The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-06-25
EAST, WEST AND MIDDLE.


All readers of history know that
the great Roman Empire was broken
up by irruptive incursions of hordes
Of barbarians from the north. As
the avalanche sweeps down the side
Of an Alpine mountain, burying man
and his works in utter ruin, so the
vandal hordes from the northern re-
gions swept over the plains of Italy,
and left nothing but wreck and ruin
where before there stood some of
the greatest works of art and archi-
lecture the world ever saw. Rome
was no longer the home of states
men, warriors, poets, philosophers
and artists. Her greatness-the
political and material portions of it,
at least-passed away. But the
ideas of the orators, iurists and
warriors survived, and may be ap-
propriated by the humblest reader
in our own land. The irruptions
that overwhelmed the Roman En-
pire in disaster were beyond the
control of the people. Scarcely had
they knowledge of the existence of
their foes until they were swept
before them, as if overtaken by
tornado. Whether they had notice
of the impending danger or not, it
is certain that they were unable to
avert it. For had they been adj
viscd of disaster, and failed to take
every possible measure to avoid it,
they might very justly be denounced
by posterity as poltroons, or idiots,
or both. When the nation was at
tackled. the Romans were not the
people to fold their arms and re-
sign themselves with the indif-
ference of mastery inactivity to
their fate. Self-preservation is the
first law of patriotism, as it is the
first law of nature. Whatever indi-
Gates danger to the commonwealth
rouses the spirit of the people.
What was true of Rome is fast re-
peating itself in the affairs of these
islands. Whatever there is of civili-
zation in this Kingdom, and there is
more than ever was attained by any
people on the earth within SO limited
period of time, is threatened with
as complete overthrow and ruin as
was carried, in the early centuries,
into the heart of the Roman Empire.
The fall of this Kingdom into bar
barism will be more terrible than
that of the Roman Empire into po-
litical extinction. The higher the
nation stands in the heights of the
worlds civilization, the more dis
astrous will the downfall be. That
civilization here is of higher and
better type than ever was dreamed
of by the most sanguinc optimist of
the Romans, scarcely admits of a
doubt. In her free liberation of all
crecds and religions, her courts of
justice, her laws, her public schools
and colleges, and all other practical
appliances of the most advanced
society in Europe and America, the
Kingdom of Hawaii is centuries
ahead of Rome. And yet, as affairs
90 at present, the total wreck of all
these glorious institutions is but a
question of very few years. The
tide of invasion is rising higher and
higher, and breaking with ever-in-
creasing force upon these shores.
The conquering hosts are on the
march, not at a distance, but within
the very borders of the Kingdom.
Reinforcements are pouring into
their camp every month. They
only need a little more time to be-
come irresistible. Then will there
be collision, but it will be too late
to avert the catastrophe. Had
Rome been able to do it, she would