The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-07-25
THE RIGHT OF WAY
How an Euglishmau v'l Kick and Grow
TN lie GhIn. ID. Point


TIN Tie Gnlu- Iis Point
This IL a true story, aud one that is in
tended to illustrate Characteristic Of the
English people 1t shows, / think, to
what lengths an Euglishman viii go TO
gain his rights when an American would
say, ooh what is the use'' or. Never
mind,n hut he will learn In time that
the reason the Englishman has better
roads and better streets and better pro
lection for his life aud property is because
be "makes kick about it, and protests
and gruVls and il generally disagrceablc
until he gets what he wants. Equally
strong with his desire TO have his rights is
the Eng shmau's Difference for the rights
of others He shows his Difference by re
speeding the English law, which makes
those RIGHTS good. There was young
woman A England who told me that she
and SIEVE ] or eight other young people had
tramped in single file through gentle
mans q ming room one evening, while he
and his guests were at dinner in order to
establish right of way The English
man har built his house on meadow di-
rectly across a pathway that had been used
for cent? ries. and once year the young
people o. the neghhOring estates marched
across his lawn and up his stairs and
through his house in order that he should
remember that the right of way still eN-
listed. She was an exceedingly shy and
well bred young person and of "A family
quite rs old as the right Of way, but il APP
parently did not strike her that she was
rude in tramping through n strangers
house, or indeed that she was doing any
thing but public duty. And the inter
esiing point of her story to me was that
the English householder, instead of get
ting a winchester and driving the young
tresspassers off of his lawn. should have
had so full an appreciation of their right
TO question his right that he simply bit
his lips and went to law about it.
There was an Irishman in the same
county who lived in small cottage on an
estate and who was in the habit o. cross
ing from it to another through the gate
way of very distinguished and noble
gentleman. He had done this for 20
years, and when the noble gentleman
came into some more money and hung
two fine iron gates between the posts the
Irish laborer took cruwbar and broke
the hinges on which they hung and
tramped over them on his way. He was
put in Jail for this for month, at the end
of which time he went after his Crowbar
and tore the gates down again. When he
had been in Jail five times IN SIX months,
the people round about took up his case,
and the right of way was declared IA just
one, and the gates came down forever.
The Englishman will 90 further than this
he will not only fight for his rights, but
he will fight for some other man 5 rights.
He will go out of his road to tramp
through a gentleman's property simply
because the people in the neighborhood
are disputing for right of way with him.
l heard of three young barristers when
was in London who went on a walking
tour, and who laid out their route entire
ly with the purpose in view of taking in
all the disputed rights of way in the coun-
ties through which they passed, and who
cheerfully sacrificed themselves for the
good Of Others by forcing their way into
houses and across private grounds and by
tearing down hedges.-Harper' : Weekly.