The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-13
WESTERN AND EASTERN MAN
BY NICHOLAS Russell, NJ. d.

Every improvement, every invention,
every novelty became a sacrilege, a
desecration of the memory of those
Hence, the oriental cult OF
the cult of the past with
the corresponding code of eastern mo.
rails, in contradist inction from the
occidental cult of posterity the cult
OF the future with its creative spirit
and occidental morals.
Eastern man had no control over his
destinies, The very states, his poll
teal and social aggregations and sys-
tens, have been moulding and devel-
oping, arising and disappearing at the
will of elements like sandy dunes on
sea beach. For the individual man
they constituted the new hostile ele-
mental force, new letters in relation
to which there was no choice but sub
mission and adaptation
H. G. Wells divides the minds of
men into two types; the principal
difference between them lying in
their relation to time, to how much
significance they assign to the past
and to the future. The first type, that
OF the great majority, hardly minds
the future at all, sees in it a sort of
misty 'non-being" encroaching upon
the present The second type, of a
more recent origin, on the contrary
concentrates it's attention almost ex-
clusively on the future, considering
the past only in so far as it stands in
casual relation to the future phenome-
ma. The first type of mind is retros-
pective in its nature. 1t explains pre-
sent facts, gives weight to certain
ones and ignores others exclusively
from the point of view of the past.
The second type is of a creative char
acter 1t values things according to
their relation to certain ends. The
first type he calls the legal mind, the
mind subOrdinated to past events,
the mind of a professional lawyer,
because the whole practice, the whole
career of a lawyer give him that d.
rection OF all men the average law
yer is compelled to refer constantly
to law, to the established right and
precedent, and to ignore everything
new or novel that has claim to assert
itself in life, The second type he calls
legislative, creative, constructive, do
minating, because it is constantly at
lacking the existing order of things,
constantly and peremptorily refusing
respect due to the traditional past.
In contradistinction from the first,
passive, this is the active state of
mind, the mind of aggressive youth,
the mind mostly found among occi-
dental nations, whereas the first is
the mind of the decrepit orient.
In every domain of thought these
two ways of thinking lead to diff
ferent, irreconcible results. The two
types are always in conflict: the le-
gal, oriental type refers to treaties,
constitutions, charters and rights; the
legislative, occidental, stubbornly ig-
nores them all. In critical times of
conflict between the paper and real
forms of life the two types array
themselves in opposite, hostile camps.
Legal minds proudly don the garment
OF hopeless legality, while their OPP
HOnents preach reform and revolu-
ton.
Animated with and headed by this
occidental genius, the western wave
OF civilization carries on it's crest to
the far-eastern shores rich presents,
the bounty secured in the victory
over nature; steam and electric pow
er as a substitute for muscular force
the railroad, automobile and aeroplane
TO replace the handcart in the con
quest Of distance; modern factories in
lieu of handwriting plants; democra-
1y to take the place OF bureaucracy;
he self-conscious, self-respective fig