The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-03-29
" AN OBSERVER.
Communicated. !


CHANGING to pick up a copy of the
Bulletin a few days old, my eye was
caught by an article appearing over
the above pseudonym, and purport-
ing to deal with the subject Of
Official Dignity CHANGING over
the article in question, [ was sur
prised to find the gist of it to be a
set of ideas, which 1 supposed had
been discarded and buried in every
English-speaking community, long
before any Of the present generation
saw the light The substance of
these ideas is that men holding pub
lie Office are above criticism, and that
the manner in which they may be
spoken Of, is in no way affected by
their personal character, or their
official conduct
This probably respectable, but Ger
tainly very absurd person, tells us
that he is more than surprised at
the laxity of respect shown by some
people in this city, for those to whom
are entrusted powers and ermlne of
government And further on he
says every blatherskite thinks that
the most priceless privilege Of his
citizenship, is the right to hurl in
vectives, neither choice nor refined,
against those to whom offices are
entrusted. To the ears of a foreigner
such conduct is not only disgusting,
but abOminable."
Here we have a very good iIlustra-
ton of the hopeless muddleheaded-
ness and inability to see facts direct
ly before his eyes, which is character
istic of the ultra conservative fossil.
''To the ears of a foreigner such con-
duct is not only disgusting but
abominable." One feels like asking
what is meant by such conduct being
mot only disgusting but abomin
able" to the ears of a foreigner, when
the foreigners themselves are the
very parties whose conduct is com
planned of.
"An Observer" represents himself
as a stranger, a member of a COM
munity where the respect due to
office is strictly enforced" He can
not therefore possibly be familiar
with, or refer to the slangwhanging
of a portion of the native press
against the Government, and can
only have in mind the things spoken
and printed by foreigners. Truly the
mental process which with this kind !
of people passes for logic, is wonder
full and past comprehension.
Perhaps we may be little free
and easy in our way Of treating and !
speaking of our public officers, but
if we are, there are some very de-
cided advantages connected with the |
habit Of Independent thinking and
free speaking which seems so shock
ing to this poor man from over the
sea. At all events it is simply una
voidable in a small community where
we all, or at least all old residents,
know one another pretty thoroughly,
too well in fact to afford much field
for that awesome and unquestioning
attitude Of mind and manners which
is so earnestly commended to us. In
more populous countries, the prince,
the senator, or the Judge is, to vast
majority of the people, a more or less
abstraction, known and
almost entirely in his Off
cial or titular relations.
Here it happens that the honor
able, the excellency, the Judge, the
royal highness, and even perhaps the
king or prince, are people that we
have known all our lives. We got
their measure long ago, and very
small measure it was, in some in
stances. We know that they are
people OF like passions with our
selves, and some of them consider
ably more so. We know, not by re-
port, or from the newspapers, but by
personal acquaintance, that people
with high resounding titles are some
times made of very common clay.
1t is impossible that we should go
down on our marrow bones, either
literally or fguratively, or speak with
lowncast eyes and bated breath of
Or to people that have lived in the
same small town with us all our
ives, that we knew as boys and girls,
With whom we competed success
July for prizes in school, whom we
nave beaten at peg top and marbles,
whom we have perhaps thrashed
'oundly for their juvenile impertin-