The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-07-29
Tabor Lecture in IiIo.

Editor Pacific Commercial Advertiser:
DEAR SIR This evening of the 18th July may
possibly be remembered hereafter as a memorable
time for Hilo. or it may possibly be forgotten.
On this e~ventful evening the rohHe popuianoh Oh
our city have just returned from LECTURE. Ihey
were startled a few days since by the very rare
announcement that on this evening, Mr.. Barley
from Maui, would give a lecture at the Engllsn
Church on the subject of labor. commencing at'3
P. NJ. 1t is now, as l sit at home writing. nearly
eight, and l have been there. heard the Balleyan
idea on this momentous question OF the perlod,
and got home again! What would Beecher or
Cough think of it?
Rubicund planters were there from near and
from far, other sugar men, boilers, overseers, anu
the like were there, breathless and muddy from
the saddle.-mechanics were there in respectable
force. S-choolmasters were there all ABROAD lot
recreation. Ladies were there from sheer goou
nature, l think. or peradVenture curiosity anu
children were there who might have been In ped.
The clergy also were well represented. sitting ID a
sort of dubious expectancy. and MT. thompson
led off with a short prayer. Then appeared a ven
cradle looking head over the pulpit desk, ana MT
Bailey, first remarking that the lecture was intend
ed for a natiUe audience, went ahead. L suspect
that lecturing is distasteful to him. 1t was a lever
piece of ordinary reading. without anlmauoh OF
exnression. Enterprises requiring labor Tor sue
cess notably failed here-from misrepresentation
of the value or rather wORTHLESSNESS OF NATIVE
LABOR. The Masters and Servants Act was neces-
arily stringent. for except as bondsmen, nOtnih9
could be done with the native worker. ne re-
ouired q large advance and then became INDIFFERENT
about repayment. All qualities necessary 10 the
making a good servant were lacking, ana tnese
lacks the lecturer classified nnder nine speclnca-
lions. The native was unreliable, a mere eye ser
want. untrustworthy in word and deed, unialthflnl,
luzu, had no sense of abstract justice. no fortltude,
no ambition, no energy ana ntnlhty. was as d
laborer GOOD FOR JUST NOTHING AT ALI" wnat; III
short. one might indicate briefly as a precious bad
lot. The speaker allowed no offsets. no redeemlhg
points.-nothing for the wonderful good nature
and obedience to law. nothing for the style OF
submitted to.-nothing whatsoever on the credit
side, but he insisted that the race had been TOO
tenderly dealt with, had been grossly mlsmanaged.
Then there was a pause. So much. thought i,
for the Kanakerian branch of the subject.
What comes next. l wonder. There was no nert.
That was the lecture on labor. The interesting
race'' was played out and nothing BEHIND EN-.
Mr.. Bailey shut his book and sat down ma dls-
NAL silence. Children had gone to sleep. 1t was
like one o'clock half struck. a torso of a subject.
Presently Mr.. Thompson, in bis lively smiling way
skipped up the pulpit steps, and after a orlei
whisper to the lecturer. faced round and exclaimed,
Ia pau l-or something like it. | didn't hear very
we'll and so Hilo went home. AS l was stumbling
down the steps outside, a lady asked me what l.
thought of the lecture. Such a puzzler that l
haven't answered her yet, and am doubtless set
Town for a boor. But then you see, the only pub
lie lamp in HilO is away down ON the wharf wait
ing for the coming man.
If Mr.. Bailey, who seemed to speak from long
and sad experience, and like one | thought, who
had been recently hurt. will translate his little
manuscript of fits, and give them to a native gath
ering some fine night,-using if he can some
animation and emphasis. and try to be a little
cOlloquial. then. if his blister don't draw, the fault
must be with the patient.
Meanwhile. the labor question has not been set
tied by Mr.. Bailey's lecture here this evening. L
thought you might like to know if the Hilo folks
feel any interest in it, hence this narrative.
Yours truly.