The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-01-11

The WEEK that ends to-day will ever be n mem
orable one in the history of these islands; and
from the date of the election, by the people
through their Representatives of a King, a new
era dawns upon the Nation and the Land.
The three great events in the written history
of the Hawaiian islands are-irst the arrival of
the first missionaries of the Gospel in 1920, and
the almost immediate adoption of Christianity as
the religion of the Nation; second, the Act of
1910 when Kamehameha III. gave constitutional
form to the Government; and third and last, the
call for a PleJisciflum by the Prince LUNALno, on
the 10th of December last, whereby he freely
surrendered his right-held divine by monarcbies
heretofore-to the arbitration of the people, and
established the supremacy of their will.
In the progress of events that have eliminated
in these three great epochs, there have been many
striking illustrations of the truth of the saying,
that all things work together tremendously in
the hands Of that Divine Power which we believe
to extend It's protection to these Islands of the
sea, as well as the great continents Of the earth.
If we trace back the events that led to the
adoption of Christianity rs the religion of this
people, we find that they had unconsciously pre-
pared themselves for the light of the Gospel, by
proving for themselves the utter falsity Of the
teachings OF their ldOlatrOus priests.
80, when in 1910, Kamehameha Ill. gave the
people a Constitution, il was in accordance with
the march of events that made such a step a
necessity on his part, consequent upon the grow
ing cares of n state that had outstripped his
capacity for governing absolutely.
Lastly, the circumstances that led to the ex-
preston by the people on the LIST of January of
their wishes, in the light with which we view
them now, have been the very ones most needed
to bring about the result obtained. In the Civ
ing OF a Bill of Rights TO the people, in the first
place, their intelligence and growing capacity for
selEgOvernment was recognized aud in 1852 the
development of that capacity was still further
acknowledged by the simplifying of that Bill of
Rights into n Constitution.
This last solemn compact between the King,
the Mobiles and the Representatives was necessa-
rily defective, as it endeavored, in some of its
provisions, to adapt certain clauses found in older
instruments of the kind to the exigencies of a
new state and q peculiar people. This country
found itself with a Constitution while still ham
percd with remcmbrances, traditions and usages
which were the relics of a barbarism from which
it had bat recently emerged.
1t can hardly be said that the clauses that have
been Objectionable in the Constitution of 1852
were all bad in themselves, but rather that those
conditions were enforced upon q people who could
not fully appreciate the moral responsibility that
rested upon them, of viewing those provisions
from the highest moral stand point. As it stands
it is 4 : Constitution, i. G., n compact between
the people and their King, and as such, never
having been formally abrogated, must command
attention ut this time.
The Decree that has been paramount for the
last nine years has served one good purpose. 1t
has exposed to the people the danger of a little
knowledge and has caused them to think more
and deeply of what is due themselves than ever
before. 1t has shown them the reverse of n
medal, which, as children, they never cared to
see, as long as the face was glittering and fair.
We believe that the people fully appreciate the
responsibilities they have taken upon themselves
in choosing their King, and that they will he
able to consider, and direct intelligently all Iegis-
lation that may be needed to secure for their
King and themselves, a Constitution that viii
stand the test of time and the onward march of
human progress.
Next session of Parliament the whole question