Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-01
ON THE THRESHOLD.

There is no room for the chronic croaker or
the professional pessimist in Hawaii on New
Years Day, 1915.
There is no room for the selfish man. or the
petty man or the man who is little in spirit.
There is no room for the ''knocker'; no room
for the citizen who is not willing to live and
let lfye-nay, to do a little more: to help his
city or his island or his fellow citizen.
Hawaii has too much to do in this year of
1915 to waste time and energy on internal
fights, internal jealousies, internal chickering's.
There are great industrial problems to solve
the preparation of the sugar industry to meet
probable free trade and possible low prices next
year; the development of the homestead tracts
on which citizens in all good faith have staked
their modest livelihood; the enlargement of
harbors, the building Of wharves in foresight
Of steadily growing sea-commerce coming into
or passing through the island ports
There are great government problems to
lneet-an electorate gradually and surely
changing in makeup; the application of new
election laws; getting greater efficiency IN
municipal, county and territorial departments;
new legislation to be handled this spring; CO.
oldinating various branches of government
now too often clashing.
There are great educational problems, re-
Iigious problems, social problems. There are
f,roblems of benevolence, of charity, of public
welfare work
Hands busy with clean and helpful tasks;
minds busy with unselfish planning; eyes look
ing straightforwardly into the future-these
have no time for pettiness
Hawaiiis blessed with men and women of
rare public spirit; with communities that never
fail to respond to a call for help from some
stricken community elsewhere In the world
Yesterday the Star-Bulletin published letter
from the chairman of the women's section OF
the American Relief Commission for Belgium
ia which the following occurred:
We knew, Of course, through the mems depart
ment of the commission OF the exceeding hberality
Of Hawaii; in fact / think New York has become
4 little sensitive to the degree to which we have
meeting that # New York had given in proportion
to the white population of your islands she would
have contributed nearly nine millions of dollars to
since the largest Belgian relief committee in New
York city has collected only ss5o,o00, drawing from
az directions you viii unoerstand that my compar
fson was perhaps not altogether happy.
Yoa citizen of Hawaii, the most striking part
6I this sifuation-in which we may well take
pride is that it was not the white popula-
ton Of Hawaii which contributed the sum for
the relief of war-sufferers. 1t was the entire
population of the islands. The donations came
from every nationality, every creed, every sta
lion in life. And in that fact speaks the true
Hawaii territory under the American flag,
made up of every nationality all merging into
good Americanisfn.
AS an active, alert, progressive American
community, Hawaii has great tasks to perform
but Hawaii has also the elements of skill and
strength and character to perform those tasks.
New Years Day brings every citizen of this
territory to the threshold of a new opportunity.
Every task well and rightly performed, no
matter how tiny, how Insignificant, will help
to make 1915 Hawaii S greatest year.
For this territory, as for every American
commonwealth the old monarchial motto needs
change. For Hawaii it reads: Fear God;
serve the Country"