The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-11-29
GIoRlfICATloN.

The Re, Mr. Kinyaid oa Thanks.
Ewing day. took she American eagle
co tn. top Of the mountain and let him I
loose for an hour, before she people /
In doing 10. BE- followed and 30 Tar /
''honor.d" one 81 oar traditions. The |
eagle enjoyed 90. The BIRD n Freedom
rose IN the air. sgrocghrd. sN1op"i
down TO the earth where tho miserable
lnue chickens OF other nItiuuaIitlos
were huddlcd together ana then bor"
SIS Joyous pin.ous up fo Heaven with
pride IN the everlasting greatness Of
America Possibly the pulpit here and
elsewhere. stands a. the moral doctor
minis;ering 10 minds diseased and IL
feels that there are occasions when a
little moral arsenic Is needed to stimu-
late the soul; that a dose once a year
VI the double-eNtract Of Spread-Eagl
ism should be given for the torpid liver
Of the nation.
But there Is always danger In Civ
ing these stimulants Of seIf-exaltation,
as they are apt to react In Indifference
and self -sufiiciency The bread pills ~
the truth are safer.
The pulpit said on Thanksgiving
day: I'VE are proud of the war OF
1912. because our fathers were fighting
for the rights OF our own citizens"
This is exaltation. but II 1t true? We
recently reviewed the memoirs Of that
great Revolutionary statesman, Rufus
King He took no pride" in that war.
We are sure the pulpit vii recall the
fact that after enduring the humilia-
ton OF seeing the national Capitol
burned by the British in that war, We
hastened to make peace, without secur-
ing the rights our fathers fought for
and that II was nearly forty years later
that Great Britain conceded those
rights tsee Buchanan's Message 1866.
We do take enormous pride in the
naval engagements OF that war, "glori-
Gus" in our eyes. and no doubt equally
glorious in the eyes OF God, who looked
down upon his children, while they cut
each others threats In His Name.
But the pulpit, while throwing open
the throttle valve for the escape OF the
sounding steam OF exaltation, is silent
about the Mexican war, which brought
us such an immense territory, but was
SO unjust and disgraceful that General
Grant, at the time Of that war. a lieu
tenant, wished to throw up his com
mission, rather than draw his sword In
IL. At this hour. the Indian Rights As
ISOLATION stands before the nation, as
il has stood for years, pleading in sor.
row of the feeble Indians whose rights
have been, and are still outraged.
And today, throughout the Southern
States, the constitutional rights of the
negro are constantly violated whether
wisely or not We do not say hare), and
the blood OF the black man Is hardly
dry in the streets Of Wilmington. be-
cause he stood on his constitutional
rights.
The truth is that the sober minded
young men and women who are now
studying history at its original sources
JUDGES and theories OF historians, are
not much inclined TO eXaltation. They
find as Emerson puts II, that we are
only at the morning star Of our ciyili-
zation. There is much to take pride In.
There Is much 10 take shame in. Even
IL these students do not care TO watch
the soaring OF the eagle, they do have
a deep and abiding faith in the newt
able evolution OF good in the world, in
the certainty OF the final coming Of the
far of Divine event.
Still, the pulpit, In its diagnosis of
the moral nature OF man, may justly
feel that these excessive stimulants
are healthful. II may believe with tbs
Italian statesman, that Individual
must be modest, but modesty degrade
nations" Even the truth itself ma!
be too sharp a medicine. 1t is ofte'
a nasty dose, and perhaps 1t SHOULD
not be generously given on Thanks
giving day.
There used to live in a New Englant
town an old topper, who when he wa
sober, attended temperance meetings
and applauded the loudest of all. Whei
asked why he did so, he replied tina
he wished TO celebrate and encourage
his sober side, because he knew thu
other side would be always getun,
drunk.
Walt Whitman wrote: Il celebrate
myself" Perhaps the pulpit is right !,
holding that the nation should cele
brate itself, even II the other side
is not always what II should be.