Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-11-12

an illustration of the theory that when two
races are brought in contact the inferior
race melts away. When the islands were
discovered they were thickly inhabited by
q rnco of simple and happy savages. The
Hawaiians wore no clothing, and their chief
occupations were swimming in the surf
lying under the shade of trees, and eating
slices of bread fruit and marmalado. Their
nmusements were murder and cannibalism,
and they practicod them in light.
hearted, joyous way which was in keeping
with their innocence and simplicity. To
these gentle snvages came the missionaries,
who converted, clothed, and civilized them.
The heather despotism of the Kamehame.
has was changed into constitutional
Christian monarchy, and the world would
have been filled with admiration at the
success of tho labors of the missionaries
had it not been that MS soon MS the island.
ers had been converted, clothed and civil.
lied they began to disappear with alarming
rapidity.
There are two theories which have been
offered in explanation of the melting away
of the Hawaians. 1t is said that the New
England sailors attached to whaling vessels
instructed the innocent natives in the ele.
ments of civilized vice, and thus prepared
the why for their decline and disappearance.
This is q popular theory, but it will not
bear the test of examination. Why should
the American sailor have cxerted such n
devastating influence upon the Hawaians
when other nations hive found him com.
paratively harmless and what reason have
we to assume that the Hawaiians were
capable of being instructed in any novel
vices by the sons of Connecticut and Mas
sachnsetts ? Since the discovery of the
Hawaiian Islands American sailors have
wholly disappeared, but it would be very
unkind to charge King Kalakaua's sub.
jccts with the decay of the American mer-
chant marine.
The other theory holds the missionaries
responsible for the intentional destruction
of the Hawaiians. 1t is claimed that not
only did they discourage marriage by dress
ing the native men in stove.pipe hats and
the native women in frghtful black gowns,
modelled upon the n-ght g-wn of civil
ization, but the very fact that the natives
were made to wear my kind of clothes
insured their extinction. In state of
nudity and cocoanut-ol it did not hurt the
Hawniians to be rained on, but when they
found themselves dressed in wet clothes,
which they persisted in wearing until they
were dried by the sun, they caught colds
and developed pulmonary diseases with
astonishing rapidty and success. This
theory is certainly more plausible than the
sailor theory, and every ono who has seen
civilized Hawaiian in his stove-pipe hat
or in his black meal. bag will readily under.
stand that when the unfortunate native
looks in mirror he-or sho-must feel
strong desire to go into some lonely place
and there lie down and die.
Whatever may be the cause, it is very
certain that in the course ofa few years the
Hawaians will have become extinct, and
the King will find himself without subjects.
His Majesty Kalakaua has determined to
save himself from an old age of utter lone
illness by rc-peopling his kingdom. After
thorough examination of the nations of tho
Old World, he has decided that he will
supply himself with Portuguese subjects.
Some time ago he sent to the Hawaiian
Islands an invoice of 1900 Portuguese
from the Azores, and was SO well satisfied
with them that he has iust ordered 1000
more, and now expects at no distant day
TO supply himself with what tradesmen
would call ga full line" of Portuguese
subjects.
No King has ever hitherto tried the
experiment Of providing himself with new
set Of subjects differing in race, language,
and religion from his original subjects. If
King Kalakaua carries out his present plan
Hawaii will be added to the family of
I,nf nd 81 Ill
Brazil on small scale in the Pacific Ocean.
The most remarkable feature of the reno
waited kingdom, however, will he the fact
that it will be a Roman Catholic State
The abors of the Protestant missionaries
will thus finally result in the spread of the
Roman Church. Had the natives never
been converted to Professionalism and clothes
they would--if the second of the two
theories above mentioned is truo-never
have disappeared, and hence there would
have been no reason for the introduction
OF the Portuguese. 1t was great Pro.
testant triumph to rescue the Hawaiinns
from cannibalism and paganism, but it
now seems as if the Roman Catholics will
reap the fruit OF the missionaries labors.
There is, however, yet time to prevent
the threatened peoplng of the Hawaiian
Islands with Portuguese. King Kalakaua,
who is reported to have no particular reli-
gious preiudices, is perfectly willing to
stock his kingdom with Protestauts, pro-
vidiug they can be found. Why should he
not invite the Icelanders to come and en-
Joy the delicious climate of Hawaii These
curious people, after having tried the Are.
tic climate for a thousand years, have dis
covered that it is cold, and are ready to
abandon their inhospitable island. King
Kalakaua cannot do better than to trans
port them all to the Pacific, and thus pro.
vide himself with an honest, industrious
people, and transform himself into Scan.
dinavian Prince.--N. y. Times.