The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-03

| there is a constant unwritten local op.
ton to make it of no effect, ignorant
ly, weakly or wickedly. Along with
all political effort for public better
ment-front center and behind-must
go the appeal to the conscience, in
telligence and self-interest of the citi-
zens; front, to get the law and the
officer; center, to get out the educa-
/ tiona1 value; rear, to secure respect
and enforcement. All prohibitory leg
| islation must be embedded in peren-
| NAL campaign for total abstinence, and
! loyalty to law because it is law. And
as the mountains are round about this
city, so the public schools. the churches
and the homes of this Territory are
round about every hope of moral prog
! ress.
Having first obtained the permits
/ sion of the superintendent of Public
Instruction, I have visited practically
! all the schools on Oahu, Kauai, Maui
and Hawaii Except Puma and Kohala,
/ which unfortunately I had to miss for
! lack of time), to speak to the chill
| dren about the physical effects of al
conolic drinks and the nobility of gov
eminent by law, scrupulously, of
course, avoiding politics and religion.
| The teachers without exception well
coined me, and the work was quite
the most fascinating and compensat-
ing I have ever done. The eagerness
of the cosmopolitan little audiences to
hear and to learn. the almost tragic
depth and exactness of their knowl-
edge already gained. the promptness
and enthusiasm of their response, the
pathetic background of their history
and environment, and their outlook,
! made an impression on me that I de-
spair of making anybody understand.
The teachers, I believe, had not me-
elected to teach the common learning
on the subject, but the voice of a
stranger and the novelty of first-hand
facts about other States and countries
sharpened the accent of the good reg
ular work of the teacher.
~ distributed over six thousand
badges, the gift of Mr.. John S. Huyler
of New York, in answer to letters from
the children, to be worm not as pledges
but merely as declarations of inten-
tion not to drink anything alcoholic, on
the ground that abstinence was the
safe thing for self and the helpful
thing on account of others.
No badges were given at the time
of my speech, nor ever without the ap-
prevail of teacher and parent or guardi-
an, shown by a letter to me, inspected
by the teacher and by him forwarded
to me with his own requisition for the
badges required. The English exer-
else was excellent for the children and
the letters received were mine of
human interest.
81 do not doubt that many lives have
thus been directly influenced for good,
but my chief purpose was to get the
subject up in the homes, with the chill
dren as promoters and missionaries, and
l have ample evidence that the plan,
as to that, was very successful.
In connection with this school cam
paign | have spoken to the conventions
of native ministers on the various is
lands, and met personally the most in
fuential people of the sections visit
ed, and I believe the anti-saloon SEN
timent is general and growing. Nota-
BILE meetings of this kind were at La
hue, Koloa, Eleele, Lahaina, Kahului,
Makawao. Paia, Wailuku, Ulupalakua,
Huelo, Hilo, Kealakekua, Waikane and
Waialua.
the wretehed fallacy that the Hawaiian
people wish alcoholic drink and will
have it, But I am not afraid to brand
that claim as false in the nature of
things and unsupported by any peril !
nent facts. Our issue might confidently
be left to the Hawaiian voters alone, I
if they could have it uncomplicated, on
the merits And I am very free to
say that, all things considered, this I
Territory might well be proud of its /
native citizens, and that it would be /
a long step toward the needed house /
cleaning in territorial politics if the .
white people would stop misjudging and .
misrepresenting the Hawaiians and be-
gin to set them a better example.
Frequently, too. ] am against the
nonsense, that linen will
drink and "men will get drunk. -
That IS a lie, and its author was the
father of lies. IF the good, dominant,
white men of these islands will abstain
from drink and teach abstinence, on
principle and by example. and make
conditions favorable to abstinence, IN
business and in legislation, the tenden-
cy will be for men not to drink, nor
TO get drunk. Too many of your good,
strong, prosperous masteTful white men
use these drinks in their clubs. in their
homes and in public places, and the
men that fail THROUGH drink are boys
who tried to do as they do and We're
not strong enough to 90 the gait The
crying need of these islands is clean
breathed and clean-handed white men
to prove up brotherhood and Christian
democracy in social and political life.
"Mv travels have put the league I'M
der obligation to many, for entertain