The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-06
THE CHINESE
Of HAWAII
j. W. Girvin Writes
Of Their Life
and Traits.
BEST CLASS OF
LABORERS HERE
The Solid Virtues of Race Which
Hawaiians Have Cause
to Respect.


to Respect.
Editor Advertiser: This peculiar people
who have forestaIled the other nations of
the eartA in many inventions and dis
coyeries, as the compass. silk, porcelain,
gun-powder, printing by movable type,
and the discovery of America a thousand
years before Columbus was born, etc,
etc, are said to have been the first plan
tiers of sugar cane on these islands.
During the latter part of the 18th cen
| fury Kamehameha 1. sent trading vessels
!. to China and ii is more than likely that
some OF these brought a few of this en-
terprising race. It is stated that in 1902
a Chinaman brought a stone sugar mill
and started plant on Lanai. The fol-
lowing year. the crop or prospects, not
proving satisfactory, he returned to his
own land.
| When the Chinese first began to make
Hawaii their home is not recorded but
the records do show when they began to
be admitted as citizens. In former times
a foreigner was not allowed to marry a
zen. Probably this is the reason that
Chinese first sought naturalization. As
far back as 1S45 we find Chinese taking
out citizens papers. The natives took
kindly to the Chinese, who appeared to
learn the Hawaiian language with great
facility. They made good husbands and
fathers and in many instances had large
families Being great lovers of child
rem, especially boys, they denied them
Z selves much IN order TO send their child
I rem home to China to be educated, and
q TO support the grandparents. II was the
rule TO send the children home, and
4 where an exception occurs il is probably
4 accounted for IN the extreme poverty OF
! the individual. Today there are hundreds
! of Hawaiian born Chinese living in
: China.
: 1t is generally admitted that the ISL
ands are much indebted to the Chinese
: who through their Industrious habits
have redeemed land that for years had
fallen into disuse and made it rent and
tax producing property. AS the natives
! diminished in numbers and taro lands
: dried up for lack of use the Chinese leas
patches Also many lands that were but
tule marshes from time immemorial Savt
by them been reclaimed and made pro
ductive. As native labor gradually dec
out Chinese were brought in to take it:
. place, and probably it is largely owing t.
them that the Islands occupy the position
in the sugar world that they do.
We meet them in all walks in life
sometimes al the top of the ladder ant
n he
are Christian clergymen, teachers, doc
tors merchants, sugar baronS, gold
smiths artisans of every description
= gardeners, hucksters, fishermen, labor
I ers, and with the exception of lawyers
! think they run the gamut of all profes
sions or trades. We have seen one o
them carry off the prize for the hes
I essay in English, we have seen them lea
in athletic sports and we know OF thei
! success as merchants and importers.
it were not for the vile habits of CANT
1 ling and opium smoking, acquired by IN
4 lower orders prior to coming to the Is
! ands, and for which they are frequent
4 punished. they would be deemed the mo:
/ Iaw-abidire people amongst our polyglc
s populatiCu. There is an innate respet
/ for maintaining their commercial goo
name foule& amongst the Chinese tha
4 has never been attributed TO any otht
l race. The great fire of January 20 $50
] caused by t.. Beard of Health In its eI
: beavers 70 stay the bubonie plague, q
1 most wiped out the whole property Of tn
] ! Chinese merchants of Honolulu. 1t is
Z fart that Ebe loss of their goods ar
! prospects : more felt by them on q
I count Of its rendering them unable
I nav their debts than from any 9th
] cause. No people understand better Il
! motto that in unity is strength a.
( the thousand and one small companl
( which have been formed amongst the
] for carrying on every possible enterprl:
! legal or Illegal. attests the fact. A Pc
| ple who individually endeavor to 6
their moneys worth will not give way
| dissipation 1t is rarely an ineorlat
I Chinaman is seem
Their charities are as broad as n
presentations and these extend to eve
7 valley on the Islands. There are seye
I eIeemosynary societies among them
I whose attention any particular case
! distress is brought and these invaria
! look into the matter and the party
either assisted to return to China
I his immediate wants relieved The pc
I contract laws of the late Hawaiian g
/ eminent were seldom called into act
through the refusal OF Chinese TO flu
/ their agreements to labor, and invaria
/ when such was the case il was foI
that the laborer was oelhs lnapoSeu "
by some one having a little brief auth
I ity, or through some misunderstood
I EMPLOYERS Of labor invariably speak
l the Chinese as the best and most de
-~$ able class of labor, who once hav
-- knowingly entered into an agreem
carried it out to the letter. Strang
from the States often remark that
Chinese Of the Islands are supe
Err class to those on the mainland. This
RI not true, as they all come from az
cor the same part of China to both pla
ity. but I think the cause for the supe
a.. appearance of our Chinese lies in the
of their being better treated by the
a;gners here with whom they have c.