Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-11-24
THANKSGIVING, 1915.

the last Thursday In November, 1919, mean
primarily to pick ont only few of some of tn
countless reasons for happiness
The territory was thankful last year becans
the American people were not as a nation in
volved in the mightiest, bloodiest and most dc
vastating war in history.
We as an integral part of the nation llay'
tenfold reason this year to rejoice in freedom
from strife For in the interval between No
vember, 1914, and November, 1915 we have
passed through an international crisis so acut,
that for many weeks the country S leaders hav,
not known whether the outcome would be peac,
or war. We have passed between the Scylla -
the Entente Allies and. the Charybdis of thu
Central Empires; we have upheld nationa
honor; led the way in asserting the rights O
neutrals; given the world new example of for
bearance and won by character and diplomac,
what we should have had very hard time win
ming by force of arms. Our points are not al
won yet; we have still just claims that must b
met, but they will be met now or in the future
and meanwhile our citizenry is not yielding it
life-blood. We are winning a war without war
The stress of foreign combat, with its tug a
the synpathies and the blood relationships il
the United States is forging new meaning fol
those two words American citizenship. W.
are learning as a nation that we cannot be di
vided into groups. We cannot recognize in oul
citizens any allegiance to foreign governments
potentates or powers. In any question where
the United States is involved they must be al
American or on-American. And perhaps one
of the things for which we should be most
heartily thankful is that the great mass Of .citi
zens, even those closely bound by ties OF blood
with the fighting countries, have in moments d
crisis shown that they are stanch Americans
and have repudiated the comparatively few
lnischiekmakers and trouble-breeders busily
trying to advance the interests of some Euro.
pean nation while enjoying the freedom and
protection Of an adopted country. ,ss
In the territory Of Hawaii we have special
reasons for thankfulness The islands are en-
ioying great prosperity. The war which has
struck down the commerce Of foreign countries
has been commercial boon to Hawaii,s chief
industry And to crown this year Of industrial
profit, the spectre of free sugar next May
has been driven away; and in its stead is a
growing prospect that our industry will never
be shattered by removal Of the tariff.
But it is not in this special commercial situa.
ton alone that we may rejoice. The broad hui
manitarianism, the sterling Christian work
which has helped Hawaii progress for great
many years past is developing significant new
phase the phase of awakening citizenship. It
is transcending race ties and party names. It
is gathering the momentum of an active moral
force. Some day in the not far distant future
there will emerge a fighting phalanx of men
who combine the zeal of crusaders with the
commonlsense and intuitive perception of vet
eran politicians. They will bend mental, moral
and physical energy toward ending the ruinous
drift in local public affairs They will demand
good government in material degree, and they
will fight until they get it.
This movement is especially strong in Homo
lulu. 1t augurs well for the future It is some
thing for Honolulu to regard with particular
thankfulness, for in one way or another it
touches the lives and the businesses and the
activities of every man, woman and child in
this city.
There is today, there will be tomorrow, more
for which to be thankful than one editorial or
one newspaper issue can express With the
rejoicing of the day should go also the realiza-
ton that there are many, even in Honolulu, in
encouragement, sorrow and perhaps want, and
we may well spare time from our thanksgiving
to help some of those for whom tomorrow has
little happiness in store.
- ~ l5ss-
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