Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-08-16

The one other great force in the
establishment Of our country was Mr poavr et
iJ,aipidndi character. Without this, faith in the
common people would have been delusion,
and faith in principle an impossibility. 1t
was not the comprehensive craftsmanship that
appeared in the Declaration OF Independence
and the deliberations Of the national congress,
nor the startling victories won from the yete-
rams OF England at Ticonderoga and Saratoga
and Monmouth, by molly recruits, often
half-starvc,l, il-equipped, and nearly naked,
that challenged the respect OF the world so
much As the moral dignity, the inconuptible
character Of the men who guided our affairs.
With franklin and Adams as our representa-.
,ives abroad, and Washington al the com.
manding officer Al home, the power of per-
Sonal character was at its highest These men
were regarded as the cSponents of others, and
the multitude OF plain men, with character as
lofty and patriotism as incorruptible, rendered
the final triumph sure. 1t has always been so.
The virtues of Epaminondas make the name
Theban honorable, as the Rome Of Regului
and the Scpios, OF Brutus and Cincinnatus,
must always be great. At the turning point
Of the Middle Ages, il was the devotion and
courage Of one man, the monk iildebrand, who
become Gregory the Great, tha, saved for the
world the principles Of the supremacy of law,
| the freedom Of conscience, and the equality o
all men, and changed the face of Europe,
1
ism before which Italy and so large part o.
| Europe fell in the fourteenth century Relig
ion as living faith was nearly dead. Ecu
dalism, with its attendant violence, and the rul,
OF the strongest, Ieigned in the state. Tn,
revival OF Greek and Latin letters had exalted
heather thought TO the first place in literature
and culture, while the morals Of paganism hat
thoroughly penetrated and prevailed all grade
OF social lie. What saved England ? Tn,
power Of a few solitary men. The pure iigh
that burned in the lives and words OF such mel
as Grosse,ete and Bracton and OCEAN anC
Bndwardinc and Wclif kept England fror
sinking in the universal decay, and opened IN,
way for those other men, whose sanity pict,
and heroic conservation in after years laiS
good foundations in this distant land, ant
made the name OF Puritan and Pilgrim ioreve
Illustrious. On the prevalence OF the persona
virtues which these names suggest depends
in chief degree, the permanence Of our ma
tional life.
And this brings us face to face witt
the title of this preachment The
kingship OF Kings We have meant
to consider the word king in the sense
OF leader. 1t matters little whether
a leader inherit leadership, or acquire
II, whether he be born to a throne, OF
be elected to it. In assuming every
Leadership the leader assumes obliga
tons as well rs accepts privileges. One
OF the most binding Of his obligations
is the obligation so to live that his ex
ample shall make his followers better
not worse. The world knows that thi,
obligation seldom has been kept b,
human kings, So much the worst
for the world for leaders and io
followers. We are lighting for honor
able leadership the world over, Her,
IN Hawaii not less than otherwhere
But we are coming to see more clearll
day by day that the kineship OF IIa
wali's king is not . benehccnt ex
ample ior the Kingdom. And, wher
earnest and manly men protest, tn,
answer returned is very likely tina
memorable answer What are 20.
going to do about ill' Earnest mel
honestly believe that the kings attitude
towards reform di,courages Us adher
en,s and couup,s the easily corrup,e'
people whose moral nature need lh'
the constant stimulus Of . high eS
ample. And what are they ",o dc
ab lut iri" When kamchemeha IL
took his stand in favor OF high moral
and manliness, by confirming the pre-
micship OF kaahumanu, the example t.
the Hawaiian people was potent 70
nearly generation So valuable Al
example has seldom been sci by an,
ruler In comparison oi the sIzes o
the two nations, Constanline's stand 10
christianity Was no more important Il
the Roman Empire than that Of IA
, mehameha 70 the Hawaiian Kingdom