The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-01-07

~ ANst4lSlG Al NAAt DNA@EAtL vi IA ~
marks about the "Rampok," or Malay
Javanese tiger fight,-which is evidently
from the pen of the reviewer of Seward
on Chinese Immigration" and bears inter
uaI evidence of an inspiration from our
Royal Commissioner Of Immigration-con-
cludes as follows:
This Is an important question for MS to set
tie. Shall We introduce cricket fighting or tiger
fighting as our national pastime2 We would sug-
gest that the Island OF Lanai be given mp 70 the
breeding Of 50 Royal Bengals. and the Island Of
Nnhau 10 the breeding Of crlckets, and that the
experiment be carefully tried. 1t would not be
more remarkable than some other experiments
tried on these Islands. II orr people adopt
tiger fighting, the low-spirited. cricket-hghtng
Chinese would soon retire from the taro and nee
patches. and settle a difficult question for Us.
We notice that the author of - Sanitary Instruc-
lions for the Hawaiian people, ~ does not include
tiger fighting as q means of restoring the Hawaii
an race. No doubt ii will become a prominent
feature in the next edition"
1t is not necessary that the author of
Sanitary instructions for the Hawaiian
People" should include in his instructions.
tiger fighting as n means of restoring the
Hawaiian race, and he will not do so in
any subsequent edition ofthe work, because,
happily, tigers do not grow here and they
would be very costly to import, or Ia raise
on our volcanic peaks. and there is no oc-
casion for any training of Hawaiians for
their destruction, as is the case in Java, a
populous island, yet with a dense jungle in
parts that harbors multitudes of tigers. But
what Hawaiians have done. and what they
can do again TO train courage and develop
muscle. in accordance with the needs and
condition of their country, the author of
- - anifary- IpSfr1roriDnS for uua;;o,N, -
has said something about, and about all
that could be said under the circumstances.
(See "Sanitary Instructions for Hawaiian
People" English version, second edition,
Page 202.J
ANCIENT AMUsEMENTs.
When the feudal authority, that governed in
this Archipelago, was destroyed, the Hawaiian
race suffered a great loss.
Feudallsm was a conservative bond for this
race. 1t inhered in the Hawaiian, as an ancient
Asiatic stock, since number ages. 1t was
the paternal or patriarchal relation, even with all
its expressions and when the principle was des-
troyed by paramount foreign influence, it was
like the removal of a child from its natural, to an
alien, foster parent. And the Hawaiian child
has not done well, at least physically. under the
alien tutelage.
But, congeners of the Hawaiians, the numer-
GUS peoples of Java, Sumatra, Celebes, of the
Philippines, and other red races of the Indian
Archipelago, multiply and flourish greatly under
their ancient feudal influences although in the
presence of European authority. The old life is
preserved there, notwithstanding many new addi-
tons. The old institutions, and especially the
old a~musements,. are preserved in Malaysia les
pecially the tiger-fght.) And it is mainly through
songs and games that a national spirit is preserv-
ed.
The Hawaiian people received a serious blow
to their national existence, or race perpetuity,
when their ancient athletic amusements were eli
Their tabOoed, or allowed to fall into desuetude.
There were amusements, customs or games,
such as surf riding, precipice leaping, diving and
swimming, quot throwing, maika ball rolling,
wrestling, spear hurting, hillside coasting, kui
jousts, and many other athletic exercises, leaving
out of consideration the lascivious games, all of
which belonged to the life of Hawaii.
And what is there in their stead for the cause
of Hawaiian m~anliness?
Look at the Hawaiian warrior cf the feudal
times. We have evidence of his strength, his
and nobility of bearing in the battle
field. He dlsdalned the protection of n shield.
His sinewy. supple arms, so swift on guard, were
for both attack and defence. His wary
eye had no sooner caught a glimpse of a barbed
project1e, than his swift and deXtrous guard cast
it aside. And if more than one point was aimed
at his breast, he foiled the missiles, though sped
by arms sinewy and adroit like his OWN. Such "A
warrior, like the late Ioane III, as known to many
now living, would have been more than a match
for Homer's heroes on the plains Of Troy and Il
NhC NpAAAA 1tAAA vi pa ~ tAo AbAA
ed at him, all at one time, might have matched
with Achilles, and come off conqueror.
And where is the Hawaiian warrior now? The
singer of the vanguard? The spear-man of the
chiefs phalanx The deXtrous mamalahoa Z
The faithful hulumonu? And the deft and bold
of the war canoe? Where are they?
Where is the hero? He is gone but you Will
find i'll his place the tricky lawyer, the lying ka-
huna, the hypocritical preacher, and the civilized
loafer.
This is not said, o, Hawaiians, to taunt and
revile yOu but is uttered in a spirit Of love and
sorrow and in Il spirit of hope, also, that such
words may inspire the remnant of the race to
wake up to a little of the old spirit i'll the way of
maniiness and courage and this may be partly
accomplished by n revival as much as possible of
the ancient amusements.
1t is not necessary, or expected, that you should
train TO be warriors of the olden time. But let
the youth of the nation keep up the bold surf
riding, the dextr0us kui jousts, the hillside coast
ings, the ball rolling and throwing, the wrest-
ling, the running, the leaping, and diving, and
other athletic sports and thereby an increased
vigor of health will be promoted, national spirit
aroused, and if danger menaces a Hawaiian
Sovereign, he may hope to have, as in the days
of the COnqueror. n few stout thewed and bold
hearted followers to defend a nations cause, and
win, at least, a worlds praise for Hawaiian man
illness.
The critic sneeringly says that the rapid
decay of Anglo-SaXOn civilization is wholly
due to the absence of the physical, mental
and moral training which exists where the
dog fight. the cock fight, and the tiger fight
and occupy the waking hours of the
labOring man." This, and all the remarks
about piracy, and Indians fighting bears
and wolves, is out of place and inapplicable.
There was a time in the history of Anglo
Saxon civilization when wolf hunting was
a duty of the State, and when bear and
badger batting had some warrant, or excuse,
IN the rude, unlettered condition of a cour-
ageous and turbulent people. Athletic train
ing now supplies the physical needs of a
peaceful, yet manly community, and when
tigers no longer exist wild in the forests Of
Java, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula,
the "rampok' must cease as a native sport
of Malays, and baseball and boat sculling