The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-10-28

AT THE recent meeting of the Young
Mems Christian Association, several
speakers brought forward evidence to show
that though the police returns exhibit little
increase of the charges for drunkenness
since the new Liquor Law came into Oper-
alton, there has been, nevertheless, a large
increase in the consumption of liquor by
Hawaiians during this month. The fact
that the butchers whose trade is mainly
with Hawaiians, have experienced a serious
falling off in their business, and the similar
fact that several coffee shops have lost so
much of their trade that their prOprietors
are in doubt about the possibility of con-
tinuing in the business if matters remain
as they are, were quoted in illustration of
this fact. 1t was also spoken of as nOtO-
rious that many young Hawaiians of
promise had taken to spending part or all
their evenings in the saloons since they
were accessible to them. DR.. Hyde had
collected a considerable amount of informa-
ton showing that the opening of liquor
saloons TO Hawaiians was doing mischief
to many. DIR. Whitney stated that during
the whole of his professional career he had
never had Il Hawaiian come to his office
the worse for liquor until within the cur
rent month, but chat several of those who
had lately consulted him had followed the
plan occasionally resorted to by his white
patients of thoroughly SIMPLIFYING them
selves with liquor before putting themselyes
in the hands of the dentist. Other speakers
mentioned matters that had come within
their knowledge ola similarly discOuraging
character.
We record these things with regret yet
we cannot refrain from the hope that they
are Indications of II C ndition of things
that will be found temporary in its clIarac-
ter. When we reflect on the excuses i'm
which white men who have been for amy
length of time restricted in their consump-
tom of liquOr-sailors coming off a voy-
age, for instauce-invariably Indulge, We
must give credit to the native people fou.
the moderation they have shown in using
Their new privileges. Nevertheless, & -
never we'll To be too s:tnguine about Iir.
capacity of human nature to resist tempta-
tons. : hat remedy, then, is available to
check evils which may flow from this new
liberty to use iutoXicants which has been
conferred on the Hawaiian race ? We have
the same answer for this question that we
should give If asked what will prove tile
most potent method of p~ersuading white
men to be steady in their habits. That
method we take to be the one of counter
attractions. This is "A wretchedly dull town
for any one to live in who has not a pleas
ant family circle in his own home to render
his leisure enjoyable. Something IS being
lone or contemplated by the Young Mems
Christian Association to ameliorate the lot
of the stranger and the lonely of English
speaking races. Something similar might
be devised for the Hawaiian. But it should
be done on a wider scale, and would prob
ably be more successful As a purely secular
movement. This light-hearted, mirthful
and music-loving people can be enticed
from wasting time, money and health i'm
liquor and billiard saloons, if only some
earnest minds would set themselves to the
task, and take it upon the method of
counter attraction"