Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1861-03-30
No. 4S.


TO bear child TO him, would not it, whether son or
daughter, be the most esteemed of all my family And
for this you tell me must either pay fine of fifteen
dollars or my daughter be sent to work for months on
the public roads. Ii Is iniquitous.' L. But YOU
know all this is contrary to what the teachers who
have come among US say is right. You have been to
hear these teachers you ought TO have listened to
them, and not have done what they condemn "
'YeS, know have been to hear these men; wished
to know what they had to and truly strange things
have | heard. They tell US that all our old WAYS are
sins, and that if continue TO practice them, a
sinner and shall be punished for my sins that after
death shall be raised up soul and body, and thrown
into pit Of burning fre-not for hour, a day,
that were trouble enough; not for a month year
out for years, and years. and years never to end al
! ways burning, 5urnng-neyeT consuming. Can any
thing he more awful Were to believe this, do you
think would continue in our old ways! Not for an
hour. would sooner put my right arm into the fire
and burn 1t off 1t would be much wiser. There would
be no need then OF your fines and punishments. What
would ptifu fifteen dollars be in comparison of these
/ things: L and my daughter, and my whole family
would then day by day. be at the feet Of you and the
| teachers, praying You 10 instruct how We might
avoid doom terrible L. "Why are you not
there now:" ". SHOULD ever be able to reconcile
my mind to the possibility of things and strange
and hnd reason TO believe them, will be there but
till then. l am willing to listen the teachers, am
willing to help them, for think they mean wel-but
not as yet to obey hem and they prOsed to have
here 10 teach, not to govern L. YOU are in
you must the nne lnine1lteiy. VIII
send men to take off your daughter to the work.
But further, such laws are not only inefficient and
unjust, they demOraizng. For. it must be out
of the people themselves that the agents for enforcing
the law are chosen If that law tie generally thought
unfair oppressive, there will be conspiracy evade
it between those who ought enforce it and those on
whom it should be enforced In order to escape from
it, all sorts of tricks, devices deceits, will come into
play and if need be, perjury itself will be resorted to-
and the feelings of the great majority being in favor of
| bo NIL ify
gloss and eXcnse really not bamewOrthy, what
means they employ for the purpose Hence deceit
| lying and false oaths will to be held up to the
people sometimes not only free from guilt but actu
| ally praiSewOrthy.
Thus at the beginning Of this century the people OF
England thought the criminal law severe-that the
punishment of death was awarded in crimes not de-
serving that penalty. Accordingly iuries in these
in the habit of acquitng, when the evidence
was conclusive They thought the guilt less to swear
falsely than to take life, where life ought not be
taken. Public opinion strongly in favor of the
pursued by these usrs, until at length the laws
| were rendered more lenient.
1t at the beginning of this century also, that
Napoleon issued his famous DEGREES nterClicting the
continent Of Europe from all trade with England and
st toned officials in every port to that they
enforced Nevertheless, the prohibition Intellectual
Means were found evade it, and these means were
forgery and perjury. vessel sailed we shall say,
from Bergen in Norway clearing for Rotterdam, Hol-
land Ia few weeks she returned, having, apparent
y in mysterious manner. escaped all the British
cruisers. Her cargo. Indeed, had marvell air of
being goods of English manufacture but captain and
mate swcre they had been in Holland; there were the
papers, all regular with the signatures and seals Of the
Burgomaster and other officials and if sent to these
personages they could indeed that they re-
collected signing them, but allowed they might have
signed hem they like they could pronounce
them forgeries. What could the poor Imperial Envoy
DO: Nevertheless, the ship had discharged in British
port she had had papers protecting her from British
cruisers ana the whole thing a of complicated
pCriuries and f0rgGreS ct such the detestatOn
which the arbitrary measures of the French Emperor
excited over Europe, that men looked with a very
lenient eye, and scarcely blamed those who i'm
pica,ed in them. Two things were observed NOrwe-
Can logs &c, were wanting in Great Britain nor
| British goods in Norway, and also that though the
salaries of the Imperial officers not large yet they
some how other conrived in few years to amass
| considerable wealth.
All clergymen of the Church of England must profess
their belief in the 80 articles yet the great majority
preach doctrine not in accordance with them They
| are excused. Public opinion quits them 1t is
thought that few really believe in all these art-
ces that not this latitude wnked at the bulk of
the pits must stand empty. Yet surely this is
scandal which well if possible do away with
1t cannot but have the effect Of somewhat bunting in
the clergy the clear Of the Righteousness of pure
and simple TRUTH and of lowering them and their
in general Estimation
have more serious objection to make TO laws and
have done. They act counter to the which they
are intended TO promote They only be firmly based
on a prepOnderating, almost unanimous public SEN
timent in their favor. But the attempt force any Of
them on a people where many opposed to the prn-
ciple which based necessarily excites into action
that counter sentiment, and gives strength to it, Thus
in the United States thirty forty ago. the vice
of drunkenness rampant and destructive. party
to diminish put II down. After the first burst
of ridcue which any novelty of the naturally pro-
duces their efforts be very generally applaud
ell, by those whose practice opposed to their
teachings Most confirmed drunkards we're inclined to
curse the hour when they first tasted drop Of liquor,
and of the moderate drinkers but must
have felt, from all that he saw around him, that he
was swimming and dispOrting himself on the edge Of
! mighty whirlpool, which, some needless day, might
suck him into its embrace, and clasping him with q
force Overmasterng all his struggles, might bear hin
away within its rounding sweep, still down, and further
down, till lost forever in its dark and dismal depths
| Though, therefore, among the advocates Of the
| doctrine there Of necessity many ignorant men,
making the strangest and most absurd blunders in
physical science and historical fact, of any
| sideraton raised his voice against them Approving
the thing ITSELF wise content merely to smile
at the palpabe Of many Of its supporters. The
temperance therefore gained ground very rapidly
But sooner than what is called the Maine law pass
/ ell, than the face Of affirs suddenly underwent
change. The cry Of tyrrany raised; of ability
began to expose the filaeies Of Of the leading
/ principles which the teetota system is grounded,
and the has within the last few years.
tered much opposition that il is doubtful whether 1t
/ has recently advanced or receded.
From these considerations, or others analogous to
them, doubtless has that, in Christian
tries the laws practically may be said to take no notice
of oenses against chastity OF conduct Marriage alone
is fenced in by law for it is both religious rite and
civil As to other matters they left TO the
unfettered action of public opinion, the rebukes Of
which always most when it stands alone.
The natural Of things here would have been,
that the binding union Of two persons Of different sexes
should have been first introduced part Of the
religion, and the rite became general that it
should have received the additional authority Of the
civil power, and here the law should have stopped. Ii
in Europe and America the attempt to compel the sex
es a more strict morality by civil penalty has been