The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-03-27

The STATEMENT has been made by writers on
these islands, that a larger proportion of the native
people Of Hawaii nei know how to read and write
than that of any other nation on the face of the
globe and we believe this to be true. And it
may be added that they are extremely fond of
reading, although their literature is circum-
scribed to n degree that amounts to absolute pow
erty. Beyond the Bible and the newspaper, there
is next to nothing for the people to read. The
vast treasure-house Of current English literature
is to them a scaled book. The newspaper, there
fore, which comes to them once a week in their
own language, possesses an Importance as an edn-
Gator of the masses that cannot be overestimated.
And it follows that the management and control
Of the native newspaper should be in careful
hands, in order that It's influence, which must IN
deniably be great as is its circulation, shall al
ways be on the side Of order, good morals, and
whatever tends to elevate the people. We regret
that we are compelled to say, that this has not
always been the rule with Hawaiian newspapers.
More than once before we have had occasion to
state, as we do now, that the KHOkOa, which has
a very large circulation throughout the islands, is
frequently amenabIe to the charge of circulating
broadcast among the people a vast amount of
matter that, to put it mildly, is degrading instead
of eleyating.l The grossly indecent story Of I" Ro-
biana Lo," which for a year or two dragged its
deflIng length through the columns of the KuO-
Eoa, was some time since brought to an end, but
is followed in these days by another serial Of much
the same class, and by the same author a native,
under the title Of "Raiana Hu," purporting to
be n translation from the Chinese But during
the past month n wordy controversy has been go
ing on between the contributors to the two native
newspapers,-the Ruok0a and the Lahui Hatcdii,
-(and here We take the opportunity Of saying
that the latter journal, though young, has already
established q reputation as n fearless exposer Of
the wrong and defender Of Ibe right) as to the
Questions involved IN a case which was tried in
the Supreme Court, before a native jury, in which
the Court subsequently set the verdict aside as
illegal. 1t will be remembered as the case in
which a native woman plead guilty in the Police
Court to having sold and furnished intoxicating
drinks, and on appeal the jury decided that she
was not guilty. a writer in the Lahui scored
the jury pretty severely on their verdict of aequit-
tai, as tending to encourage the wretched beer
business, and which was responded to by a writer
in the KuOkOa in defense of the jury. This sort
of controversy, If conducted with prOpriety, is
interesting &c those engaged in it, and perhaps
amusing to the general native reader; but the
Ruokoa writer has not regarded the proprieties.
In the issue of last Saturday is a long letter from
him, which Is not only grossly personal and yitu-
p~erative, but decidedly indecent in language and
ideas. The publication of a fair translation of
this letter in English would be simply out Of the
question.
Now we have heard the remark, that the
natives ideas Of mOdesty and propriety are so
much below those Of the foreigner that what
would shock the one as indecent would be re-
garded as trivial by the other. This may have
been true Of the Hawaiian Of the past, but not Of
the present generation. But even If it were true,
there would be so much the more reason why a
newspaper should labor to purify and elevate the
standard Of public morality, instead Of sending to
its readers whole columns Of rIbaldry and black,
guardism. What would foreign parents think Of
having immoral literature circulating freely in
the schools to which they send their sons and
daughters2 But that is just what is being done
in Hawaiian schools, where the KuOkOG, with its
worse than silly fables Of 'Robiana Lo and
" RaIana HUI is read with avidity by teachers
and pupils-and with the knowledge, it must be
added, OF the Inspector General Of Schools and Of
the Board Of Education.
Meantime We are free to say that the nominal
editor and proprietor Of the RHOkoa, not beng
Versed in the native language, is quite innocent
of any knowledge Of the real character Of that
Journal and we have no doubt that, continuing