The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-03-23

education aud makes a capital citizen.
No more hardy white man can be
found on the globe than he, and ne is
better adapted to and prefers farming
above other vocations. In his native
land, the Swede is subject to great and
sudden climate changes, extremes OF
heat and cold in some localities, so
unsettled and disagreeable as rue, to
make the country an undesirable
abode. But, though he prefers the
northern districts of the United States
he is found in several localities down
south, notably, along the Colorado
River i'm Western Texas where the
thermometer frequently rises to lOOdg:
in the shade, and that in the midst OF
harvest. There are some in Santa re,
in Arizona Che hottest place on Gods
earth, barring Arabia), and in the eX-
tremes of California. They harvest
wheat in Kansas with the thermom-
eter resting between 80 and 9o degrees
in the shade, and live in the Dakotas
and parts of Minnesota, where it
sweeps up to 1O3 ana l04 degrees.
Farther south we find them in Chi
huahua, Mexico, Havana, and even
Nicaragua, where a prominent State
official, at present, is Swede. There
are Swedes at Jaluit i'll the Marshall
Islands and, | understand, they have
lived on Mill and Ponape, right about
the equator. In Samoa some are
found and we have few here. But
the Pacific Ocean has received more of
the mariner type of Swedes and few
or none from the rural districts.
Therefore, a practical test OF their
merits as farm laborers has never been
made here. / consider the Swede the
most efficient, desirable and available
white labOrer within reach of the Ha-
waiian Islands. | would not advise the
useof Italians; MeXicans are preferable.
Nor would / advise the importation of
Swedes from America. They can be
brought from Sweden with their fam
ilies) without trouble. To further il
lustrate the habits of the Swedes, |
will say that, out of the population of
Sweden (1S9O), 4,7S4,9Sl, 1886, 500 live
in the rural districts, and a greater
are dependent upon farming
for livelihood. 34,2l2 emigrated to
other countries in 1890, most of
them going to the United States.
With regard to education Sweden
occupies 4 very prominent place.
Primary education is compulsory
for all children of the country, and
this principle is so strictly ap-
piled that in 1884 out of $500
children of school age, only 10, 143
were not under tuition. Christianity
was introduced about the ninth cen
fury, and now claims the whole coun-
try. The established religion is the
and there are Baptists,
Jews, MethodIsts and Catholics, num-
bered in the order | have given. The
farming class is poor, and the agricul-
tural laborer earns q mere pittance.
Twelve dollars per month would be
-oad to certain fortune in the eyes of
tlany a poor, but industrious, farmer
Of Southern Sweden, where the popu-
Iation is thickest. The Ouly thing in
the way is our lack of seasons; but
there are Swedes, NOrWegians and
Russians in this country who seem to
thrive on perennial spring weather.
A little encouragement offered the
hardy husbandman along the Cattegat
would secure for Hawaii sufficient
labor, and that of the very best char
lcter, would insure the productive
prosperity of the country, and, in the
end, give her a colony of citizens
steady, economical, honest, moral,
lasting benefit to the country and
society; each one a staunch supporter
Of good government, and patriot of
the truest type. 7.