The Liberal, Volume I, Number 41, 1 February 1893 — SMALL SOULS. [ARTICLE]

SMALL SOULS.

This is a funny country. It produces some remarkable specimens of the genus home. Among those, the small-souled type is most numerous and most prominent. Small souls and narrow minds are indigenous to the soil. A prolonged residence here of those of foreign birth has a distinctly contracting influence upon their mental scope, and, unless believed by frequent foreign travel, such foreigners are in danger of shrinking to moderate mental

proportions. But those who were born upon the soil, (other than the aboriginal race) take the palm for picayune ideas. An impatience of peculiar to themselves marks them as being at once egotistical and narrow to a degree at once disgusting and amusing. A dread and hatred of the truth, when told concerning themselves and their cliques, is but one of the paradoxes which these good people present to the world. Does a person express dissent from their views, - he is a dangerous man. Does he dare to openly citicise their actions, - he is an enemy, whom to slay were virthough perhaps not entirely safe. Does he advance some ideas of his own, in opposition to those of "the ring" - he is a demagogue, and shot the crushed. Does one outside the magic circle embracing (in the opinions of the small-souled brigade) all that is holy, and righteous, and honest, and wise, and praise worthy, venture to display some independence of the control of the magic circle aforesaid, and show a disposition to be guided by the light of reason and justice, as opposed to arrogance and bigotry, - lo! he is at once marked as a fit subject for a boycott, and for ultimate slaughter. Such petty characteristics, we regret to observe, are again becoming unpleasantly prominent on the part of some of those who, like THE LIBERAL, support the present Provisional Government, thought their support is perhaps less disinterested than ours. That is unfortunate - for the P. G. - and can have only a repellant effect upon many whose support is desireable, and which would be available but for the intolerance and biogtry referred to, as displayed by some of the Government's well-meaning, but ill-balanced partisans. We are greatly in love with Hawaii, though unable to approve the quality of some of her human products.