The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-10
THE GREAT DISCOVERY .

| What are the unwritten rules of
the Historical Society? What must be
the age of an event before it becomes
interesting, and worthy of the Society s
notice? Does remoteness in occur
gives to the eggs sought by Chinese
gourmets?
These questions are earnestly asked,
| because the Society utterly ignores the
| presence of its gifted fellow towns
| man" Mr.. Jas. A. Wilder who has re-
Gently made most interesting research
| es in the Island of Borneo, and carries
| in his pocket most valuable contribu-
ton to the science of ethnology No
| traveller from Marco Polo to Stanley
has displayed Mr.. Wilder's rare power
of furnishing a plain, unvarnished, and
therefore singularly reliable, tale of
experience and impressions in strange
lands.
1t is reserved to one born in Hawaii
to discover in the Island of Borneo,
and in that part of it known as Brunei,
that rarest of all creatures, the Con
Meeting Link" Darwin and Wallace,
it is we'll known, agreed that certain
species of ape, in the structure of it's
brain, it's innate love of alcohol, and
in other anatomical phenomena, form
ed the connecting link between man
and the animals. Both of these great
naturalists located this rare creature
in the Island of Borneo, but both of
them died in grief because they could
not find him and shake hands with
him. Mr. Wilder will now put at rest
the question which has caused so much
frantic disturbance among ethnolo-
gists. AS he has discovered in Brunei
and verified in person, the Connecting
Link, vulgarly known as the mias or
orang-outang, it is of the utmost i'm
portance that every circumstance con-
nected with this discovery should be
recorded for information of future ages.
The opportunity is one of lifetime
The attitude, the look, the clothing, if
any, the language of this anthrOpolo-
gical pillar of human evolution should
be carefully described. When man, for
the first time, through our tOwnsman,
approached this eminent Simian. he
respectfully, we are told, asked him the
question: Are you it?" and the reply
was courteous but decided, Il am it"
We all desire to listen with breathless
interest to the details of the interview
that attended this meeting.
The German poet, Heine, said that
the constant melancholy of the ape in
the Geological garden in Paris was due
to the increasing degradation of man,
his descendant. Did this great Simian
of Brunei entertain like views? Did
he regard man as an ascent or ''des-
cent?" Was he proud of the fact that
he stood as the bridge over the gulf
between man and beast? Had he writ
ten any works on the psychic differ
ence between them? Had he a religion
and a creed? In the lack of wise and
the governship of the territory?
1t is said that, after many confiden-
tial interviews, Mr.. Wilder secured an
option on this distinguished Simian,
for the purpose of bringing it before
the learned men of the world, with
certain incidental pecuniary advan-
tages to the promoter.
1t is also said that the Rajah of the
Sultinate of Brunei offered Mr.. Wilder
the office of Prime Minister of that
remote district, upon condition that he
would make a loan of $500 to the
Rajah, and would secure annexation
to the United States. While consider
ing the proposition, our townsman