The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-08-27
ARE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS TO
BECOME AN EVELESS EDEN?

Is Hawaii to become, in time, a
man IS land, land without women, a
group of islands ungtaced by the touch
of femininity - the abode of crusty
| old bachelors, soured because they have
not mates and can not get anyi The
questions sound foolish, it is true, but
they are seriously raised ,inferentially,
at least, by the report of President
Mott.Smith of the Board of Health,
which seems to indicate that the male
population of Hawaii is increasing at
an alarming rate in proportion to the
female population.
Weird stories have at times come up
from the South Seas and been given
publicity here concerning certain
islands down in those waters of ro-
nance which are inhabited only or al
most exclusively by women and girls,
with perhaps a few old men and young
boys. But in those cases reason has
been given-the men have either been
killed off in interisland wars, as was
the case sometimes in the early years
of the last century, or, in later years,
have been drawn away to the great
sheep ranges of Australia and New Zea-
land.
In Hawaii, however, the situation is
the other way around; it is the women
who are falling behind in numbers. And
there appears to be no reason, or at
least there is no explanation. Perhaps
it is possible that the great question
of sex is on the verge of solution-that
scientists have here in Hawaii the key
to the problem that has vexed the ages
since little Cain first squalled under a
fig tree. For it would certainly appear
that there must be something in the
climate, the air, the water of these
islands, that favors the birth of men
children. If this is proved to be true,
perhaps Hawaii will be more than ever
the Mecca for travellers.
But there is a serious question in
volved. Already the men greatly out
number the women in this Territory,
and the preponderance of males over
females is increasing every day. What
is to happen when women become so
scarce that there are not enough to 90
aroundi 1t looks as if the young man
who wants to marry, unless he is both
rich and handsome, will have to go to
other countries to find wife. That,
of course, will bring new blood into
Hawaii, but it will be inconvenient.
Besides, many a man would never fall
in love if it were not for propinquity
If he had to 60 about it deliberately,
say to himself, CHOW, IN going out
and fall in love with some girl and
marry her." the flowers on the altar
of Hymen would be liable to become
faded and withered.
In the total population of the world
the number of males is, on the average,
about equal to that of the females. The
last United States census shows that,
although, of course, there are slight
variations, in nearly all the States the
percentages are very close, in every
case within a fraction of one per cent
But in Hawaii the percentage of males
is very much greater than that of fe-
males-at least so far as the birth rate
| is concerned.
The following figures are taken from
the report of President Mott-Smith of
the Board of Health to Governor Frear
being culled from the birth statistics
for the past ten years:
During the last ten years the total