Middletown transcript., 1898-07-09
HAWAIIAN MoNARcHs.

HAW Allan mONAhCdS.
European annals. Originally each island
had its own king, and some more than
one, but about a century ago arose the
great Kamehameha, and in series of
wonderful campaigns reduced them all
under his rus.
He is the great Hawaiian hero, the war
rior, king and sage, the David and Sol
omon and Haroun al Raschid all in one.
But it is great mistake to say, as many
recent writers have done, that the civil
zation he fostered aspurely native and
original, and still more to begin Hawaiian
history with Cooks voyage. A hundred
years before that the islands were visited
by white men and many times between
that date and Cooks visit. White men
lived on the islands even before Kane
hameha's reign They had introduced
many improvements, and he had the as
sistance of some of them in his wars.
He was succeeded by five kings of his
blood, who took his name as a title, but
were known by other names. Of these
Alexander died in 1868, and Lot late in
1872, William Lunalilo taking the crown
in January, 1878. David Kalakaua was
elected to succeed him in 1874, and in
1891 he died and gave place to Liliuoka-
lani
Now, the old royal line expired as
aforesaid with King Lot, and as King
Bill and Kalakaua though of ancient
royal stock. had to be voted into power,
there was necessarily some lowering Of
the royal dignity and lessening of the
royal prerogative. And as liberal con-
stitution had been adopted and a govern
ment established somewhat on the Eng
lish model there is really no change
perceptible to the mass Of the people in
adopting provisional government semi
republican in tone.
And through all this century, while
civilization was rapidly progressing and
later while Christianity was becoming
dominant, the Kanakas were fading away
at rate unprecedented since the tender
natives of the West Indies died off under
Spain's harsh rule. First, the wars of
Kamehameha wrought havoc, and as the
last of these wars was ending there camo
a mysterious pestilence which reduced
the population by one-fourth or more.
Diseases introduced by profigate; sail
ors doubtless wrought some destruction,
but not nearly so much as has been re-
ported. Then came the leprosy Tor rather
it developed) and for time threatened a
general destruction. Even now it is a
great curse, but not so destructive as
formerly.
Beyond all these known causes, how
ever, there are causes not understood.
A too rapid civilization is often fatal to
primitive races. The sudden inflow of
new impressions on unprepared nerve
centers breaks them down. The wear
ing of clothes seemed for time to make
the native women barren, as they paid
no attention to the ordinary rules for
keeping their raiment in healthful con-
dition. Another cause has lately beaE
assigned in these words: "Hawaii Is
holiday land-a lazy land-a soft, lux
urious, voluptuous land-and the de-
preston from safety is correspondingly
great. There is no set purpose in life,
no firm and high resolve, and so when
melancholy comes it kills"
No other man dies so easily and gently
as true Kanaka. He can lie down and
die whenever the notion takes him, and
with no apparent disease. This happens
among many dark races, but with none
so often as the Kanakas. Captain Cook
guessed their number at 100000, and it
may have been half that. In 1922 the