentiment.
There were two points which that sentiment
unanimous The who, without the consent of the
parents, had any connection with young girl, was
universally thought TO have done injury them for
which he ought to make them large reparaOn. 1t was
the same thing with regard TO the acknowledged wife
of any one. Now the old system, Of each family
rghtng its wrongs necessarily be suppressed
it ought TO have been replaced by some law exacting
from each delinquent ADEQUATE compensation.
As to positive laws concerning marriage. adultery,
&c. conceive that the then of morals and feeling
in Hawaiian society did not authorize them and law
ought to run public opiniOn neither ought
it 20 much before it, or to lag far behind it. Ii Is
quite clear that where there is positive standard of
right and wrong to which all men prepared to ap
peal, this prevailing sentiment ought to govern, and
indeed will govern. Here in words, general usage
is the rule.
To oppose it is always wrong and generally useless.
Take the example of decency in dress. What is de-
cent in one country is indecent in anoth,r HindCo
could not with proprety walk on the banks of the
Thames in the garb with which it is quite decent for
him to appear in on the banks of the Ganges. He
therefore in England conforms in that respect the
ideas of Engishmen. In India he his native
attire and the Queen of England to require that
he and all his countrymen and fellow subjects there
should wear an English dress, she would be guilty of
piece of legislation absurd unjust and mpraccable-
1t is the same in cases where there is standard but
where men differ in their Interpretation of its require
ments. Here, also, the general acceptation in any
particular society country becomes the rule. Take
as an example the disputed point Of the marriage of
Priests and Bishops in the Church of England. 1t is
well known that Queen Elizabeth opposed and
would not suffer the Bishops wives appear at Court
regarding them as cOncubnes. The opinion with
in and without that Church was however against her,
and though the head Of it. she far too sagacous a
ruler to enact any law opposed to that general sent-
ment.
There has more than once been an attempt made
closely to assimilate that same English Church to the
Catholic and Roman Church. At present this marriage
Of Priests of the matters concerning which they
are at variance. Both parties appeal to scripture
authority and TO right reason, but they cannot settle
the point Now let suppose, that without any change
Of sentiment in the Of the clergy and people, what
called the Puseyte party TO gain to Its side
the Crown and Its minister's together with the higher
dgnitares of the church, and that these were to pass
ordinance declaring that the marriage of Priests
contrary to right rule and the discipline Of the Church.
forbdding it therefore altogether and commanding all
married Priests either to repudiIte their wives and
children or to resign their beneices. Such ord-
nance would certainly be impractcabe be carried
into effect and therefore both unwise and unpoitic,
but it would also be unjust. The priests might say
"Prove to that you right and yield without
murmur to the sacrifice you demand but to compel
T. while and our people believe that the is
not side, but on yours, IS manifest wrong To
constrain the will without satisfying the understanding
convincing the reason, is sheer tyranny" To take
now another case nearer to subject, but which
ought surely to be determined on the same grounds
Suppose that at the time when the regulations and laws
to which | refer we're being carried into effect, the
legislator Of the day had taken corporal form, and
had gone about among the natives to make their pro-
prety apparent them. and that these had spoken out
their minds without lear. He comes to certain house
and the following part of the dialogue which he holds
with one of them: Nafire 81 maintain it is wrong"
Legislator But it is the law ". $50 you say. but