The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-15

curry IN the case of any race is no
, easy. Are Americans truth tellers
The reply will vary with each one
knowledge of individual Americans, O
his acquaintance with certain circle
J of finance. Yet it cannot be doubtet
that as a whole Americans are truth
full. We are still evolving as trutl
speakers and have by no means reach
ed the goal. 1t is entirely unreasonable
to expect in a people but eighty-si,
years removed from savagery as com
plete an average development of tn,
idea of truth and of obedience to tn,
ideal as we show. When this is said
it can be added that the degree OF
truthfulness evidenced in ordinary at
fairs by the Hawaiians is a remark
able tribute to the power of Christian.
ity. There is simply no COMPARISON be.
tween him and the Italian as pictured
by Macaulay in one of his famous es.
says. He will falsify under stress, but
then, what average man of any race
will not? 1t is largely question OF
the degree of stress. With the Hawai-
! ian the breaking point is fairly high,
| taking the whole human world into
consideration.
| How about honesty? Secretary Taft.
| in an address at his alma mater not
long ago, sketched wildly the ageiong
development of the idea of personal
property. AS has been remarked u1-
I'll haif century or so ago, the Ha-
Wallan commoner never conceived the
notion, except as a dog does his bone
Since that time he has advanced CEN
turtles in decades. The tendency to
breach of trust in spending funds for
which he is responsible is all too COM
mon. 1t is not, however, evidence of
criminal intent as it would be with us,
but rather of lack of the property
sense. That progress in the acquire
ment of this idea is being made with
rapid strides, particularly since an
nexation laid wider responsibilities upon
Hawaiians, is matter of common OBJ
servation. The race is steadily making
good in honesty.
A more vital inquiry relates to chas-
tity. BEFORE the advent of Christianity
here this was absolutely unknown and
unguessed on these islands. Promis-
Guilty ruled supreme. Here, it seems to
me, the triumph of the moral ideal
has been more marked than anywhere
else, especially when it is borne in |
mind that Mormonism has been present |
with its deadly poison for decades, and |
that since the early days of discovery
the unprincipled white man has fought |
every step of the way to purity Of home
life with a fierceness of which orr
American mainland knows nothing.
Besides this the Hawaiian home is ex-
posed to the frightful assaults of the
horde of young, unmarried Asiatics.
themselves devoid of chaste ideals.
How any upbuilding of pure family life
~
ion of conditions passes human wisdom
20 conceive. Yet it has been and is
1eing done. Young girls subjected to
emptations unguessable in the States
ire being trained tc resist. Pure
ZONES are growing in number, and
With increasing frequency lapses in
routh are followed by reformation both
asting and of wide influence. Chris
ianity undertook it's mightest task in
he endeavor to frame in this climate,
ut of the most unavoidable materials.
n ideal of chaste living, and it is sue
eeding.
In the other virtues Hawaiians need
ear no comparison with us who boast
Christian ancestry many fold longer.
hey are determined to spare no pains
o lift themselves still higher. They
o not begrudge expenditures for edu-
alton which would give serious pause |
D legislators on the mainland. The
otal school attendance of children of J
ative stock has steadily increased
rom 1911 in 1908 to 1867 in 1906. Little
Y little the ambition to be worthy of
he new century is getting its grip up
n their hearts Not a few are begin
ing to leave the Territory for higher !
fucation on the mainland. Any Sc {
ious-minded student of human prog
ess who thoughtfully transports him
elf back one short hundred years must {
onfess that one of the miracles of his
'ry has been enacted on these faraway :
lets, and that the Hawaiian has Just {
led many fold the gifts which civili-
alton has made him. 2
Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands