Nuhou, Volume II, Number 24, 17 October 1873 — The Intelligence of Hawaiians [ARTICLE]

The Intelligence of Hawaiians

As dooipare|l with other b"rowa'people or ra<iea of; Asiatic etock, preeenta other remarkable Ceaturea,: of superiority io eome particular9 and of in[crioritj iu eome rcspectB» Their proiiipt,.rejection ' of the gross forms of euperBtition that had alwajs surrounded their livee, as eoon as a littlc practiele ex2Derience with a new people, showcd the aiv eurditj of their old faith, indicated a eommou sense far superior to any other idolatrouB AeiaticB, Africans, or Amenean Indians, Perhaps the first death blow to their o!d idbl worship was the purchase bj Cook of a lot of their wooden objecta of reverencc for fuel. Thēn the 6ubsequent association with white men, who eame in large bhips 5 and who had guns, hatchetB, and varioue objectB of wonder in abundanee, and wbo despised their idolß, quicklj led the sensible Ilawaiiana to despise themselveB the o!d bugaboos of their superstition, and so thej needed very little prompting to CDgage heartily in a grand iconoc!astic jubi!ee. Thus the ido!atry of these ieiauds was abolished by the eommon sense of the people as eoonaa; they had any opportuuity to eee the absurdity of| r buperstitiana. They reeelved uo word of inb£ucfcion from any miS6ionary to iniluee īhem fco do this ; and were ready to o2er themseives as pupiie to be instructed in a new epkieual faith when tbc missionarydid come,whohadonly eeholastic duties to perlbrm, Andin thus readily rejccting old superstitions, and in accepting an entirely new creed and rule of life, how superior do Hawaiians appear alongside of fetisch woiahipping Africans, and conjuring Indians, who, after ages of mtereouse with Europeans adherc to their dark traditions and desire no change. The Ilawaiian wants to learn, and lull of enquiry. He is att eager reader. He cons over Uis ncwspaper with mueh gusto as he smokes Ma pipe. He is well infbrmeu on the home questions of his country, ahd looks into the poiities of other lands. Ile is cvidently move studious and better improved than, we 'wiil' not suy A[ricans| or Indians in thc ?ame condition ; but even more so thau tho ehmaiuen who eome to his country. Compare a bnght Ilawaiian lawyer with a shrewd Chinese trader; and the advantage in respeet to gcneral knowledge will appear to be deeidedly in iavor of the Hawaiian, But perhaps our tright gentleman has not in hiBeschequer tue wherewith to pay for a new coat7 and the quiet trader has a storc iull of clothcs, aod a bank account; and so thc judgment of tho most of men wiU be that the j intclligencoof thdChincso shopkeeper isf*irsu-| ;perior to that of the īlawaiian lawyer/ j Now this would be true if a weUlire. depcndl)d on trade, But the interchange and the | retail of products, atid cven their produetion are a: portion, *fnd o§t all of the lifc ot the eouatry* < Thc dcfcnsc of prdducts is perbape m important | as their productiots. A community cngaged in ■ merc miserlyaccijitiiuīatlon inviteB the plunderer ; and a race of traders, and shopkeepers are incapable of bcing jnspired by generoua ideas. Now thc Ilawaiian? wli.) arc fitted to make good soldicrs, eailors, liwyers, pmieliew» and artisauB: are eapable of bcitig touched and led oq bj noble' ?entiments, An aigrogat!on of Chinatuen would no doubt produce weaUh, but they are iueapahle of cnlarged politieal viows, and would uot beoome a compaet natioa» Whereas this handfuir of llawaīnn poople haveardeot polltieal arc capablo of a very eompael and ■ if aflordc \ suitcd to thc geuins ofj their may beeome an endutiog and inleiligeot littlc nati«>n