The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-10
THE FUTURE OF THE
JAPANESE IN HAWAII

BY Theodore Richards NJ A, Managing Editor Friend"
Honolulu

lately have called 1t the Races Elk.
pertinent Garden" We have regis
tered the hope that the Japanese ele-
inent in our population may be an
! important link between two races
which are commonly thought to be abb
solutely antagonistlc We believe
j most heartily that there is no neces-
sary and indissoluble bar to affiliation
and fraternity between the so-called
white" and yellow" race. Despite
very able and even passionate articles
on the part of learned writer's to the
effect that amalgamation or atsimila-
ton of the peoples of the two races
is impossible. we contend that to
abandon such hope would mean to
throw over the finest aspirations of
I humanity and the strongest claims of
/ religion.
Speaking of the white race" What
is the white race? Notwithstanding
the very common and fluent use of the
term, it apparently has no real legal
status. 1t should be reafhrmed at this
/ time that the Supreme Court of the
/ United States has never made anyl
ruling as to what the white race"
may consist of. The United States
/ Circuit Court of Massachusetts finds
the question most perplexing and i'll
would appear that at various times
almost every race including the Chin
csc and Japanese have been referred
to as white" Indeed, the decision
above referred to in the MsfSachus-
etts court admits certain Armenians
to naturalization, defining the term
white" as including "All persons not
otherwise classified" 1t isn't out of
the range of probability that with 1uf-
fioient national pressure, the term
white" may be big enough to include
the Japanese on questions of naturali-
zstion as on all other points. Until
: that time comes, however, the whole
American continent is pa7pitating be-
r, tween one of two positions. Firot,
and naturally perhaps, is that of the
! Western Coast, which is probably rep
} resented best in that startling con-
} vincing article of Chester H. Rowell of
: the Fresno Republican, California,
} who sounds this note of warning:
J 1.-THE Pacific Coast is the frontier
of the white mans world, the culmi-
) nation of the western migration,
7 which is the white mans whole his
E. tory. 1t will remain the frontier so
} long rs we guard it as such; no
J longer"
In answer to this viewpoint, we ask
! the question,-"Is it physically posi-
: BILE very much longer to so regard
: this ives tern frontier?" The answer
4, seems as evident,-"Only at the point
of the bayonet." Please God, this bar
, barrie barrier need but little longer
be raised anywhere-even admitting
that We are strong enough to raise it
| effectually in this instance.
But why is it desirable to maintain
such a barrier by force of arms? 1t
will be Immediately conceded that
} many heart-breaking instances Of
! hardship to individuals must take
: place in the merging of peoples and
in the changes of economic front. But
If the whites" can not survive in any
solidarity in this coming merger, why
should we attempt the impossible?
; Even to the evolutionist accustomed
to draw his cold comfort out of the
impersonal, dispassionatt march of
events, it must seem idle to put up
frsil human barriers LET the best
; race come and we will meet the
shock, might well be his cry,-fairly
sure, too, that the change must be 4
gradual one. But to the Christian
Philosopher the argument is palmer.
Assuming a program following upon
}, the lines of the Christian Book, there
! is but one ultimate outcome, namely,
the final triumph of the Prince of
!, Peace. If we pin our faith to His
!, program,-His program as outlined in
! the Book upon which He set His seal
of approval the coming fraternity of
people completely overlooks their
race or color or habitat. Ay, this pro-
gram seems to include all of His sub
!. jects as none other than "Gentiles"
whose rank but approximates that of
the famous Bible race. alike the he
roes of the past and Of the future.
It is admitted that any talk of fra
ternity based on mere sentimentality,
is a poor thing. It will cost us very
t much in Hawaii to prove that such a
thing as brotherhood is even work
able, but postulating the dominance
in Hawaii of such sentiment as can
!, be called Christian" there is rea-
sonable hope of teaching the world
that race prejudice is no better than
any other prejudice.-that It may be
Continues on Page .Ten.)