The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-22
TEMPEsTs-1N TEA POTS.


amount of energy into affairs which in
a larger and broader organization of
human beings, and one more in touch
with the rest of the world, would be
treated with scant notice, while people
would go along on their lines of bust
ness and duty with never a thought
given to what rouses us to fever heat?
1t is a curious study, because this
fevered or hectic interest shown in GER
tain subjects comes to men and wo-
men who belong to a somewhat phleg-
matte race, not easily reused and
usually priding itself upon it's calm
judgment and its icy appearance of
''insouciance," of immobility.
1T is a question very difficult to an
swer. The fact is there, the cause is
exemplified every day, and instances
by the dozens can be cited in the past
fifty years history of the Islands. Take
even such an instance as the present
Legislature. Every State and Terri
tory has its Legislature, but the bulk
of the citizens do not give their at
tention to Legislative proceedings that
we do, nor do they rush to vitupera-
ton and denunciation as we do. Legis-
lators of the foolish stripe that we
have here, Legislators of the wild eyed
and erratic minded stripe, which we
also have here, are abundant all over
the American continent. Very few
communities on the mainland, in fact
one may say no communities on the
mainland take them seriously. Yet we
take them Very seriously. On the main
land they say, wait till next election,
and they got on waiting till next cleo
tion some times for number of years,
but they get there with their votes at
last, and withlnot half the heat devel-
oped on these Islands over some trivial
matter which is not worth considera-
ton.
The fact is we are forever having
some storm in tea pot, and as the
amber colored fluid rolls from side to
side of the pretty container, and the
stepped leaves rise to the surface and
anon sink down again, we cry what
enormous waves! What exhalations
from the vastly deep, what strange
monsters rise and sink again in our
ocean, limited only by the glistening
sides of the china pot. How serious
it is, and our faces turn pale. The
whole world is looking upon us. We
must be up and doing. And all this
seething and bubbling, all this earnest
ness and energy over a pot of tea.
One cause of this phase in our char
acter is our isolation. We probably
have a community with more bright
intelligent and forcefm men than the
average. There are many broad mind
ed, well read and studious men. Our
business men are forseeing and pros
porous. Our planters have been pheno-
menally successful. One would not ex-
pect such men to be carried away by
storm in a tea pot, yet they are. 1t
is the result of characterization
which is brought about by isolation.
Small matters, which on the mainland
would not occupy any ones thoughts
half a minute, loom up into big mat
ters here. On the mainland there are
daily before the eyes matters of great
moment. The policies of the mightiest
nations are laid upon ones breakfast
table. The amusements of the world
can be read of before one gets out of
bed. The business ups and downs of
the great world centers can be assimi-
lated during the time one is waiting
for ones bath to fill.
Local matters, it is true, occupy the
minds of men on the mainland. but
they do not occupy their minds to the
exclusion of all else The local issues
are valued at their proper relative
worth, but men know that there is
something far higher and greater to
which attention should be given than
mere local issues. With us the local
issue is the main and the only idea,
and we fasten upon it with as much
energy as the political organization of
State puts into a presidential cam
paign.
1t is this seriousness with which we
regard trivial subjects, this earnestness
which we throw into them for the mo-
ment, that makes the community the
ready prey of any Charlatan political
or legal, who will play his cards with
ordinary skill. 1t only requires a sue
cession of glittering bats to be thrown
out in the way of attacks and inuendos
against prominent persons or perma-
nent institutions, to set the whole lot
of puppets jerking their arms and legs,
and opening their mouths. And the
amusing part of it is, that the excite
ment when worked up as speedily goes
down, while some new toy of fancy is
presented for us all to scramble over.
1t was not so long ago that the COM
munity was wild upon the liquor ques-
ton. Now there is not word about
it. Then there was Iwilei. Miles of
paper were used in denunciation. Now
oil 4e, sal