The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-07-19
HOW CLOTHES
KILL NATIVES
Some Interesting Discoveries
of the Army and Navy
Journal.

The disposition of the highly civilized
man to make light of the customs in
dress of the savage or semi savage
races is one thing that often impedes
successful government of new colonies
and that makes the introduction of So
called Christian government simply the
forerunner of the grave digger AS soon
as the white man obtains power over
the savage and begins his work of re-
form, he makes a dead set at his clothes.
To the average Anglo-SaXon and Euro
pean, clothes are the synonym of vir-
tue. Without clothes they hold there
is no virtue, SO they Immediately set
tC work to replace the fig leaf with
skirts and trousers. In recent works
on the evolution of modesty historians
have shown that the idea of modesty
can exist apart from the clothing; that
the covering the body was originally
adopted, not from a sense of modesty,
but from a desire not to excite aver
sion.
However, in our alleged highly civil
lied communities, even, we have stan
dards of attire adapted to cir
cumstances and conditions. In the
winter, at swell functions, ladies can
unclothe themselves almost ad lbitum
above the waist, while in the ballet
similar freedom is permitted below the
waist line. In summer our bathing re-
sorts see a display of bare feminine
flesh that fgw years ago would have
occupied all the energies Of the w. C.
T. t.. and perhaps left the canteen
without assaiants. Our own customs
we modify to suit taste and climate but
we d"yv this privilege to the islanders
living in = climate with a fierceness of
heat of which we know but little. In
stead Of permitting them wide lati-
tude in matters of dress, we think that
in enveloping them in stiff shirts or
starched pettroats we are putting them
at once In the armor of virtue, obliv-
ious of the fact, attested by all explor-
ers and travellers. that virtue Is more
conspicuous among people with whom
dress is the exception than among
those with whom dress has become an
art.
We have always been suspicious of
attempts, however well meaning, to i'm
prove the morals and conditions Of
tropical islanders along the lines Of
civilized apparel. That our suspicious
have not been Ill founded Is shown by
what Captain y. f. Tlley, U.S.N., Gov
ernor OF Samoa told Secro taIy Long,
the other day about the inroads OF
in Samoa. Captain Tllley
said that the adoption of clothing by
the Samoans had introduced lung trou-
hlcs Into that mild climate. In the old
days before the white men obtained
control the natives went nearly naked,
themselves from rain and
iampness hy liberal applications OF co.
'Oauut OH which was quite as effective
~ the oily secretion OF ducks back
n shedding water Nowadays. the ma
I've man wears clothes and no cocoa
nut oil ana when the clothes become
vet cold follows and IN many cases
tuberculosis recruits.
II was only I'm last weeks Army and
Navy Journal that mention was made /,
Il the use 10 witch British officers put !
ncoanut OH as body yarnish 10 abate
be evils ~ excessive heat IN India 1
While much progress has been made +.
p sanitation and IN medicine. there are /
pc few who believe that tho greatest
Frnry f1F the physical regeneration
I the human race les IN reform in
ar apparel that will - mankind ana .
ON hlInd ~ ihe evils that spring from e.
no daily hfess Looking a. an Amer. =