The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-30

| tues or hlnun6SS, ana SSItIOS4-
ty. The social and family affections,
says Fernandez. were as strong in the
old Hawaians as in any modern people.
Christian or pagan" They divided their
possessions with their friends, and took
pleasure in doing it. Lazy and greedy
persons were not wholly unknown among
them; but they had their punishment
they were stigmatized by such terms as
( hoap:li mea al. friend for the sake of
dinner
Briefly. here We're happy people. And
why? Because they were exempt from
the regime of competition-there was
food for all; in time of. peace at least
there was no struggle for life. But why,
again, this? why this exemption
from the usual fate OF man?
! The usual answer is that which We
may seem to have given already-the fer
] tile soil. the genial climate, the abound
! ing sea, the entire absence of noXious
natural forces. But this, like other usual
answers, explains nothing; it is no an
swer at all. In countries like Java, Cey-
Hon. and large parts of India and China
we find natural conditions not indeed alb
| solutely so favorable these, yet nearly
| so: but these are the very countries that
have suffered terribly from overcrowding
and famine. In Hawaii the conditions
are those which elsewhere have produced
loVer-population, and its resulting degra-
dation; yet in Hawaii there was no over
popula ton; although they had their hard
! times they had no destructive famnes.
During the nineteen years of my resi-
dence there, there We're sometimes short
ages In the sweet potato crops; the ma
tives went into the woods and dug up
kind of fern that had a succulent.
starchy root and with this and a little
fish they eked out an existence; but de-
structive famines are not in their record.
What then is the explanation of the
Polynesian immunity from the struggle
for life, and from the misery and debase-
ment that accompany It? Why We're not
these Islands crowded like countries IN
der the old civilizations, with millions
of people whose entire energies are spent
in the effort to earn, not living, but
half a living or less?
The data for the answer has long been
before the student, yet the true answer
as 1 think has not yet been given, The
ancient Hawaiian's exemption from the
struggle for life, and the effect of this
exemption on his character, were not due
to climate, or to soil, or to any physical
conditions; none of these things gave the
Samoan. the Tahitian, the Tongan, Ha-
waiian, his joyous temperament, his Win
ming manners, his generous heart.
Throughout Polynesia the struggle for
life was evaded by restricting the natural
increase of population. BY this restric-
ton the population was kept down to the
means of comfortable subsistence; there |
was food enough for all; the community
lived under no economic stress; and in !
consequence it attained as have seen. |
this remarkable development of genial |
and generous traits and of material hap |
p:ness
Now this has direct illustrative bear |
ing. as it seems to me- on the greatest |
of social problems--the lessening of hui !
man suffering, the augmentation of hu-
man happiness. No sane thinker would |
advocate a resort to the barbarous and |
wastefuI infanticide of the Po1ynesians;
day, and throughout the world in the not
distant future, the great question must
be this: How to limit the mere quantity
and how to improve the quality of the
population.
To some this problem seems to lack
actually, as long as any corner of the
world remains uncrowded; and emigra-
ton is proposed as a cure. But, in the
first place, emigration on sweeping
scale is an impossibility. Imagine the
population of great city being called
upon to emigrate; where are the means
to come from? What would become of
the people if deported in masses? Few
Of them could attach themselves to the
soil In a word, the relief of emigration
IS not feasible, except on a limited scale;
for more reasons than one, 1t is impos-
sibe in majority of cases But suppose
would the relief thus given endure? Only
for few years. AS commonly after
wars and famines, the population would
spring up more rapidly than before, and
he gap would soon be filled. Neither in
he old world nor the new has the pow
arty of crowded cities ever been cured by
Now consider other schemes of allevi-
iting misery, poverty, crime; put any
)ther theory of reform to the test and !
-ou meet the same difficulty. Some the
'rists regard a better education as a
some would seek relief in inn
proved legislation, others in better
knowledge of the laws of health: others !
n finding employment for the poor. in
wisely directed charities; others say in
morals. the Sermon on the Mount; others
n religion. culture, philosophy All of
hese are good and desirable but none of
hem touch the essential point; none
would prevent the overcrowding of the
'oorer population Suppose any of these r
eforms actually carried out Would any
f them, would all of them together. ma
erially check the multiplication of the 6
nfit? The eternal law of Nautilus sur
ives; its cruel action is little hindered
y any of the popular phlanthropieS
hey have been Intellectual in the past
hey viii be found Intellectual in the flu a
1re. The only effective relief of human
uHering Will be found in checking the
multiplication of the unfit-in the intelIi-
ent limiting of mere numbers, and the
onsequent Improvement of quality. It is c
ne most difficult of reforms, because r
9th State. Church. and popular opinion
among mem, are against it, IL
ct II Is problem that grows in impor-
lnce with each new generation. The c
of population In France. while
is disadvantageous as long as a ma
on's virtue is measured by the size of
5 armies, is a step in the right way.
The reform that IS most needed in the
orld is one of a distant future; it is to >
'ok for quality, not mere quantity of :
fe, and to put humane and scientific
lecks upon over-population. Only in
his way viii the cruel struggle for ex- :
tence ever be lessened; only thus will L
Iture generations suppress poverty dis II
and crirnA 70 ,-inical,. -I-hinL,