The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-02

rock against any increase of taxation
which would radically iIeve the sit
uation. 1t is as the report says: they
don't want too much education given
to children of lowly birth"
1t is also to be said that most
of the public institutions of Hawaii.
thus far have been kept open and
free to all the varied peoples. For ex-
ample the foremost institution for
higher education in the islands is
Oahu College, established originally
to educate the children of missionaries
and other white residents. The ques-
ton arose some years ago as to the
admission of students of other races
and it was finally decided to accept
a certain small proportion of Japa-
nese, Chinese, Hawaiians and others.
1t therefore gets the pick of these ORR
entail and European students and some
Of them have made really notable rec
ords in scholarship and sports.
Economic pressure, on the other
hand, is tending to bring about racial
prejudice and racial animosities. The
japanese, for example, because they
are so overwhelmingly numerous, are
finding themselves more and more the
subject of discrimination. They are
so irresstibly industrious and pro
gressive! Although most of them
were mere agricultural peasants on
their arrival, they are crowding into
all sorts of activities. They are fill.
ing the skilled trades. they have taken
the fishing industry almost wholly
from the native Hawaiians. they are
competing with the Chinese in vege-
table raising, they are becoming mer-
chants, bankers and professional men.
In the island of Hawaii, in many local
tiles, the life is predominantly Japa-
nese. Their industry is prodigious;
and both men and women work. One
will see Japanese women helping their
husbands in barber shops, paint shops
and tin shops.
Nothing seems to Dalk or discour-
age them. They take and fill highly
responsible positions on the planta-
tons. I have seen a Japanese crew
alone in the fields under japanese
boss using the great steam plows; and
they are being introduced even in the
high-skilled places in the sugar-mills.
Everywhere they can get hold also,
they are acquiring property. These
figures will show how rapidly the tax
able property owned by Japanese in
creased in eight years.
1901 japanese property. ..$ 12S,163
1904 16S.545
1909 1.74S17g
1t is a curious thing, whether in the
South, in connection with the Negro,
or in Hawaii, in connection with the
Oriental people, that the note of pes
simism is struck most strongly by the
element which has a selfish interest
in keeping the Negro or the Oriental
in his place" in making him work at
low wages, and in preventing him from
securing adequate education or oppor-
tunities to rise. The note of optim-
ism on the other hand is struck by
those who are in some way trying
to serve or help: teachers and preach
ers, especially, who are meeting the
other races on terms not of business, /
but of friendly contact Thus | found
Professor Scott, principal of the high
school in Honolulu, intensely conf !
dent of the future of the mingled Jap /
anese, Chinese, Portuguese and other |
elements of the ISLANDS. For many
years he has been among them, has
seen many individuals develop, and
he declares unhesitatingly that ii the .
Orientals are given a fair show for /
education and a fair opportunity to /
will make as good citizens of our ma
ton as any people, This same faith /
| found among other men in the is |
lands, who have long been intimately /
associated with the mverse peoples /
1t is a curious thing how contact on |
a friendly basis with even the lowest
and most miserable of people gives |
men hope for mankind ard faith in /
democracy, while the re.a ,ionships 1
which involve exploitation of these
same people make men suspicious and |
pessimistic.
THE NEW CORPORATION.
,uiaez.l 1, ~. ...-....-. -, -