The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-19
THE HAWAIIAN.

Some one was speaking the other
day as to the status of the native Ha-
waian. The old native Hawaiian was
shrewd, ignorant-as far as Western
knowledge was concerned, but full of
the legends and knowledge of his own
people-and hard worker. Moreover
he fully appreciated the advantage of
the use of Western knowledge and the
use of the English language. During
the last thirty years there has been a
constant desire on the part of he ma
tive Hawaiian to have his children
talk English, and during the last
eight years taught in English. AS a
fact the rising generation of Hawaii
ans are practically English speaking
and their trend of thought must in a
great measure be English too, seeing
that many of them know next to moth
ing of Hawaiian as a language.
The question whether the Hawaiian
character has improved under the
forcing process is another matter.
Among the old natives though there
was intense subservience to their chiefs
there was also a subtraction of sturdy
independence, which was a very val
liable attribute. This virility seems to
have been in a great measure lost dur
ing the process of educating the young
on the Western methods. For time
the dignity of labor was lost sight of
and large number of the younger
native Hawaiians started out with
ideas of life totally at variance with
their actual chances and surroundings.
The generation alluded to above be-
longed to "A period of any where from
shirty to ten years ago. The trend of
education during past ten years has
been more practical and has obtained
better results. Boys on leaving the
school or the college do not now think
that they must be lawyers or parsons,
but are willing to go to work, prefer
ably to skilled work.
The lack of the Hawaiian mind up
to the present is organization. And
yet there is organization lying some
where back in his mind. His ancestors
invented the idea of the Hui" plan
of organization which some of the best
writers in Europe and America are
talking of, and which, to a certain eX-
tent, resembles the Russian mir"
Some people who have not gone below
the surface say that "Huis" are not
successful, but such a statement is
completely contrary to fact. Many a
''hui' is doing well, it's members max
ing an honest and profitable living off
the land they own or lease in common.
One need only go down the Kona
coast of Hawaii and see the prosperous
little Hawaiian communities nestled
in every bay Take Honaunau and
Hookena for example. The houses are
well built and properly furnished and
it is the aim of each member of the
community to build himself good
house. During a nine years experience
the writer can remember dozens of
houses that have been erected at these
two places. Moreover he has had an
opportunity of inspecting many OF
them and knows whereof he speaks.
Taking the rising generation of ma
tive Hawaiians, their prospects to
make good and useful citizens are
good. But they must not be molly
coddled, They must be left to fight
out their own salvation. This, The Star
has every reason to believe. they are
capable of doing. The curse of the
native Hawaiian is the part Hawaiian
agitator. But his day is nearly at an
end. The spread of education in Eng.
fish allows the Hawaiian to think and
read for himself and not to depend up
on the garbled translations, if not the
right down lies of political tricksters