National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-02-21
The Sandwich Islands,

In his lecture on the Sandwich Islands
Mark Twain gave the following descrip
ton of the Islands and their people,
"In fifty years." he said, "thc native
race would be extinct Their color was
Of rich dark-brown. They were not in
the least vicious, but gentle and harm
less. The women wear n single loose
garment that falls straight from the neck
TO the heels. In the upper country the
men wear-well, usually they wore n
smile, or n pair Of spec'ncles, or any.
thingof thatk kind. They were not proud ;
did not care to make any display. In
old times the Kings power was supreme
his person was sacred. Mr. Clemens
then gave some details concerning the
real Specification Of the often-men-
toned "taboo," describing to what
excessive lengths il was carried, and how
the unfortunate subject suffered death
if even their shadow CHANGED TO fall
athwart the royal person. The late
Kamehameha was II man, who, although
n gentleman in person and manners, yet
retained within himself many of the old
instincts Of savagery He was always
anxious for return to the despotic
powers of his ancestors. His first net
when proclaimed King, was To abolish
the constitution and promulgate in its
place one OF his own compos tion. Some
words Of eulogy were given the mission
aries for the much good they had accom-
plished. Upon their arrival the condi-
ton of the natives was barbarous in the
extreme. Below the King were the
priests below them the chiefs, holding
their land by strictly feudal tenure
Farther down in the scale were the com
mon people, and Mt the very bottom CT
the pyramid were women in nm abject
state of slavery. They were degraded
to the level of brutes, having no rights,
no privileges. Death was the punish
ment for wife who durst seat herself at
the table with her husband or even eat
from the same dish. She was also for
hidden to touch the choicest fruits. All
this has now changed. Missionaries
have taught the whole nation to read
and write in its native tongue, so
that it was now probably the best edu-
Gated country in the world The natives
were very hospitable, and would well
come any stranger and treat linn with
their best. But in trade it was different
that was business. In this they would
lie from the first word to the last not
commonplace lies such as any one could
tell, but gigantic structures of compli-
Gated falsehood. They would sell n
mole-hill for mountain, and so exag-
gerate it that it would seem cheap mt the
price. A curious trait in their character
was the facility with which they died.
A native would announce his intention
of dying, lie down, and do it as eflec-
lively as if attended by all the doctors of
the country. They were passionately
fond of dogs not handsome ones, but
wretceed ours that white man would kill
on general principles. The tails of these
dogs, large and bushy, were their only
points. Afriend had said
if he owned one of these dogs he would
cut off the tail and throw the balance
away. The Kanakas treated their dogs
very kindly, taking the best possible
care of them from the time they were
until they were full grown,
when they were killed and eaten. But
rs the dogs were reared for the table,
always fed on clean vegetable diet, they
were after all only the cherished Ameri-
can sausage with the mystery removed.