The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-04-02
Official Dignity Again.

Mr.. EDITOR: l want to follow up
your correspondents lively observa-
tions upon the idiotic demand of the
Bulletin writer to have all high Off
cials held in awe and reverence,
. irrespective of character" This
position, though foolish and often
sive, is nevertheless one taken by
good many people in this community,
and by some from whom better
things might be expected. There
are some who have an innate affinity
for whatever is dirty and scabby, and
| accordingly like to see hOnOrs put
upon persons of such qualities. The
more Ioathsome the private life of
| the big man, and the more corrupt
| his public record, the more cordially
/ do these people bow and grimace
! before him, and with the keener
appetites do they beslaver his boots.
/ They appear to have a genuine ad
miratiOn for such parsonage. They
! model their miserable lives upon his,
! and count their nOblest hours to be
those passed in his society. If old
| Beelzebub himself were in exalted
position among us, this kind of cat
tie would hang about him and pay
! him reverence with all the more
satisfaction, because of his disting
uished Tartarean eminence.
But there is another class, simple
minded rather than cOrrupt-and to
this class fancy the Bulletin genius
belongs silly souls are deeply
impressed by titles Of lofty sound,
and who have the feeling that the
holder of such title and rank is
something more than human, verify
one to worship and abase ones self
before. Their imaginations are pro-
foundry wrought upon by the exalted
position of the lofty being who
moves before them. Their feeble
brains become hOpelessly added,
they lose all sense of right and
wrong, fitness and unfitness; for is
not this indeed god in whose gra-
cious presence they are privileged to
sun themselves? All this kind run
after the great people and hang
about them, no matter how foul and
I, low their lives are, as if enjoying the
highest honor and privilege of their
existence So will you see the
humble burro lift up his exuberant
ears aud trot delightedly after that
superior being the horse that strays
into his paddock. Said horse may
be the most vicious and worthless of
scrubs; but burro asks not after
character and worth. Is it a horse?
Then let me worship him!
Some of this indiscriminating rev
erence for rank and title is derived
from early associations. Who has
not seen a chiefs attendants work
ing themselves up into a delirOus
ecstacy of emotion in chanting the
praises of their Hege? We do not
wonder at these absurd gOings on in
natives, because they inherited such
notions, and were born and trained
to worship their chiefs. But it does
strike one sometimes as homogeneous.
to see the apparently honest and
sincere tOadylng of some decent
white people. 1t Is still more stimu-
lating to ones sense of humOr to see
the lofty airs habitually worn by
some very Ornery' people, because
of the intimate relations they or their
families have enjoyed with great
| persOnages thing too often not to
be in the least proud of, but quite
the contrary.
l am not to be understood as OBJ
iecting to the observance of due
forms of respect towards persons in
official station. They represent the
state; they represent responsibility;
they represent the presumption of
high character. if not the actual pos
session Of it. When royalty or high
officials visit national ships, salutes
are appropriate. When the Judges
formally enter the Supreme Court.
or the King officially enters an as
sembly, the people should rise, out
of respect to the office, at least
There should be proper Difference of
manner towards, and respectful
recognition of, persons in high posi-
ton.
But to be told that we must not
openly criticize or condemn the con-
duct of exalted personages, is an
outrage on the good sense and feel