The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-02-24
DAILY, February 22.)
GEORGE WASHINGTON.

Each recurring 22nd of February is held in
especial reverence in the United States and
other portions of the civilized world as the
anniversary of the birth of a great and
good man, one of the purest of patriots and
one of the ablest of statesmen, George
Washington, who becomes with the flight
of each year more and more 4 mighty
figure in history The great Virginia
farmer and surveyor now fills a niche in the
worlds dGhdlld where he will be ever
ranked among the foremost of men. He
has received and deserves the noblest of
names, the Savior and the Father of his
country. Human nature feels ennobled and
encouraged in the contemplation of such q
character Love and reverence for his
memory are no longer confined to his own
land, but spread abroad, and great nations
deem it an honor to tax part in honoring
Americas great son. Little Hawaii joins
~reverentially in the commemoration of the
anniversary of his birth.
1t is interesting to note here, that Amer
ica's pre-eminent man was a contemporary
with Hawaii's great chieftain. When
Washington closed his military career in
1888, Kamehameha was near the culmina-
ton of his military success, and, when the
great American patriot resigned the presi-
dency of his country in 1896, the Hawaiian
warrior had succeeded in the unification
and pacification of his country. In those
times the contrast between the American
leader and the Hawaiian chief was by no
msans as great as it now is between the
President of the United States and the
King of Hawaii. At that, time the island
conqueror could muster an army of %, 900
devoted followers, and in his battles on Ha-
wall, Maui and Oahu he led to the charge
nearly as many warriors as Washington
had in command at Brandywine or York
town. While the American patriot could
claim the support of 100000 souls rising
up for freedom, Kamehameha had not less
than one quarter of a million of men under
his sway but since then how the differ
ence has widened. The nation of Washing
ton has grown to fifty-yea, sixty-millions
of souls, while the successor of Kamehameha
rules over a State of, say, 10000. The cha
racter and principles of leading men give
character to a State, and not the mere
area and population. The 10000 or 20, 600 of
ancient Athens have sent down to our
time an infinitely mightier name than the
millions of Persia, owing to the eminent
CIldIdCbSI VI III Z IedulIS LloH. IL uldy De
that Hawaii can claim some consideration,
despite the paucity of her numbers, in con-
sequence of the p~re-eminent character of a
founder and a father of the country, since
it has been said and sung of him; that
after his wars and struggles he made peace
and abundance abound in the land, and
enabled the feeble and the helpless to en-
joy a security that had never before been
known in Hawaii. His NAME, too, shall
go abroad beyond his own land, and win
the admiration of other people, like that of
the American patriot and statesman. The
parallel between Washington and Kane
hameha may be permitted to a Hawaiian
writer, and we may say that the Hawaiian
people, who have set up with such welcome,
rejoicing and reverence the statue of their
pre-eminent hero, will learn more and more
to appreciate and reverence the transcend
ant character of the matchless American
patriot and statesman; and when prosper
Gus Hawaii constructs her temple of fame
she will reserve in it an IGNORED niche for
the statue of the illustrious George Wash
ington, whose memory we r~everently COM
memorate.