The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-04-28

SSLalIohS III A5ulIS up the prOutS on
the sale of whisky, but when we take
into consideration the glorious object the writer
had III view when he penned the article
that of rending the shackles, which bind the
poor lnebriate 10 the fiery pillar Of the demon,
rum. l regard IL, sir, as one of those cases
wherein the end ~iustifies the means, but I do
not admit that the picture drawn by your con-
temporary, of the heartless saloon keeper is an
oyerdrawn one; for anyone who Will attend
temperance meetings regularly, as / have done.
must feel convinced that the rumseller cannot
be painted too blackly. If this lover of truth had
published his effusion ST any other time, I would
not have deemed it worthy of notice; but Just at
the present when the Y.M. are jubilant
over the completion of their magnificent new
building, and are straining every effort to pos
SEES themselves of the books in the Public
Library, 1t has a tendency to do great mischief.
l am not an active member of the Association
but l am with them in spirit, and sincerely hope
in my heart that none of the contributors to
the Public Library will object to having their
books pass into the keeping of the Association,
for feel assured that their strict rules and re-
gulatlons would prevent too great q
rush INFO the Reading Room, thereby
insuring the books from being soiled
And right here, sir, I beg to offer q suggestion.
Mechanics, and such like people. after a hard
days labor, lack the necessary time, and many
of them the inclination, to battle and properly
clothe themselves merely TO spend an hour in
any public reading-room, and if they did so,
their tired brains would not be in a fit condition
20 lAOIOuSnlk uiSSSI what tlSN READ, ana 50 the
hour would be thrown away. | would suggest
that four hours OF the Sabbath daY-say from 9
10 II III the forenoon, and , to 1 ia the after
noon-be set apart for all cleanly-attired and
withdrawing persons who may choose to attend.
Seafarlng men have a reGding-room at the
Sailors Home, which will furnish all the mental
pabulum they require, and to which they are
welcome. 1 think my suggestion a good one,
and hope to STE it adopted.
But let me return to our self-styled =" Lover OF
Truth and his wicked SnHer Mt the lbarality of
the Visiting members of the Y. NJ.
c. A. The true piety and brotherly solieitude
of these gentlemen for THEN fellow creatures
does not perveut them from knowing
something of the weakness and sinful tricks
OF many of the inmates of Il hospital and
others whom they meet elsewhere, and if they
are not lavish in their gifts of money or cloth
ing, l presume it Is only because they are fear
full lest what they bestow III the name of charity
would be perverted into a means of procuring
what would be hurtful to those weak-minded
ones. L freely admit that an orange or a lime,
or any harmless fruit that is not objected to by
the physicians is generally appreciated by con-
valescentS. But fruits, like other things, cost
money, and when we take into consideration
that these goodly men are not millionaires,
l think we can easily excuse them this
much for they certainly do enough in other
ways. For proof of this 1 refer your readers to
the department i'll The Friend under the editorial
management of the Y. NJ. G. A. And yet Mr..
Editor, in the face of all this l am grieved to
say, that there are men in this community, many
of them high in social and commercial standing,
who scoff and sheer at their labors, calling them
hypocrites, political meddlers, seekers after
place, &c. Now, sir, you have it in
your power to refuse to publish the
writings of such scoffers as u Lover of
Truth" Mrs. Negus," and the like, and
l most earnestly pray and beseech you to
do so henceiorth. On last Monday after
noon, [ vas standing in front of our church on
Fort street awaiting the arrival of a friend,
when l observed two plainly dressed ladies ap-
preaching along the sidewalk, and as they came
within earshot. L overheard one of them remark:
"This whole church business here needs re-
formation, as you say. These church folks are
pretentious, exclusive and selfish" Here they
passed out of my hearing, and l was heartily
thankful, l wished to hear no more of such IN
fair insinuation. l grant you, sir, that in mat
ters of religious discipline and worldly pleasures
our ways and customs appear very odd to the
uninitiated newcomer, and unlike anything he
or she may have met with, or been accustomed
to, in other lands. But they suit us very well,
being exactly what we wished and studied to
have them be. And furthermore, sir, l deny
the right and deny the attempt of any one to
batter down with the pen of criticism the pious
breast-works we have lalored for so many
years, to throw up around our little Fort, within
which We hope to protect our faithful few from
attacks of the Evil One.
Five years ago Mrs. Negus might have cackled
until she became blue in the face, and we would
have snapped our fingers at her but now that
the Treaty has brought SO many strangers to our
little Paradise, it behoves us to be up and
doing.
In conclusion, sir, permit me to say to all
proper persons among our new arrivals here,
who may feel religiousIy inclined-'Do not
which you may hear or read that we are clannish
and exclusive, but come to us, and you will find
that we are ever ready and anxious to take you
inn Yours, etc, Fl. JOY.