The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-06-27

.ander addressing the last meeting
of the Social Science Club, ON the
subject of immigration, after allud-
ing to the "Wise policy of the
British Government" in the island
# Singapore said, "These islands
ave not yet become a Singapore,
at we have gone dangerously far
that direction" Professor Alex
der also said that, the island,
ngapore, was formerly "Occu-
pd chiefly by tigers" but mira
bifdictu, under British rule and
gulance, a thriving city of over
2O0D0 souls has been evolved to-
geter "With a great port of call
for tipping" The Motley congre-
gatin of human beings" of which
the rofessor speaks rather dispar-
aginly, may it not be a par
tial relization of possibilities
suggested in the idea Of which [
have somewhere read that, one
bloc runs through all nations of
mens However this may be, the
conditions Of life at Singapore are
not robably, officially or estheti-
cally on a par with those of Bos-
ton il Paris, but there is, possibly,
a question of how far we should be
travling dangerously" were all
ouraffairs guided with the discre-
tial that rules in that British
cpwn colony of despotic type"
II will, with your permission,
presently show how certain ad-
vartages of no mean order have
acc;ued to Singapore from efforts
"to extract from it it's latent
wealth." and in this respect pro-
badly Professor Alexander is wrong
in suggesting a comparison between
Venice and Holland, and Singa-
pore, as showing the outcome OF
two processes that he looks upon
as very different, if not antagonistic,
but which history shows, play ne
cessary, and almost inseparable,
parts in the evolution of mankind
20 higher levels. The conditions
that obtained in Venice and Hol-
land, and those recognized in Sin
gapore are 30 absolutely unlike,
that differences drawn from such
comparisons, for our own guidance,
might very easily be worse than
useless.
Moreover, it can be shown that
the power holding the reins at Sin
gapore, working together with those
that are seeking to extract from the
country it's "latent wealth are,
together, helping to build up a
+" civilized state" in the best way
the local conditions permit. What
more did Venice or Holland? What
more has any country ever done ?
Touching Singapore, a recent
writer says, The Malay natives
being hopelessly indolent, and the
climate being quite unsulted tor
European laborers, no Industrial
would have been posi-
bic without the Chinese, who have
become next to our
selves the most important element
of the population, and in 1891
$4,000 males and 49,
600 women. These figures include
"a, 700 born in the colony, of whom
5000 were males and Is, 400 were
women. Among the |
Chinese born in the Straits Settle
ments the traditional antipathy of
their nation to European institu-
tons is much modified. They no
longer have any desire to visit |
China, and they permit their |
daughters to learn the English
language in the Colonial girls
schools, which are open to all ma
The young men and boys
have acquired taste for English |
outdoor sports, such as bicycling,
cricket and football and have be-
come so proficient that, European
clubs do not despise them as an
The Chinese have seats /
in the legislative council and on
boards, and are admit
ted to the colonial bar. In these
various ways the barriers so long
maintained between the Europeans !
and the Chinese are being gradu- ]
ally reduced and an identity of in
erests is being recognized"
AS many of your readers will |
,ay with me, "Homo sum nihil
1umani a me alienum est" There
ore | ask space for this communi-
,ation. Yours obediently,
CHARLES +. HART.