The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-04-22

Good Results of Educational lnSti-
tutionS Possibilities in
OrientalS.

The following paper, entitled
PoIygIot Community" was read by DR..
g. p. Andrews before the Social
Science Club Monday evening:
A pressing question at present in Ha-
wall is. What shall we do for laborers,
without increasing our stock of Ash
atics? This is my apology for the fol-
lowing thoughts, developed by the sit
uation, but not intended to be in any
sense exhaustive. | hope, however, 1t
may elicit some discussion.
Since the confusion of tongues doubt
less the mixing of races has been q
source of anxiety to those threatened
by an onslaught of lower grade OF
people. In the history of Egypt and
Israel we have many examples. The
former especially had hard expert
ence with the children of Jacob. They
solved the problem by keeping the
strangers apart. both as to religion and
location and when at last the Hebrews
went out with high hand" they left
little impress upon Egypt, but took
much of Egyptian influence upon them
selves. Later they had q similar ex-
Derience in Babylon, but this time they
left their impress, religiously. upon
the Babylonians. But there was apparz
emily little social impression made.
In Roman times the mixing of peo-
pIes was carried on as a governmental
policy. and it's effect was very striking
in it's effect upon the Romans them
selves-the luxury of Greece proving
a bane to nation OF warriors. On the
contrary, the Roman immigration into
Gaul, Germany and Britain resulted in
| the opposite, starting each of these ma
/ h nh O
manifest today in the positions they
hold as the ruling powers of the world.
On the whole history demonstrates
gain more than loss by amalgamation,
| though there are nota BILE exceptions.
The advancement is always where an
! ignorant race is brought in contact
| with a superior.
To illustrate, take Great Britain. The
earliest known people were barbarians,
and their conquest by Rome and the
settling of large numbers of Romans
in the country resulted in very great
| advancement in civilization. Subse-
quently, incursions of Saxons, Danes,
and finally the Normans, by the weld
| ing power of centuries of intercourse,
| have built up the Englishman of to-
| day A very complex ancestry is his,
and each element in it has contributed
|
resents more than fifteen hundred
years of growth. We can trace each
step in the construction, and see almost
| from century to century the several
| elements being aSsimilated.
If we turn to the United States, there
is an amazing example of a heterogen-
eous people and one in which an alien
but enlightened race has overwhelmed
the aborigines - though unlike the
British, the Indian has little part in
| the new nation. We may regard the
present North American as n carrying
on of the Englishman to q much higher
degree of complexity in race elements
The policy of the United States witt
her enormous available territory has
been, until very lately, perfect liberty
of citizenship to all who wished Il
come. Already there are clear fore
shadOwings of what the future Will d.
with the medley of races Fifty years
have largely Americanized the wild
Irishman. and the Europeans who have
come are all susceptible of assimila
ton. Scandinavians, Slavs, Teutons
French. Italians, Portuguese, ct id OU1a
genus. are all fish for the great net, an
even the first generation born unde
the stars and stripes. no matter how
ignorant and degraded the parents
shows wonderful step toward adjust
ing the alien to the American type.
| was much struck with this durini
a recent visit to the States, among tn
Italian population of Chicago, and else
where among Poles and Swedes. TIL
germs of progress seem to have existe
in all races, and in this century the al
: mosphere is peculiarly favorable I
their growth And indeed signs are no
: wanting that the Oriental is wakin
| out OF his long apathy
In passing it is interesting to not
that the progressive nations are a