The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-06-08
nation URGED BY
PRESS AWAKEN
Support Given President Implies
Question Of Our Ability To
Defend Ourselves

H Z
With the srceptioh Of the European
war there II no other subject which
appears .oftener on the editorial pages
II the American newspapers these days
than the discussion Of the defenseless
condition OfsAfherica Almost without
exception She leading papers Of the
COUNTRY are engaged In the seemingly
thankless task of awakening the ma.
tion TO q consciousness Of the problem
which has been ignored so long.
Quite the best that we have read in
iome time is one from the Evening
sun OF New York entitled "a Citizen
spirit whining. Fieah weak,
lit 10 Uncomfortable In view Of the
present crisis that some plan for n
standing citizen army has not present
d itself, however vaguely, TO the mind
VI the administration. The very solid
W Of the Presidents backing in the
natter Of the German note carries with
i an implied interrogation concerning
his vital need. Certainly no thought
ful American, weighing the possibil-
tiles Of the near future, can escape
the feeling Of heiplessness which comes
with this realization Of unprepared-
ess. II the feeling does not amount
10 absolute helplessness, It must at
east take the form Of grave concern.
"Well nigh intolerable is the thought
hat the body Is not equipped to follow
where the spirit dares, The soul OF
America has gone, and is ever prepared
% 60, to great heights Of human al.
venture. How bitter, then, Is the
,ealization that her physical embodi-
ment may, not have the practice of
power TO attain the standards of her
viii. War is physical thing, and II
we are not able in honor to avoid
war, then let us in Gods name face
truth and begin even at this late day
o aecnstom our bodies to the task
hat will be laid upon them, il not
;oday, then certainly upon some in
svitable tomorrow. s..". IF.
1.-THE events Of the past fortnight
must prove even TO the extreme paeif-
tsts that national strife Is an ever.
present possibility in the life Of the
most peace-loving State.
Splendid Suicide e.
preparedness Of spirit coupled
with unpreparedness of body makes for
iplendid suicide and little else. The
nan who plunges into the racing tide
70 save fellow soul does so from the
a0blest motives. But unless he be a
itrong swimmer he will not only fail OF
he very object of his heroism but also
iose his own life. Perhaps he is a
PRAYER man than the life guard who
oatrols the shore, conscious Of his
Dowers.S Nevertheless the shores Of
jleen waters will continue to be pa
itroIled by, practical guards and not by
rave bunglers ts. -.
Z aThere are thousands, perhaps mil
ions, Of citizens of this country, has
bands and fathers, ,who' according to
ehe best conception of military ncces
-.ity, would not be liable TO duty a.
Me FIRST call. Yet it's the right Of
these men to have that training which
would make them valuable to their
country, their homes and themselves
when the moment of service arrives
40 man may demand hostages of fate
against his personal destruction. But
Il Is his right to demand hostages of
lis rulers against dying wastefIlly
and In vain. s'~.iE IS '..s'' So.
Fault Il Nations 49,
-ttThe fault Of unpreparedncss lies
aot primarily with any public Official;
Y lies in the heart of the nation. Yet
because our President and his minis
tiers represent the people, they should
AXE eoghizanee, Of i this need. The
fault Is in ourselves, the remedy in
,ur ruietEs4s }FktrfMs
Z ,ts1f peace us worth having, 1t is
worth fighting to have; and il it is
worth the fight, Il is eminently worth
the preparation for that fight" 81. !
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