The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-08-10
Mkt SA|TO KING,
SAYS JAPANESE

The young japanese who are grow
ing up in Hawaii and who, by their
eagerness to take out certificates of Ha.
waiian birth, are expressing their APP
probation of the fact that they are
entitled to call themselves citizens of
the United States of America, are be.
fore long going to constitute an import.
ant factor in politics and cast vote
which must be considered, according to
the opinion expressed by r. o. Mathe-
son, chief clerk of the Territory.
Mr.. Matheson returned Saturday on
the Mauna Kea from ten days trip
to and about the island of Hawaii
where he was engaged in examining
applicants for certificates of Hawaiian
birth. He registered 27S applicants,
and states that there are at least 500
more applicants on the Big Island and
about 5000 who are eligible to regis
tration. All the males will, when they
become of age, be entitled to cast their
ballots in the elections, and as there
are proportionate numbers on the other
islands Of the group, the Japanese vote
some day is going to be heavy one.
OF those who have been examined or
who have applied for examination for
Hawaiian birth registry, at least nine
out of ten are boys.
Mr.. Matheson found that the ma
iority of the applicants, especially those
who are of school age and who have
been attending the public schools of the
Territory, have pretty good idea of
our system of government and are fair.
ly well posted on both national and ter
ritorial conditions and forms of govern.
ment. But some amusing exceptions
were found, particularly among the
older Japanese, who were examined.
Most of the applicants were under ten
years of age, but a considerable mum.
Der ranged from IS up to 20. The old
est one examined was 49,
Some of the Japanese of Hawaii have
been here many years, often having
come to Honolulu and gone hence to
some plantation, where they have re.
NAMED constantly ever since. AS n
consequence some of them have no no.
ton at all of what sort of country
this is or of what our system of govern
ment is.
"Who is the President of the United
States9" Mr.. Matheson asked one man.
"George Washington, was the
startling reply.
One old chap who said that he came
to the islands twenty-four years ago,
was asked who was the king of Hawaii
when he landed.
"Mik Saito,' he replied.
Some of the japanese have failed to
keep up with the progress of their own
country and do not realize that in the
years since they left the Chrysanthe-
mum kingdom new ideas have crept in,
the sons of Nippon have fallen away
from the hero worship which once set
the Mikado upon pedestal behind the
silken curtain that yelled the Holy of
Holes and endowed him with super
human attributes.
"Who is the Emperor of Japan?''
one old fellow was asked.
"God,' was the astonishing re.
Spouse.
"'Who is that?'' asked the interro
gator. pointing to portrait of the
Mikado that hung on the wall in the
little Shinto temple where he was con
Quoting the examination of the appli-
cants.
'tThat is God" said the Japanese.
Some of the evidences of our purely
natural enthusiasm along about election
time have apparently been misinter'
preted by some of the Orientals.
elbow do we vote in this country?''
Mr.. Matheson asked one eager young
applicant for a paper that would prove
his right to citizenship,
"Vote with knife and gun and
fight" naively replied the son of Mp
| pom.
These are only few of the many
| strange answers received by the chief
clerk in his interrogatories. But in the
main, the replies were such as to indi
cate that the younger generation OF
| japanese understand fairly well the
laws and customs of their Hawaiian
| home. In the course of his eXamina
| lions the chief clerk of the Territory
did what he could to inculate patrio
tism in the japanese who are to be
American citizens-patriotism for the
| country which they say they want to
claim as their own.
zSk>Sk.SR>-S1.ASS> -. ~ --Ss. ~.2k. ~. =
of the ball, Woods died. Two runs
| Knight safe on third basemen IS error
| and stole second, Hines died, pitcher
to first, knight still on second; Hayes
| doubled and Knight scored, Cav skied
to right field; intense excitement when
Hays scored on bad throwin. Davis
died, right field to first. Two runs
Game called off on account of dark
ness.
KALIHI- ALB r BIZ SB Pc A i
Josiah, So ......S 0 3 l 0 3
Lemph, 2b ......7 0 0 0 4
Kealoha, BIB .....S l 0 ]
| l. Il