The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-01-14
THE RACIAL INSTINCT.


shaler OF Harvard College, who ha
presented the question of the racial in
stincts of the negro, TO the American
public, and its place in politics. Their
can, of course, be no exhaustive discus
sion of this matter, in our columns
We must confine ourselves mainly Il
suggestions A clearer understandin!
of racial instincts may help US to stee
wisely through the ugly political shoals
which surround US now, and will sur
round us for many years TO come, will
or without annexation. For want Of
space, We confine ourselves to the ma.
tive race, though all that we say is
equally applicable TO the Portuguese
the Japanese, the Chinese, and to the
Anglo-Saxon as well.
/
The dominent party, mainly of An
glo-Saxons is trying TO establish good
and stable government here. 1t must
deal in some way with the native race,
and it is under the highest obligation
TO deal with it justly, whether it asks
for justice or not The Anglo-Saxon
with his own prejudices, and racial in
stincts must sufficiently appreciate the
natives prejudices and racial instincts
He should not do so in order to yield
to them, but in order to understand
the native line of thought. This com
munity has been much at sea, because
it failed TO appreciate the force of ra-
cial instincts. In spite of education,
and experience, the dominent race
here thinks and acts largely on racial
instincts. The reasons for it appear
in the views which We print elsewhere.
The English have manifested the
most intense racial feeling towards the
French for several centuries. "'Eave a
brick at the bloody frog eater" is the
sentiment of all of the lower, and many
of the higher English classes. French
men despise the English. The litera-
ture of each country abounds in misre-
presentations of the character and mo-
tives of the people of the other country.
The people of both of these countries
unite in despising American ways. On
the other hand, the American misrepre-
sents and despises the English and
French ways. He believes in the utter
selfishness of the British nation. The
American here as a rule, believes that
Great Britain is willing to defy the
laws of God and man, and gobble up
these Islands.
He refuses TO believe in British JUS
tice or fairness. The Britisher, on the
other hand, believes that the American
has no sense of fair play, in his deal
ings with these Islands. The racial
feelings, after all guide the thoughts of
each. The racial instinct of the Eng
lishman is for a monarchy. That of
the American is for democracy.
The English statesmen, to a large ex-
tent, refuse to accept the political theo-
ries of American statesmen. The Am
orleans despise the House of Lords.
and want to know of what use the
Queen is. Running through social, po-
litical and even business life, are these
racial differences, creating angry feel
ings, constant suspicious, and even a
thirst for each others blood. These ra-
cial prejudices exist among Christian
nations, who acknowledge the same
Divine being, and occupy the same
heights of Christian civilization
These conflicting views do not arise,
it is evident enough, from any studious,
careful examination of the subject, but
come with the birth of the child. and
are fostered in his education. Chaun-
cey Depew said recently that if there
were a war between the United States
and Great Britain, it would be largely
due to the education of American chill
dren through their school books, in the
belief that the British were their ma
tural enemies.
Having suggested briefly, the strong
power of the racial instinct among civ
ilized nations, we shall in our next is
sue, consider the fact and force of the
native Hawaiian racial instinct.