The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-02-04
THE PACIFIC
Commercial AO6ertiser.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4.
Are We not Behind the Times7

The community of our Islands has hardly yet
begun to appreciate its position in these stirring
times of the worlds progress. We have 30 long
and so comfortably logged along in the even tenor
of our way, beneath our sunny skies, far from the
rush and turmoil of elbowing humanity, that we
have become pretty thoroughly imbued with the
dolce far niente. When we are told of the mighty
wave of commerce and trade that Is about to
sweep across the broad Pacific, enriching every
strand it meets in it's course a; are reminded of the
dazzling prospects that are in store for us; urged to
arouse ourselves to meet the incoming tide,-we
are increduIOus or Indifferent, or both. We fold
our hands in an a~pathetic manner, and are SUI
premely content with the old style. We boast of
the good old times when money was plenty and
came easy, and we look with distrust and a
feeling akin to jealous alarm on innovations upon
the conduct Of affairs in our Castle of Incidence.
In fact We are old fogies, of the worst sort. We
have gone on 1iattering ourselves into the belief
that our 90 natural position '; is such that it must
perforce bring to our harbors the and
traffic of this ocean, SO that we have come to be-
lieve that all we have to do is to remain in a state
Of patient expectation, and the ripe fruits will of
themselves fail into our mouths. 1t is high time
that we shook off this delusion, and discarded our
s. b~ide-awhile policy of mastery inactivity.
In regard to the Hotel project, for instance, we
have heard remarks in substance as follows sit
is very true that a good Hotel is needed here it
would doubtless be a great accommodation to the
travellers who now and then visit US for a few
days /; but then, we do not see any necessity for
being in a hurry about it. Whenever the business
will warrant it, the man and the capital will be
attracted here, and the Hotel will be built, with
out worrying ourselves about it,"
When some one, looking a little farther ahead
than his neighbors, observes that the time is fast
approaching when our Wharfage accommodation
will be likely to fall a good deal short of the ne
c~essities of the port, and urges the Importance of
at once running the steamboat wharf across to the
opposite point, 50 as to provide easily accessible
berths to the coming lines of steamships,-he is
met by the careless reply, @ Better wait awhile
perhaps the steamers may not come after all"
When another, still more progressive in his
ideas, suggests that it would be wise for the Gov
eminent to secure the right to the water of the
beautiful, copious and never failing spring at
Palama, and build a capacious reservoir with
pipes running into the city, he is snubbed with
- On, Inere q no neeQ OF 1T; we nave plenty OF
water at present from Nuuanu and besides We
can't afford it,"
Then again, there is the project of establishing
here a Chamber of Commerce. When the subject
was first mooted in these columns a short time
since, every one who expressed an opinion recog-
nized the benefit that would result to our mer-
chants and business men, and to the trade of the
country generally, from the establishment upon a
proper basis of a Honolulu Chamber of Commerce.
But for some unknown reason, or probably for no
reason at all, the project has fallen still-born,-
for the want OF energy to bring it into existence.
This is the old fogy spirit of unbelief and pro-
erastination which too much prevails in this CONF
munity. We lack public spirit, and we lack vim.
and persistence of effort. Let any new project OF
public benefit be started for discussion, that has
any elements of feasibility about it, it is straight
way lauded to the skies by a few enthusiastic
ones, and for a day or two its prospects are
bright. But soon the croakers are heard, at first,
mischievously % damning with faint praise and
eventually prophesying failure, loss and bank
Heaven helps those who help themselves. Ours
is the present to improve, and thereby make the
future ours as well.