The Hawaiian gazette., 1880-12-01

bear on the question OF national exslence, a.! VIII
be futile il Il runs counter 70 the " ~
Divine government Mere human eApsuisl.s ~ y,
have ever failed, and VIII ever contlnue y Iali,
when Gods hour has struck. IL was 30 Will tiis
ancient Persian, Grecian and roman empires, anu
u ;,I t 90 with the nations OF to-day 80 1ar as
thev shall fail to fall in line Win ING VI
Gods urrroee
In speaking thus we are however to remember
that The perpetuaton Of national life Is not neces
ar;Iv the uerpet1aticn of race or class OF popu-
Iation. The two things are widely different, as
will be evident On recurring to our definition OF
nation The liws and boundaries OF race-n1e are
as vet inscrut abie mysteries to us, and however
sad Il NAV be to witness the decadence OF race as
such. vet that does by no means imply destruction
of the nation of which that race may be a compo-
nent or even a chief part. High ca the sides OF
our mountains, you shall see beauSuui young
saplinp, of most delicate mimosa foliage Gpipring-
inc from The lesfv mold. After the lapse Of long
wears. Won revisit that spot and look In vain for
that shrub of delicate leaf and smooth, silvery
bark IL has disappeared and in its place you find
a stalwart tree of spreading branches, the pride
of the forest in its noble beauty vet so different
leaf and bark and trunk that you would not rec
f,unise IL as the mature growth of YOUR beautiful
The same, vet not the same And thus it often is
with the growth of nations. The national life NAV
be perpetuated, though the distinctive race char
acter of any of its integral parts may disappear ur
be merged into stronger, maturer forms.
Among the problems connected with the .labor
question ;, in our island community, there seems
to be much confusion of ideas on this point La
hor and ponuIation are discussed as tbouoh thev
we're practically synonymous. We want popula-
ton we need labor therefore, we must bring in
such labor for oGr commercial needs as shall also
restock the Hawaiian race for our national wants
Such is the common argument. But fallacy nm
derlies the whole. IL is the mixing together of
two things which are SO incompatible az oil and
water. Labor is subject to the same law of supply
and demand which controls all commercial inter
ests Bu. population is not Where population is
deficient OF diminishing all the will of rulers and
people cannot of itself create supply to FIJI the
demand. The impartation of people fo,. that end
alone might create for time an appearance of re-
population; but it would only be pouring water
into a leakey container without stopping the leak
especially if tie people imported for that purpose
be of cognate race with the diminishing one, and,
therefore, subject at least to the operation of the
same causes which are depopuIating that race.
But the case is still stronger when the effort at re-
population is complicated with the demands of
labor. The two things are entirely distinct, sub
ject the operation of different laws and cannot
be merged successfully in one. And it seems to
me that the sooner we frankly acknowledge this
fact and act upon it. the better it will be for all the
interests concerned
Let labor be regulated according to the ordinary
supply and demand, and let the problem of popu-
lation find its solution in its own appropriate way
OF course these thoughts are only peneraliza-
tions am free to acknowledge that the compli-
cations are many and puzzlinp which beset the
practical side of the subject. Whatever NAV h.
the issues of the future we recognise the fact that
an overruling Providence directs the ways of the
nations, and / fully believe that the Providence
watches over this Hawaiian nation and has an
important work for it yet to d. So long as this
nation shall keep in line with the progress of
Christian light and civilization, SO long we NAV
feel that its national existence is assured But It
is our part to do all we can to aid in this con,mu-
nication.
LII. My third proposition is that NATIONAL LIFE
is PERPErUATED BY NATIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Thus the words of the text declare that RIGHT
eousness exateth nation, but sin is a reproacR to
any people," And in Proverbs xvi H. il is declared
that the throne is established by righteousness
This proposition NAV be taken in either of two
senses a lower or higher The lower, and more
restricted of the two is that in which the term
righteousness - is used according to its strict
chronological meaning as signifyinp riphtness or
integrity Ii was in this sense that Plato declared
that Justice, or righteousness, is of the essence
of the state" And so also an able modern writer
says of the nation that it has " moral PERSONAL
ity, vested with responsibility and endowed with
life peculiar to ITSELF" In this sense the inter
ests of national life require the righteous treat
ment of all who are individual members of the ma
ton. Such righteous treatment must be lust and
impartial without reference TO race or color. And
it must go farther A nation has a moral charac-
ter to sustain before the world. 1t should there
forc be upright in its dealings with other nations.
This necessity has given rise to the codes of inter
national law which regulate the intercourse of ma