The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-04-27
TIE PACIFIC
SATURDAY,. APRIL 81.
Our New York Letter.


hero! Hereafter the mall school boy will shoot
out his little arm towards the zenith, when speak
ing his piece, and follow it up in a small squeaky
voice with Remember Washington! Remember
John Howard Remember Wilberforce! Remember
Bill Ragsdale - The Adrocate and Guardian OF
February 18th titles an article s. On the roll OF
honor" and after relating some incidents in the
life of the aforesaid Bill, upon the Island OF Molo-
kai, says: w can give no record of his feeling
or his faith. We wish we knew more Of him; but
could aught but the grace of God lead to a lie SO
truly heroic And what strength, what NOBLE
ness, what faith in God must have been IN the
heart which could accept such a destiny Win COM
posture, and find its destiny IN relieving the
Indebtedness of others -
In writing thus Of sudden fame, l am reminded
of a very recent Incident Captain Ed"aru
Kemey, still a young man, was in command OF a
company during the last great war. de renamed
in the service, after the war closed, and was sta
toned in one of the Western States. de had d de
cided talent for modelling animals in clay. HIS
frontier life enabled him TO closely study the wlld
animals of the prairie and woods, the fox, the deer,
the panther and the wolf. After leaving the ser
vice, being wholly without means, he came 10
Saybrook, Conn, and boarded IN q farmers family
near my own home. He used the floor OF a small
and rickety barn as an inexpensive studio, and
thus he made in clay, groups of animals, as his
fancy suggested. There was no market whatever
for his work in this country, SO he taught a class
=,
his art. He modelled for me in clay a deer, which
seemed an exquisite piece of work. lie exhibited
a group OF animals at Tifany's. 1t was superbly
done, but our sWells d" won't buy the works OF
unknown men, because the artists have no reputa-
ton, and art culture is shamefully low. So this
boy lived on in the New England village max
ing far less income than another worker in clay,
the common Drlcklayer. However, last August,
he managed to get over into England, and has
been exhibiting his works there for several months.
And now comes the sudden burst of fame. The
Ahendeun9, one of the most critical of English Art
Journals says in an elaborate criticism on his
work. that a new and great sculptor has arisen;
that his work is fully equal TO that of the great
Landseer, and IN some respect is superior that
he takes rank equal TO that of the greatest animal
sculptOrs IN France. And all this means that this
young man has, at a leap, reached the top of the
ladder. The English thoroughly appreciate fine
animal sculpture, and pay largely for good work.
Mark the contrast, the quick transit from the cold
barn of a New England village to the splendid
galleries of London. L have just been told that
the Princess Louise has taken a great fancy to
Capt. kemey's work. 1t is one of the rOmances of
life. Or course there is a moral to this story,
which you can fish out at your leisure. 1 am re-
minded here OF a story about this young mans
father, now well on in life. While his son was in
the army, he wished to see him, and obtained a
pass to the front from the War Department. He
reached him where he was stationed in the Skin
mish line just before the battle of Fair Oaks"
Dressed as a civilian, the old gentleman picked
his way up to the front. and found his son, just as
eNN bAAhS ONSOhAC 1lFCiJ 4ut Illc UGlUR tADOSEu,
the soldiers were ordered to lie down. But the
old gentleman had become very excited, especially
as he was a strong Union man. Snatching up a
musket he began firing on his own account. His
son ordered him to lie down. He wouldn't. The
bullets whistled about him, but he did not finch.
He continued to load and fire rapidly until the
regiment fell back. The soldiers, lying in the rife
pits wanted TO know g who in h-ll was that old
fellow IN a silk hat and frOck coat" Then they
gave him three burrahs He is now Superintend-
ent of truant boys in this city, and has promised
me full inspection Of the little ragged brigade of
which hope to send you an account in course of
time.
| examined the other day that wonderful discov-
cry, the phonOgraph. 1t is impossible to give YOU
a clear notion of it. but it's prominent features may
be described. The telephone shows how high or
low notes may be transmitted by the electric chr
rent. Now cover the bottom of a tube three inches
long, and two wide, with the skin used for drum
heads. Attach to this skin a small fine wire and
at the other end of the wire fasten a steel point.
Take "a wooden cylinder, six inches in diameter
and cover it with tin foil smoothly spread over it.
When ready to speak, bring the steel point in con-
tact with the cylinder. Put your mouth TO the
tube and say, " a reciprocity treaty exists between
the United States and the Hawaiian islands, AS
you say this, turn the cylinder around SLOWLY. so
that the steel point indent the tin foil. The vibra-
llohs OF the voice act on the drum head, and the
hne wire connected with a voltaic battery carries
the vibrations TO the steel point. and il moves in n
zigzag way over the tin foil. Now to get back the
sound turn the cylinder back to the point OF com.
ueHCeIueHLs 1ueSTJ the steel point IN the Indanta-
tons made and turn the cylinder slowly. Here
begins the marvellous work. As the cylinder
turns, and the steel point follows the indentations,
you hear distinctly the words recorded ga reel.
Proclty treaty exists. DC. l should not have be-
lieved the evidence of my senses. had not an ex-
pert IN electrical matters been with me. Yonr
imagination will suggest the possibilities of This
remarkable discovery. In this connection. it NAV
be said that the use of electricity in lighting bniI6-
ings is making great progress. The great north
ern depot OF Paris is now lighted by two large
burners. More than forty factories. workshons
docks and mercantile establishments are now
lighted with 1t in France alone. The cost is ecti-
mated to be one eleventh of The cost of ooo I;aht
and may be worked down to one fortietb The
Ight mas not yet been successfully introduced into
private houses: owing to the large number of sep
arate burners In each house, though a late French
paper says 1t has been done. On a recent evbibi-
ton OF the light in London, at Westminister
bridge, the gas stocks dropped heavily.
l visited a castor oil factory the other day, and
give you the information obtained. Ono e. =
this city use 100000 bushels yearly. The bean
comes principally from Missouri. The price here :.
about one dollar and forty cents per busbeI On
Missouri land about fifteen bushels to the acre arc
the only expense. ~
There is a machine here for utilizing the bamboo
The fibre is extracted, aud made into an artificial
wool, which is mixed with wool in the makino IS
cloths. The inventor told me he could be sinduced''
to put up his machine at the islands. I told him he
should ''induce" the Hawaiians to send bamboo bv
cash offers. y
You have already noticed the passage of the Sill
yer Bill by the U. 5. Senate, at a late hour of the
night. Some Senators got very drunk. The news.
papers have made some solemn comments on their
behavior, but the correspondent of a Boston journal
has rather apOl0gized for them. He says these men
are kept up and awake, when they should be in he'd.
They lose their dinners and sit up with emnty
stomachs, so they take something to help pull
through" therefore, the Senate ought not to keen
late hours. This reminds me of the little bow fonn5
crying. in the middle of the street at a State fair.
" What's the matter, sonny ?'' said a benevolent old
gentleman. cts lots of matter" sobbed ont the
small boy; " NJ. nanny left me here, and said che
would be back right away, but she hasn't got back
L told the darned old thing she'd lose me, if she lef,
me here" So the Senator's seem to say if you don't
sessions. e
Inc failures IN business are many, and apparently
increase. II IS rather alarming. The truth is, q
strong effort is being made to repeal the bankrnnt
law: Many really insolvent concerns have kept an
their credit In the hope of reaching better times, but
always keeping in reserve the bankrupt law as a
hnal and sure measure of relief. Now that it is pro-
posed to repeal the act. these people feel, in the
event OF repeal, that they NAV never he reIiavad 20