The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-03-16
Ye Liberty Resounds With Elo-
quence Against Alleged linus
tees inflicted BY Mikado
'lF WE FIGHT WE LOSE
OUR BELOVED COUNTRY
And Another Speaker Says,
Them At Least, Let us
e. Lose With Honor t.

.'Six times now has japan trodden
on our rights. We must resist TO the
rttermost. We must fight, whether II
is possible or impossible. True, IL we
fight we lose our country, but If we sit
supine and idle, equally do we lose our
country At least, then, let us lose
with honor s@.tA ID. r."
These are the sentiments Young
China expressed last night from the
stage Of Ye Liberty Tbeater, speaking
in the person of Chan Sal Wah, to an
audience that packed the house. n
- All the orators were members Of the
Chinese Young Peoples 0ratorical
Association, which has taken in hand q
campaign 10 make the Chinese Of the
Islands n unit in resisting the demands
Of Japan. It was Young China 3
night. Boys of eighteen and twenty
held the stage, while Chinese Of all
ages aud conditions listened and APP
plauded. IA. a-.,.
An Absorbed Audience ~.
Here would be venerable old mer-
chant, his Iapt, impassive features as
impenetrable as the eountenance Of a
brazen bronze. Beside him is bent
and wrinkled laborer, his blue blouse
open at the corded throat, the mud Of
the rice paddles stil erusting his rough
boots and staining his tapping dun
garees. Three rows away site q sloe-
eyed damsel swathed in creamy silks,
Jewels in her hair n spray Of flowers at
the breast Of her tunic. Behind her Is
fat, wheezy grandame, as bald as
Abraham, eupping her hands to her ears
TO aid her failing hearing. And on the
platform stormed and stamped the Ha-
waiian-boBn of the younger generation,
telling their sires and their grandsires
what they ought to do in crisis Of ma
tional history. 1t was an impressive
tribute to the respect in which the Chi.
nese always have held education.
There Is classic story of Chinese
witness testifying in the case Of a
stolen dog.
"What color was the dog, yellowf'
asks the district attorney. ;sf.. u.
q The interpreter repeats the question
and the two fall into noisy dialogue.
High toned nasals and deep sounding
gutturals chase each. other up and down
. the vocal scale for five minutes AT the
end of that period the interpreter turns
40 the waiting court. ,... 4 T. 49,, -.
p "He say nc" comes the translation.
Discreet Interpreter on Deck
There wefS times last night when ia
the sole white American in the. audi
ence this anecdote required. A young
orator would lean far out over the foot
lights, so choked with patriotism that
his cheeks burned dull red, the veins
in his neck swelled, his fingers crisped
and his feet squirmed. A burst of ap'
plause would run through the house
and the urbane but always discreet in
terpreter would give out some decorout
platitude that might with propriety
have: been set at the head of a page
for schoolboys to copy.
"We should reflect seriously upon
how we should fight our enemy at this
time" or 1--WE ought to exhibit the
utmost energy in resisting the demands
of Japan" or "We must unite in heart
as well as in hand" he would trans
late.
He felt the inadequacy himself
"Not all these saysings," he apollo
gized, care complimentary to some OF
the races resident in Hawaii. Not
everything you want put in the
paper"
Nevertheless, here and there a phrase
escaped him. "If the government (Of
Yuan Shih-kai) does not represent us
then we should do our best to over
throw the government" said Wat Muir
Seong. "And il our steps are to lead
that way We need funds.
Country Dearer Than Money
"Of what profit is money to us, il
We lose our conntryf Should these de
mands which Japan is seeking to i'm
pose be granted, we become subjects
of a foreign natiOn.a .s..
"Rather would. we be dead than BIZ
the subjects of an ancivilized nation,
said Lum Hon Wing. "All the powers
know that the demands of japan are
unjust, yet they stand by and proclaim
that all they desire is to preserve the
peace of the Orient!
earned conflict is unavoidable, moi
without its difficulties; but If we had
the heart to believe it, we could over
come all and any difficulties IT,.
'The land can be destroyed" nobly
said Young KOw Kow, speaking in the
same strain, "but the heart of ouI
people is incorruptible.
Although the house was theoretically
free to the public, two Japanese who
entered inconspicuously in the middle
of the evening and took back seats
were quietly shown to the door.
No funds have yet been raised, but
the Young Peoples OratOrical Associa
ton will begin an active campaign Of
solicitation this week,