Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-11
OF WORLD wilde INTEREST
MAKING AMERICANS IN HAWAII
BY FREDERIC J. HAskiN

drift of the talk in Honolulu about
some things. When the news came that
1t was practically certain that congress
would appropriate money to improve
Pearl harbor there naturally was re-
Joioing. But 1t is to be doubted IL the
Americans generally could guess the
burden of the self-congratulatory
speeches. 1t was that the Peral har-
Dor work would bring two or three
thousand Americans to Honolulu to aid
in "Americanizing" the territory.
Thinking men in Honolulu rejoice be-
cause the United States is at last
awakening to the value of Hawaii as a
military outpost. Not because the Ha-
waiians are bloodthirsty imperials,
drunk with sight of power, but because
they hope 1t will mean a garrison of
two or three regiments of American
troops. IF they put a big body of
troops here it will mean that some of
them will take homesteads and settle
here when their term of enlistment ex-
pires." Truly 1t is inspiring to see how
these patriotic Hawaiians grasp at
every little thing that will aid them in
making citizens of the genuine Ameri-
can pattern.
Hopeless as the task of intoxicating
American ideals into oriental minds
may seem, Hawaii accepts the chal-
y
fully TO accomplish what is all but inn
possible. Churches and schools bear
the burden of this work. The church
missionaries, have all but forsaken the
work among the native Hawaiians, who
are all nominally Christians or Nor
mons. and are devoting their energies
to extending the Christian faith among
the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.
With religion these missionaries preach
the doctrines of western civilization and
American ideals. They are making
progress, as such things go, but 1t is
slow. slow, slow.
The school teacher in Hawaii Is
perennial Fourth of July grafton. Even
the New York public schools. where
thousands and thousands of European
children are annually transmitted into
Americans, have no notion of the work.
aday patriotism of the public schools
of these far-away islands. Conglom-
crate classes Of children of every blood
and color known from Greenland's Icy
mountain to India's coral strand are
daily drilled in exercises that sound
like popping firecrackers. South sea
islanders and Molokans from Russia
join with the japanese and Chinese In
singing our dear old ridiculous New
England anthem:
Land where my fathers died.
Land OF the pilgrims pride, etc.
Then they all, with Appropriate ges-
lures, salute the Stars and Stripes and
swear 1--WE give our hand. our heads
and our hearts to our country. One
country. one language, one flag" Then
there comes the shorter catechism OF
the true faith. what is our country"
"What is our Language" "English."
what is our fiag?" "The Stars and
Stripes! Hip, Hip. Hurrahl" HAS our
flag ever been conquered In war;
"Never!" What is the greatest coun-
United States of America" I'm what
il 1t the greatest?" In freedom,
wealth and happiness" "Why is 1t the
greatest?" Because it's people are gen.
orally Industrious, well behaved and
well educated" How are they edu
cated?" I'm good schools, both public
and private" what Is taught in these
schools?" knowledge of books, useful
good morals and good citi-
zenshfp." Then they all sing "Hurrah
for the schools of Hawaii" with a rous-
ing chorus:
Then hurrah for the schools of dear native
For the free public schools of Hawaii
All honor we will pay. to the noble patriot
band
Who founded the schools Of Hawaii.
This Is sample of what is done in
one small PUBIC school. Exercises OF
similar spirit and import are held IN
all the schools. Americanism is drilled
into the children day after day, lalong
with the English language But per
cent of the pupils in the public schools
of the territory are Americans. Many
schools have not single AZ rican
child. But the great majority u the
teachers are Americans, and those who
are not American by birth are thorough
ly naturalized in sentiment.
zone country. one language, one
fiag!" That is the doctrine of Ameri-
canism which has been successfully
taught to the millions who have come
to our shores from Europe since the
great tide of immigration set in in
1920. For ninety years the army of
Europeans has been steadily increas-
ing, but the American influences have
been strong enough to swallow them
and assimilate them. It is one coun-
try, one language, one flag. But al
ways these foreigners went to places
where there were Americans all around
them and about them, always in the
majority. In Hawaii there is but a
pitiful minority which is seeking to
this task. But the work
goes on. American the Hawaiian is
lands are, and American they must
Copyright. 1905. by Frederic ]. Haskin.)
Tomorrow--King Sugar in Hawaii.