The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-06
To ADMIT
HAWA||ANS
DR.. Cooper Wants
Them to Join
Elks.
HIS REPORT TO
THE GRAND LODGE
he Asked for Special Dispensation
to Permit Them TO Wear
the Antlers.

| DR.. Charles B. Cooper, District Dep
uty of the Elks in Hawaii, made a
| strong effort at the recent session of
the Grand Lodgegin Salt Lake City, to
prevail upon that body to open the
| lodge for the admission of Hawaifans
| Although the Grand Lodge did not then
pass favorably upon his recommends
| ton, DR.. Cooper believes that at the
next session the matter will be taken
up and decided in favor of the PEOPLE
for whom he presented the claim
When DR.. Cooper left Honolulu to at
| tend the Grand Lodge session, his pur-
pose was fixed to make every repre-
sentation in behalf of Hawaiians. His
report on the question was a long one.
and was supplemented by authorities
as to the origin of the Hawaiian race
not the least of the contributors being
Prof. w. D. Alexander The purpose
of Dr. Coopers recommendation was
| to break down any barrier of race
question respecting the Hawaiians
with relation to the one thoroughly A
merican fraternal order. The Califor-
mia Elk in it's issue of September q,
contains the following with reference
to his report;
SHOULD BE ADMITTED.
Rro rbac ID roopar +I,o n n 4, d
r. for Hawaii Territory, in his report
to the Grand Exalted Ruler, favors the
admission of the high caste Hawaiians
as Elhs. We agree with Bro. Cooper,
and regret the Grand Lodge did not act
| upon his suggestion. He says in his
| report:
| The question of asking for a special
| dispensation from the Grand Lodge for
| the admission of native Hawaiians or
part Hawaiians Chose having eau
easian blood has been much mooted by
members of the order here.
I wish to say that under the present
circumstances, the Hawaiians them
selves are taking no initiative in the
matter. Their innate sensitiveness
would preclude anything of the kind.
ORIGIN.
According to Prof. W. D. Alexander.
the acknowledged historian of Hawaii,
the question of the origin of the Ha-
waiian race is one which is not yet
fully solved.
POLYNESIAN AFFTNITIES.
Their affinitles, not only of the people
of Hawaii, but also of the plants and
animals, are with the islands to the
south and southwest. The inhabitants
of all the islands in the eastern Pacific
from New Zealand to Hawaii, and also
to Easter Island, distributed over an
area Of four thousand miles, may be
considered as one race, which is COM
monty called the "Polynesian," for they
all speak dialects of the same language,
have the same physical features, the
same manners and customs, and SINH
lar traditions and religious rites. The
first settlers in Hawaii must have ar
rived in very ancient times, as is prov
ed by the discovery of human bones
under ancient coral beds and lava
flows. 1t is estimated these islands
were inhabited as early at 500 A. ID.
A few of the arguments that might
be used in favor of the admission of
1td"dlldIS OF lJdIl-I1ei ~ SAAS
order are as follows: They are free
men and have never been slaves. Ha-
walians, or those of Hawaiian blood,
are accepted as worthy brothers by the
Masonic fraternity, and many are Sznd
iegree Masons, Knights Templar and
Shriners. They are accepted In Ha-
wall on an equal social footing with all.
Both sexes intermarry with whites ana
the Caucasian who marries a Hawaii |
an OF part Hawaiian forfeits no respect
or social status by so doing. A large
number of the highest government po-
sftions, both local and Federal, lnclud-
ing the judiciary, are filed, ana ably
So by Hawaiians.
The schools are open to all alike, and
they are thus educated and grow up
with whites, in perfect equality.
The Hawaiian is naturally kindly,
hospitable, intelligent, courteous ana
extremely sentimental. The brutal
crimes of the negroes in the south are
absolutely unknown in Hawaii. The
Hawaiian is of good, regular features
handsome, stalwart and inspires no
feeling of racial aversion.
One of the chief arguments which
might be used is the injustice to the
sons of Elks, who have mothers OF Ha-
waifan blood. To cite one case, one of
the members of Honolulu No. 616, when
the lodge was struggling. at the pesln-
ming. and needed funds to close an ad-
vantageous proposition in the puylhs
of a home. volunteered to loan the
lodge $4,000 at IL per cent for seven
years (when the banks were demanding
and per cent?, thus nobly coming
to the rescue. at a meeting when this
question of admitting Hawaiians was
under discussion, he spoke feeiingly on
the subject, saying that his wife was
part Hawaiian although 1 had known
the lady for some years, her appear
ance did not denote the Hawaiian in |
the slightest. and the children are as
fair as my own NOW" he continued,