The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-12-11
Why the Polynesians are Becom
ing Extinct.

without exception, small, in spite of re-
wards offered by the government, as in
Hawaii, to the parents of many children;
and it may be added that the children,
in unduly large ratio; die young. The
number of children under Is years of
age is but % per cent of the whole pop
ulation In the United States it is Al
per cent. Mr. Darwin points out that
a slight lessering of the fertility of any
species, whether of plant or animal, will
often turn the balance against it in the
struggle for life, and produce its speedy
extinction. Precisely as animals in cap
tivity often become infertile, so do the
Polynesians under their changed condi.
lions of life and they suffer the more
certainly and profoundly, like the Ha-
waiian, in proportion as that contract
is peacefully accepted and, therefore, the
more complete. And when to the loss
from infertility, which has shown itself
thus far incurable, the high mortality of
children is added, we see the sufficient
cause why the Polynesian races are
doomed to pass away. The biological
doctrine on this point may be stated
thus in general terms. A community
living under uniform conditions-as by
climate, food, customs, governments, &C.
equations, ideas-acquires an approx
mately complete adjustment to these
conditions. 1t becomes adapted to its
environment. The life of each individ-
ual attains a natural equilibrium between
its own internal forces aud the external
or 'incident" forces, TO use Herbert
Spencer's phase, and the community &C
quires great power Of resisting the latter
when they are in furious. But let sud
den change in these incident forces take
place let new diseases, new customs,
IDEAS government, employment be in
troduced to this well-adjusted commun-
ity--the shock is mortal at once. In
dividuals will be rapidly destroyed be-
fore the needed power of resistance is
gained. Gained indeed, it will eventu-
ally be, should the community survive
long enough +; but the prospect is that in
most of the Polynesian groups the in
habitants will tie improved off the face
of the earth In Tasmania the aborigi-
nal population has teen entirely de-
stroyed or removed. In Samoa
or the Navigator Islands, formerly
very populous, there are now some
10000 only remaining A population
of 1906 was estimated in 1880. In
the Marquesas, censuses have not been
taken; but the people have diminished
greatly, though holding their own better
than some of the more tractable island
ers The Society Islands have lost
probably half of their population since
Cook time. The Hawaiian aborignes
decreased from 100000 in 1882, to
44,0SS in December, 1873; and this
under the full influence of European
civilization and of missionary success
In several Of the groups the natives,
conscious of their approaching fate, have
a song with this burden: THE hibi-
sous shall flourish; the farero (coraD
shall spread out its branches; but men
shall perish.
1t will now be asked: Is there no
future continuance for the Polynesians :
Are we to say, not only with the ma
tives themselves, but with such an att
thority as A K. Wallace, that "the
true Pol ynesians are. no doubt, doomed
to an early extinction p This is prob
ably true Of many communities of Poly
nesians Some, indeed, are extinct al
ready. But it is erroneous to say, as is
commonly said, that in the Hawaiian
Islands. for instance, Il few years more
will finish the work. In that group
there vera 10000 aborigines in 1872,
and but $4,000 in 1878 Surprising the
diminution to continue regularly at the
rate of ten per cent for each period of
six years, an aboriginal population of
over 1000 would still remain hun
bred wears hence. The rate of decrease,
however, grows slower Of late years,
and, though there seems no present
means Of stopping the decrease entirely,
vet a certain proportion OF the true Ha-
waiian blood may be expected to re
main for many generations, unminSled
with the incoming currents from Asa,
Europe and America.
At present the total population of the
Hawaiian group is increasing, and Tor
the first time since the visit of Captain
Cook in l17>. The returns give Il total
of 50, SO1 in 1873. as against $780, IN
1872, gain OF about per cent. during
six year, These returns made 100