The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-02-05

much further The Cinnamon are
now pushing to the wall that pro
duct of two civilizations. the Euro
! pean merchant, the nabob OF the
| Orient.
1t is thus seen, making all allow
ance Tor demagoguery, for the preju
dlces Of the ignorant and the un
thinking, that the concensus of opin,
/ ion IS against the unrestricted immi-
grafton of the Chinese. The cause
/ Is obvious. The Chinaman can un-
der-hve US. He can do cheaper
work, simply because his standard OF
living is far below ours. He not
only eats Leslie thinks less-he
feels less-he LIVES less. In any
competition with the European race,
of which he Is capable, he will come
out first. In the struggle for exis-
tence in fair. field, he, as believe.
has no competitor.
1t is not claimed that. in any de-
paItment of effort, he is as capable
as the European. l believe that the
average European, from hoeing cane
to any mechanical pursuit, can do
more work and better work than the
average Chinaman. But can the
European do work enough to bal
ance the difference in cost of living?
In other words, does not the cost of
living to the European bear a greater
ratio to the product Of his labor than
that of the Chinaman? Unquestion-
ably. In Honolulu, where every
thing is dear, Chinaman can live,
in his way, for perhaps six or seven
dollars per month-at any rate for
twenty-five cents a day. Now what
would this sum amount to in the liv.
ing expenses of an Englishman or
an American? Well, perhaps in a
kind of brutal, animal way. he could
live on five or six times this sum.
Suppose then that in amount of work
and point of finish, three white men
will equal five Cinnamon. Again
suppose the white men be paid twice
the wages of the Cinnamon. Say for
argument, we pay the white men
two dollars. and the Cinnamon one
dollar each per day Now counting
the lowest cost OF living to each one
IN his accustomed way, the Celestial
will live, thrive, rear family and
save money. while the white mans
family, if he have one, viii show
signs Of poverty and squalor Thus
We find that while the white man
may do more and better work than
the Chinaman, there is not enough !
difference. considering the two modes !
of life, to make the Industrial con
test an equal one Our civil |
cation is costly one. Our |
food Is costly, our clothing costly, |
our schools, churches, literature, etc,
all cost money. Even our cleanli-
ness and decency are costly, thus |
the fruit and flower Of life
our morals costly.
But" it may be said, If the
Chinese can beat us in the struggle
for existence, is it not an evidence
that he is the better man?" By no
means? If we attach any moral sig
nifcance to the word better" Turn
the thoroughbred horse and the don
key out together on equal terms, and
see which will survive; and yet we
10 not for moment call the donkey
better" than the horse. For most
purposes for which we wish either,
he horse is infinitely the superior.
The survival Of the fittest." there
,ore, in biological or scientific sense
$ a colorless scientific phrase. with
)ut any moral significance whatever;
md it is in this sense used when
speaking Of the Chinese surviving"
u an industrial struggle with the
European.
Then the question may arise, if
he Chinaman is thus superior in
his industrial sense abroad, when {
with the European, what
nay he become at home provided he '
dopts our methods in the arts and i
Industries of life. May he not be t
bic to deluge the world with the c
of cheap labor, and thus 1
Y underseu all competitors? /
f the conditions be closely scrutin- f
zed, [ think this Will prove an idle Q
ear. We must remember that the
nyironment of the Chinaman abroad a
) very different from that of his own 7
ONE. Abroad he has the use Of our e
1Ols and inventions for the abridge- ?
lent of labor At home he is at a q
and to hand contest with nature. {
nd is likely to remain thus. t
l was never so impressed with the q
over of tool, so clumsy even as a 4
heel barrow, to facilitate the I'm 1.
ded exertions of man to do work. u
; when | saw both Chinese and jap k
lese removing material from rail e
ay cuts A mat about two feet IL
Iuare, with rope attached to each 81
,rner. was spread on the ground, OF
it'll man ahold of each rope. A
It'll man slowly shoveled, or rather Is
cd the mat full, and the four men z
Cited slowly off and deposited OF
like a f-wheelbarrow- II
j. One Irishman with a shovel OF
Id wheelbarrow would have done n ne
ice the work of the five Orientals u
took to manage the mat. 1t will eli
adily be seen that however indus as
.ous and economical he is, so long az
he remains at home, Europeans Fe
ed not fear him. IN
As to his adopting our civilization -
q bpcOminp like rs 7 think tbara