The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-07-07
Of JULY
CELEBRAI|ONON
CAPITOL GROUNDS
Big Crowd Hears College Head
Talk 0RcProbIems For Mod
ern Americans
! s,ts a. T9staStH Ii IN ....t.t.
PRESIDENT DEAN URGES NEED
FOR COURAGE AND HIGH AIMS
Points Out Two Big Stumbling
Blocks Within Minds OF
Men Today .

N Ni""N hnbOihB pIOudUig WOIt
than 500 people gathered in front Of the
Capitol steps last evening to hear the
patriotic program Of music, addresses
and readings given under the auspices
of the citizenship education committee.
Governor Frear presided, delivering o
trief Introductory talk and presenting
President Arthur l., Dean, Of the Col.
lege of Hawaii, who spoke on "The
Problem For the Modern American"
Through a misunderstanding the dis.
cOvery was made just before the meet.
ing that the Opera House, in which the
observance was to be conducted, was
Ilosed; consequently the affair was
shifted across the street to the Capitol
This caused little, if any Inconvenience
save the lack of seats for the audience,
The sky was clear and the atmosphere
a perfect, typical Hawaiian one, more
comfortable under the circumstances
than the old Opera House would have
been. -. .r. s-..-s. -
The program was short but interest
NC. The musical numbers were sup.
,Jlied by the Hawaiian Band, with the
.rowd joining in to sing the final mum
Der, - America.Jt .,5 81 "... 49,.
President Deans Address 8. ~
cit is fitting that we should eele.
brate today the national birthday, y said
President Dean, in the course Of his
address, land thus pay respect to the
founders of the republic. But it Il
wise that we consider at the same time
serious side of the subject: Are w
worthy SUCCESSORS of those foundersf'
He recited briefly the cogent points
and colonies by the bands Of English
families who came, he said, TO make
heir homes, to find opportunity to live
the manner they desired, to worship
IS their conscience dictated. The dom,
,nant characteristics of these early citi
iens Of America, the speaker, said was
heir quality of courage, their power
ind faith in themselves and in the
future. And they made good in a land
where others before them had failed
they created gradually perfect demo
raey, starting FIRST in the separate com
nunities, which eventually became
welded together through cooperation be
ween the strong, or representative,
men of each town.
first Fruits VI democracy o..
Here terminated and Ngrew the first
ruits of democracy, which proved 81
'leasant and desirable to these pioneers
that they reyolted against the con
~inued oppression of the mother coun
ry-
The notable feature Of these people
said President Dean, was their willing
less to assume responsibility for tn,
mutual or common veal; willingness
tax themselves for the good Of tn.
community and finally, willingness t,
iay down their lives for the principlei
# democracy they had CONCEIVED
through their experience in the new
land.
We are living in another world. to
'Ry, said the speaker, and we have
ew and different problems from thos'
'onfrOnting the New England pioneers
But TO meet these we need just as mucl
outrage and intelligence and faith anC
Willingness to work as they did.
The weak spot in America today, tn,
speaker Opined, is the tendency of he
people to shirk responsibility in mat
/ ters of citizenship. This is indicated by
h'ii III slnO IL
heir local communities.
;hirkers OF Responsibility
. The petty taXdOdger, the fellow wht
hrOws glass on the public thorough
fare. and even the man who drops
banana peel on the sidewalk and tina
other man who doesn't have concerI
'nOugh to pick it up-these are shirk
3rs Ct public responsibility, he asserted
In creating thorough Americanisn
he people of the United States fac
'wo large stumbling 10 blocks in tn
minds of men, which must be eradiGat
ID, President Dean said. One is tina
|Ocial distinction and classes can b
maintained simulta ne Ously with com
plete democracy of government. H
lid not attempt to say how this SHOULD
be Obilterated. He did say however
that he did not think the political cul
of socialism would be the. proper pane
ce0; "fOr that would creates q, DIES
potism, not of wealthy, nor even of bi
men mentally, but of mediocre mer
which is abhOrrent to the. very purpOs
and meaning of democracy and free
| dom"
The second stumbling block is tn
Indigestion OF population of many race
and hatiOnalities. He assorted that o
the United States population Of abOu
hundred million people, about thiI
teen million are foreign born, Will
the estimate is made that fully on
third of the entire population consist
Of foreign born and those of foreig
born parcntage. The couhtryIs prot
lem Of assipilating these is enormous
Problem Becomes Bigger ........ =, ..
II has become a much bigger probler
IN the last geheratjon than before
because the immigrants are, from cOur
'rirs " Cntirely different racial cha
%ct"risti"s. They, have customs an
rats of mind different from each 6tl
r. and far different from those Of tn
'arfer peoples who established the An
| 'ri"nn democracy.
The question Of absorbing these race
must be solved through study Of her,
dity and environment. There is wild