The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-11-21
To Zone of the Fellows"

To Zone of the Fellows"
Mr.. EDITOR: Will you allow me space
in your columns to define the position
assumed in my remarks on " One OF the
Fellows" first communication that ap-
peared therein? He says correctly in
his last letter that l laid myself open to
the criticism of having started out with
the premise that my standpoint was dia-
metrically opposite to his. L did so be-
cause I chose to deal with his letter in
what seemed to me to be its literal mean
ing, and one that carried very errone-
Gus view of the subject he had under
consideration, rather than with mean
ing which might be inferred from the
gentle spirit and generally fair tone that
pervaded it.
There were indications in his letter,
that our standpOints were the same to a
certain extent: the difference being that
he asked for the relaxation of the high
moral standard of admission to society In
these Islands to make matters easier for
those who are inclined to be free in their
habits; while the writer hereof, panied
with seeing the deplOrably numerous in
stances of the same, and the growing ten
dency to overlook these things and treat
them as of little if any Importance, could
not but feel the need of rigid care on the
part of those who love to live in pure
moral atmosphere, and cannot be salts
fed with any other.
The tendency to laXness above re-
ferred to is undoubtedly attributable in
part to the steady influx of foreigners,
whose position in society has been fair
or even high, but whose moral tone, as
exhibited here, is comparatively low !;
and in part to the "human sympathy"
felt for them by those whose moral
standard is practically high. 1t is hard
to close the doors against an erring fell
lOW-man and say to him, "yOu have de-
graded yourself, and | cannot associate
with you nor recognize you until you
have wiped out your bad reputation with
a clean life" An occasional lapse is
therefore overlooked, and then more
frequent one, until finally, man of
VIGOROUSLY loose character, provided he
preserve an agreeable exterior, may be
seen to mingle freely with others at
social gatherings, and pure maidens who
might be supposed to shrink from the
touch, and their fathers hearts to ache
for them, may be seen in his arms
whirling through the mazes of a dance.
Is this right, and dare anyone say the
picture is overdrawn? Shall we let the
bars any further down?
To say that young man must be
bad, when not within the pale of the
church," would be foolish and often
times very unjust. And to think that
a mans belief is not honest, simply be-
cause it does not agree with ones own"
is equally so. A man is not usually
condemned for what he believes, but for
what he practises; and to show ga wider
human sympathy" to fellOwman who
would make, use of it only to gain social
pleasures, and not as an aid to uphold
him in pure upright life, would be
simply to make a fool of oneself, while
committing an injustice to another man
OF more honest purpose.
After all, L seriously question whether
it is really more difficult to get into So
ciety in this country than in any other.
| incline to the belief that the difficulty,
if not fancied one, is only felt more
here than elsewhere, owing to the pecu-
culiar conditions that exist here, among
which may possibly be the want OF
public entertainments. But | have al
ready trespassed too much on your
space, and will only add an expression
of sympathy for those who have expert
enced difficulty in gaining access to
such society as would satisfy their
needs, and serve to cheer and help them
on their way through life.