Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-09
TEMPERAMENT and Race.

1t may not be generally known that
among the assets of our Hawaiian pos
sessions. in addition to sugar and pine
apples and tropical resort, is that
of fieldwork in studies of races. AT
different periods the major industries
have led to the importation of Chinese
japanese, Portuguese and Filipinos as
laborers. Prof. Porteus Of Boston has
for years spent half his time at the
University of Hawaii and has had funds
at his disposal for studying the traits
of the races. In the matter of such
mental tests as are given in the schools
the racial differences are slight, though
they favor the Chinese.
DR.. Porteus was especially interested
in the social adaptation of these inn
ported races. He finds the japanese
by far the most progressive and enter
prising. They organize and use West
ern methods more readily The Chinese
make skilled and dependable laborers
and craftsmen, but have no group
spirit. Each Chinaman guards his
own end. The Portuguese, Filipinos and
Hawaiians drift to the lower, poorer
classes of dependents. Yet there are
racial differences among them.
To give added value to these impress
sions from his own observations DR..
PorteuS asked Is persons OF long resi-
dence in the iSlands-16 of them PLAN
tation owners, the others social work.
ers, physicians, teachers-to rate the
races carefully on such definite traits
as "a planning capacity, % resolu-
ton. (3) stability, al self-control
60 prudence, 16) self determination,
Cd dependability and 60 tact.
All this is still a matter of impress
Sion. But if you ask % persons to
check these races, working under fairly
comparable conditions, and mark ! for
the highest in any respect and for
the lowest and 2, 3 and in between,
and you get the average. opinion, you
have a pretty strong foundation for dis
covering whatever marked racial differ
ences may exist. The errors and preju-
dices of the judges are apt to cancel
one another. =.a.-4- ,rs.s,s, i - "a
The result of this collective judgment
is this: The Japanese lead decidedly
In planning capacity, resolution and
determination. They equal the Chinese
in most other respects, but fall below
them In dependability. The Japanese
are considered too aggressive and thus
are feared. The Chinese are the most
dependable and are second only to the
Hawaiians in tact. The Portuguese are
pun Al CdSg eNAlO Al OOhARoA tSOAA WAeAi
the Oriental races are impulsive,
excitable and give up easily. The
Hawaiian is easygoing. gets on well
with others, but is too easily influenced
and lacks initiative The Filipinos rate
pretty low in many of these qualities.
The conclusion that DR., Porteus
draws from these studies is that races
that by test prove to be about alike
in intelligence are sufficiently different
in temperament to account for the diff
ference in station and position when
working under fairly comparable con-
ditions. These emotional and tenn
peramental qualities count more than
slight differences in intelligence and
are racially more characteristic. They
form the supporting qualities of intelli-
gence.
We are all interested in racial diff
ferences, as America is the land of the
melting pot, where it is supposed that
these differences disappear and are
fused in time in common American
lied product. But biological nature is
stronger than national aims. Racial
differences are slight and uncertain, and
social differences are huge and definite.
Temperamental differences are i'm
portant. They count as heavily as in