The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1878-07-31


Hawaiian. ii win he but few years before
we shall hear 10 more Of the melodioas tones,
tbe rich. eAlseees ana sogI infectious Of the
poetie language now SO dear TO rs but in its
place Ne shsll hear, from ueaceps,omed lips,
the roegher, harsher. mere vigorous tongue oS
asiioa foreisn in thought and feeling to the
people whe hsve given away their language,
There are r,any arguments in favor Of the
change proposed, there are likewise reaay and
gravsr reasons against an aei Of denationalisa-
ton. The CoUEoi;;ee make no recommendation
in this behalf. sinply calling the a,teasion Of
the eOuasry to the very important tssaTe Of the
proposed change and 70 the Inevitable e0ase-
qpenees thereof,
With all due desersaee to the Hon Commit
tee on EiacasSoa, We would ike TO ask.
whether the Beard Of Education are not on the
right track whsa .hsr respectable and coupe
tent body came to the conclusion that the
sooner the Hawaiian is sapplan,ea by the En
siish language IN all the schools Of the Kins-
dom. both public and private. the better it
wogli be fer the Hawaiians , Again. ls, Us
ask the Honorable ConlmiItee how much bene-
1t we mean substantial, natioaAl, or indeed iu-
divjdaSl beaei,l, the Hawaiian people have
derived in the past hundred wears BY the al
most exclusive use OF the Hawaiian language,
with all It's 3 sss5diozs ,g,,ss tss ri-a eiasacss
and safg mi cioas Gtls possie lslegasgeso astsr
10 tasns. - rs ,ksg sss Aud whether it would
nor have been much better TO have substituted,
even from enaccRssened lips. the roasher,
Aarsher, more vigorous tongue Of nation for
eigu in Thought and feeling TO the Hawaiian
peopls'S Had the Hawaiian been taught in
this rousher, harsher and lnore vi-orcus
tongue, he would have been the peer OF the
fore gner in sd things, and to-day would have
been PLANTER, banker, merchant, Ship-owner
and rusnafaCMUer, and cOnseqgeurlv rich and
prospsrous. WITH mlni enriched from the ex-
haustless stores Of English literature. science
aud art. In word, the HAwaiis,, would have
been what God intended him, instead Of a
. bewer Of wood and a drawer Of water for
bis more powerful rival, the foreigner. who
speaks, reads and writes the language IN which
thrss-fourths Of the business Of the world IS
transacted. Nor would the Hawaiian, bv pur-
suing the coarse adopted by tue Board Of Ed
ucation. rs Advocated by Us (which the Hon.
Committee Of the Legislature has so patheti-
cally and srardiloqgsntly deprecated in that
part OF their report which we have quotsdl,
have lost their language The trssit is, that the
Hawaiian tongue would have been spoken by
the natives with as much ease, with far more
auency and beauty. because Of the superior ed
ucatiou acquired through thorough know
ledge Of the language and litersture Of old
England and the English speaking nations OF
the world
Has the German language been lost in those
States Of the Uui0n originally peoplsd by the
Teutunlc race By 10 means. Both languages
are spoken by the old and the yo1ng bnt
all, or nearly all, business is carried on in En-
gllsh. 81, too, with the people of Louisiana
and Florida, whers the French originally set
tied; both English and French are spoken by
all classes OF the inhabitants But the parallel
ceases between the Hawaiian and the German
and French peoples in the United States. for
the reason that both the German and the
Frenchman have lirerature in their own lam
Suage, while the Hawaiian has not The Hon.
Committee on Education NAV therefore resi-
c0ntsuted that no such dire calamity as tie
loss Of the Hswaiian language will follow the
wise adoption OF the policy Of the Board OF Ed
ucatluu in substituting the English for the
Hawaiian in the sc>ools Of this kingdom; and
we regret that the Honorable Committee did
not see the matter IN this latter light, which,
II they had, n ght have served TO induce them
70 CONE 70 quite different conclusion, and
nerved them up 10 the point Of cuucurring with
the policy OF the Board Of EducatioH, which
sooner or later will be approved by the unani-
nous voice Of the nation. Indeed, the Hon
COMMITTEES admit that i large majority OF the
people Of tEis Kingdom believe with the Board
Of Eiucation now. It may be well enough ID
talk about the poetic tones and rich cadeuces
OF the Hawaiian when making love TO some
sentimental wahina IN the mountains, if there
are any such 10 be found 1t may bs all very
nice 70 t9ot a mouth organ or thrum On a
guitar in the moonlight for the amusement Of
idle bystanders, bat We must be allowed 70 say
that such accomplishments, while they may
seem very poetic and melodi0us. are the very
poorest with which 20 carry on the contest
with intelligent, thrifty and sturdy men and
wouen- who are educated in al the arts and
sciences Of human Affairs. II requires men tc
/ be made Of steFner stuff than such efsmiRAte
creatures, 10 compete successfully in the battle
Of life with men or women OF real Intellectual
vigor and heroic determination who brook nc
obstacle but who press on TO the accomplish
ment Of every high purpose by force Of then
Intelligence We repeat, that there Is no hope
for the Hawaiian To rise above his present leve
except through An education in the English
language which will 1T him 10 compete with
th0se who possess equal Advantages from ths
sane source SHch IS our delihsrate opinion,
IN which We differ widely from that Of the
Honorable COMMITTEES on EiEeation but IN 80
differing with these honorable gentlemen, We
wish Il to be distinctly understood We do 81
from sense Of duty, without the slightest
feeling on the subject, except 70 discharge a
duty we eve 70 truth and our honest couvIc-
uGu
Let those who sincerely desire 70 zmeliorais
The condition Of the native Hawaiian, and vhr
would strive 90 elevate him IN the scale o:
manly independence and usefulness, ponder
What we have written, and then lei them ask
themselves whether these Eh0 w1Elld s4erIfee
the substance 10 the shadow are pursuing the
lruz cath for the elevation Of the Hawaiian
rzce We pass the other two posr1latss Of
the Coumirt=s Is ztatsd II the commencement
Of this article, because We do not consider
then Of sUtH-is1r Importance for comment We
cIlusIts< ths Beard OF Efleasina right IN the
course Il has pursued, and therefore sustain
that body because lis course = the tine one.