The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-03-30
THE While MAN In The TROPICS

Mr.. Alfred Russell Wallace, one of
the highest living authorities On the
life of man in the tropics, declares that
the statement is entirely untrue that
the white man cannot live and work
in the tropics. Mr.. Wallace not only
resided in the hot countries for
twelve years, but obtained the expert
ence of many others who lived in the
tropics. Moreover he is a noted biolo-
gisf- He cites the case of many Dutch
Families in the Moluccas, who have
been continuously on the islands for
300 years, and still have the fair COM
Elexions and robustness of form char
acteristic of their Kinsfolk in Holland"
He says: The fact is the white men
can live and work any where in the
tropics, if they are obliged, and unless
they are obliged they will not, as a
rule, work even in the most temper
ate regions. Hence, wherever there
are inferior races, the white men get
these to work for them, and the kind
of work performed by these interiors
becomes mira Dig for the white men.
This is the real reason why the myth,
as to white men not being able to work
in the tropics has been spread
abroad
Professor Biackman, of Yale college,
ON the same subject, quotes from the
report of the National Board of Health,
- sstt,
that the negro surpassed the white in
enduring tropical OF Southern climate
was false He believes after many
years of observation in Florida, that
the popular impression regarding the
Inability of the white man to work in
the tropics, is incorrect.
The climate of Queensland is entire
1y tropical, and yet there is no COM
plant about the white mans inability
to work, either as a gold miner, or
sheep shearer, or railway hand.
At recent dinner given in Boston,
Capt. Stockton of the Navy said: THE
white man was the man to put in the
Navy, for he could stand tropic heat
and Antarctic cold better than any
other race
The climate of Hawaii is more favor
able to the healthy living of men from
the temperate zones than many other
tropical climates. But men are found
here who will say that the white man
cannot work in the tropics. Olmstead,
in the ''Seaboard and Slave States,
said that while "a a slave owner in
louisiana was telling him that no
white man could work in the South,
1ba was watching a gang of Irishmen
who were digging bitches ON the plan
fation-the severest of all work when
NE pointed out these white laborers to
the slave owner he replied quickly:
1sWeM. an Irishman isn't white man"
There is no reason, so far as climate
ia concerned, why; the Anglo-Saxon
SHOULD not do all Of the manual labor
in these islands But there are many
/ strong commercial and personal rea-
Sons why he does not. So long as a
4 larger money profit can be taken from
Asdaaic than from, American labor, the
American will not be wanted as la
! borer. If it is said that the profit of
GOOD civilization Should be taken into
the account as we'll, as the money pro-
n 1T. frM reply is that such talk is an
I disappearing and. impracticable propo-
4 satdOn; that, as a rule, any business
conducted ON the Sunday school the
CRY of loving youIs heighbor must come
to grief: that any concessions" made
Inv good men to the doctrine of the
hrotherhood of man are merely acts
OF formal politeness towards the Lord
and have no business" meaning IL
q them.
The fact that the bone and sinev
I OF Hawaii is today mainly Asiatic, ant
II the addition to that bone and sinep
/ is constant, means this: That even i
II the white man can work in the tropics
III we do not feel that there is any Divine
u or other call to make ourselves mis-
e sionaries for "Propagating the White
Man in the Tropics"
After all, and upon more exhaus
tive study of the question, does 1T no
appear that in extending to the Asi
atics the blessings of our free institu
fions. and in putting before them tn
object lessons of our civilization, W
are doing a grander work than can b
done by permitting these Islands TO b
Infested with any more white labor
ers?o If in doing this, We make in
cidentaaly profit out of it, we ca
rest assured that the profit blesses tn
work