Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-10-27
Nv EN.JOI IE,rIRE.


iions lAntN btNCcs uoctof OF civil law nj
Oxford, and member Of the British Parliament,
ior the suburban London borough ~ Tower
llamlcts, lectufcd last Thursday nipht n,
Y. NJ. G. a. Hall for the benefit of the assoei.
alton. The hall was well filled hy an
apprcciaiive audience, who listened attentivcly
iur M hour and hall to pleasantly delivered
conversational lecture on Turkey and its dcpcn
denotes, with an interesting outline Of the
" Eastern Question. Mr.. Bryce has lie.
livery that engages and holds the attention Of
all who can hear him, hut his voice is uniottu.
natcly scarcely powerful enough to meet the
requirements Of the large apartment in which
he spoke.
Hon. \. T. Judd, President OF the
'. NJ. {. A., when introducing the lecturer.
took occasion to congratulate those present
upon the fact that they had to address them
that evening = gentleman who held q lecture
ship in the grand old University Of Oxford.
England; and who, further, he believed. occu.
pied a sea, in the British House Of Commons.
II seemed TO the speaker that already there
were beginning To I've noforcign lands, whenhere
in the middle of the Pacific he saw such m audi.
ence assembled to listen to description Of his
iourneyings in eastern countries, from the lips
OF MI. Bryce gentleman hauling from
country so far away from their Hawaiian king.
DOM hut witha so like one OF themselves in
his apparent tastes and sympathcs lie had
much pleasure in introducing to them the
speaker Of the evening.
Mr.. Bryce twhose appearance on the plat.
fern was greeted with cordial applause) pre-.
by stating that when asked by the Y. NJ. c. A.
committee TO deliver lecture that evening, he
had informed the gentlemen making the re.
quest tina, whilst an effort to place before an
IIonolulan audience some information gathered
during his travels in dis,an, lands, would afford
himself much pleasure, he had to express
hope that they would no, cxpec, from him any
thing in the nature of formal or finished adj
dress. He would, therefore, endeavour to
give those before him that evening, in an in
formal and conversational manner, only, few
OF his recolccIons some of the more striking
and salient impressions OF his experiences
during two journeys in eastern lands. The
reason the Y. NJ. {. A. committee had asked
tor some consideration of the features Of life in
those oriental countries was, he presumed, be.
cause their situation was so far removed from
us-as far rs 1t possibly could be. Although
Honolulu appeared to the Engshmen in Eng.
La, t..
west, or so far west as To be nearly east, ii was
surprising to him to find as he journeyed
through and about America and on these
islands, how little the features of civilization
countries to that which he had been accustomed
10 in western Europe. Notwithstanding a
number OF distinctions and marked peculiarties
in connection with life in America and the
west generally, he could not help being
struck with the fact how much more
the life in these parts was like that of
of Europe than was Europe like the East.
| Here the contrast between the social condi.
tons Of the two situations were not at all
| strongly defined. A man from England,
France, Germany or any of the western coun-
tries Of the continent of Europe, appeared,
comparatively speaking, at home at once on
his arrival and soon brought himself into har-
mony with the few exigencies of the novel life;
but on his turning his steps eastward, journey
| ing, say, up the Mediterranean, on to those
countries where Mohammedanism was recoe-
Missed as the paramount religious element and
| where the Turkish rule stood as the badge OF
stagnation and national degradation, things
become very different he thoroughly realizes
| that he has at last reached another part of the
world.
The first thing that would not fail to strike
the Englishman's attention in connection with
oriental life, would be the difference to that of
| his own and similarly situated countries so
| far rs activity, change and progress were
concerned. The East stood still There
was perceptible evidence of the absence
| of progress, and one Of the earliest things
to fix itself upon the observation was the
| familiarity OF so many Of the scenes and
customs to those who have, in THERE arly days,
delighted To study that boon of many child
hoods hours "The Arabian Knights" Above
that, sights and sounds Of Turkish and Syrian
life were lamiliarized by recolec,ons of
the christian bible. The very characters Of
holy writ in many cases appeared almost
10 start up before you to secure the complete
ness OF the transformation. In those chimes
| they saw the OK tread out the corn upon the
hard mud floor of the barn. They saw after
the heat OF the day had passed the people be-
taking themselves to the roof to escape the
Again the gates Of eastern cities were still, as
they were in the days Of the ancients, the
places Of resort, the rendezvous, of the fashion
able society Of the city--in fact, Comparatively
speaking, Of everyone. II one were travelling
towards an eastern town to seek the where
abouts of an acquaintance he might almost
with certainty rely upon finding that aequaint-
ance in the afternoon Of the day at or some
where in the vicinity Of the entrance to the
city.
| In the matter Of the chiefiansbips Of the
wandering tribes who peopled the wilderness
was this remarkable feature, the retention OF
habits, prejudiccs, traditions, remarkably no.
liceable. Patriarchal leaders in the present
day led hordcs Of these wandering children
about just as did Abraham in Genesis and Just
as the 'Amelkites were led in Exodus and
Numbers In minor matters the similarity be-
tween the existing state Of things in the olden
and present times went still further. Whereas
almost the only source from which the travel
Ter in Europe had occasion to apprehend dan
ger was a railway accident, the daring individ-
ual who sought adventure and interest in
eastern journeys was compelled 10 be pre-.
pared for the depredaiions Of robbers. large
bands Of whom were constantly moving about