Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-03-31
SATURDAY PRESS.
SATURDAY, MARCH u. ,ss,
mss oonDos CUMMINGS NOOK.

by {. 7. Gordon Cumming
"Most English readers have derived their
chief imprcss,Jns Of the Hawaiian Islands from
Miss Birds amusing book; and not only Is
Miss Bird consitutonally enthusiastic and
sensational, but, unless we mistake, in Hawaii
she first saw tropical scenery and vegetation.
Under such circumstance, 1t is no wonder that
rhc discoumcd IN her most fapturous style Of
waving palms, graceful bamboos, and dusky
maidcns still more graceful Her readers carried
away from her charming volumes the mental
picture Of an ideal and idyllc archipelago I; a
iropical Eden. whose Ewes were not too strait.
laced for gentle Irritation a Southern paradise
such as that imagined by the luxuriant fancy
of the Laureate In Enoch Arden and in
'Loclsley Hall. Now there arc few writers
more nearly akin TO one another in most
essentials than Miss Bird and Miss Gordon
Cumming though it must be admitted, in jus.
ticc 10 Miss Cumming, that she has solid basis
Of anthfopological knowledge which is want
ing 10 her more sensational sister traveller.
Vet the picture given Of Hawaii in Fire
Fountains is extremely different from the pic.
tuTc given Of the same island in Miss Bird
book The difference exactly measures The
interval between first and final impressions.
Miss Cumming came to Hawaii last among the
Pacific groups. She was already familiar with
the rich vegetation and the tumbled pinnacles
Of the South Sea archipelagocs, and she found
the Sandwich Islands but poor and faded
copy Of her beloved FIJI and her beautiful Ia.
hti. Evidently the true islands Of the blest
are to be found in the South Pacific about
that we have the concurrent testimony Of such
different witnesses as Lady Brasscy, the Earl
and the Doctor, and Miss Gordon herself
Hawaii may be we'll enough for beginners like
Mark Twain or Miss Bird but connoisseurs
who know the Pacific from end to end will not
be satisfied with anything less than fertile Viii
and the Society Islands.
"Mss Cumming may certainly claim 10 know
the Pacific as well as most people who are not
naval officers or shippers Of labor vessel.
Chance has taken her up and down over its
surface in very devious fashions. After her
memorable cruise in q French man-ofwar she
was anxious to catch vessel from Tahiti to
Hawaii but failing that, she was compelled
TO 90 an unnecessary six weeks voyage to San
Francisco. BY singular freak of the trade
winds, the little French mail schooner in
which she sailed was actually blown ives, Of
the Sandwich Islands, and Miss Cumming had
the modification Of coasting in full sight of
Kauai without being able to land, as the cap
tain would have broken his postal contract had
he put boat ashore. From San Fnncicco
the ndefatgabe lady made her way to China
and Japan, without stopping at Honolulu and
after lingering eighteen months in the far East
(what are eighteen months on the Pachcp no.
body misses them in a cycle OF Cathay) she
began to bethink herself Of Hawaii once
more. But the return steamers to America do
not call at the Sandwich Islands, and so it
was necessary to 90 direct from Yokohama to
San Francisco, and then TO bark back again
from San Francisco to Honolulu. This would
ha,fa r..
body exccp, Miss Cumming to her, however,
n matter Of FIVE or six thousand miles, more or
less in good mail steamer seems but a com.
mon detail Of travelling experience, She went
to Hawaii by her roundabout route, and her
readers are the gamers by her indomitable re-
solution; for her account of the islands is the
most temperate, judicious, and exhaustive des-
cription for popular purposes that has yet been
published. 1t is equally free from the senti-
mental gush Of inexperienced visitors and from
the disappointed depreciation Of unsuccessful
residents.
Miss Cumming found Hawaii land especial
ly Honolulu at first sight pale edition of
the South Sea Isles. All that makes the place
delightful, she says, is purely artificial; it is an
ordinary American town localized by imported
vegetation. Tahiti is unmixed nature Homo.
lulu is the triumph of man over nature, for the |
very existence of the lovely trees and flowers
which give il its charm is due to inccssant
irrigation. The island Of Oahu as a whole |
consists naturally Of hot, uninviting, red and
yellow volcanic hills without any apparent
heritage. The awful desolation of the barren
coast recalled the shore about Alden, only |
Alden was infinitely more picturesque and |
its mountains far more shapely.' On the |
other hand the colors Of Oahu are wonder |
full distinct masses Of black and bright red, |
of purple and brown volcanic matter are |
thrown about in wild confusion, while peaks |
OF dark basalt rise precipitously from smooth |
beds Of scarlet lava From this bare and |
dreary condition the valley of Honolulu has
been rescued by the construction of large re-
servoirs and the sinking OF artesian wells.
Movable fountains, fed by indiarubber tubing,
play ceaselessy in the corner Of every lawn or
garden and keep alive cumps OF waving BAN
boo or feathery masses of tamarind and
algaroba. This may be the tropics, il is true
but II must be much more like the tropics as
seen at Kew or Monte Carlo than as seen
among the mountain glens Of Ceylon or Jamai-
ca. Even in the oasis itself you never forget
The volcanic origin Of the place, for just above
The town towers conical hill Of fiery red
scorie, enclosing large crater, called with
Anglo-Saxon ineverence the Punchbowl Ca
hu is one great cluster of such craters, SCARED
ng dry, parched, native vegetation Of cuphor-
bias OF other thirsty weeds, and grimly forbid
ling in aspect. Altogether, Miss Cumming
it the most MISUNDERSTANDING is
land she has visited and its barren peaks, on
whose undraped nakedness the sun beats fierce
y, contrast most uniavorably with the misty
ierdant paradise of the South Seas The very
iress of the people looks dull after the delicate
,inks and sea-greens so dear to Tahitian girls.
1.-The men wear European costume, and the
women affect our English browns and drabs,
elieved only by the ieiS, or garlands Of flowers
wined gracefully round the head and shoulder.
Horrible to relate, several advanced girls
wore his of artificial flowers The gay riding
lresses' too, so much admired by Miss Bird
mere twisted strips Of crimson, orange, OF pur-
Die calico, flying free in the breeze-are giving
way to Christian costume and, worse still, to :
american buggies. Ii
ut is only the leeward side of the islands Y
hat presents so parched and burnt an appear.
nee. The windward side is invariably green
let the most interesting part Of Miss Cum
aing's volumes relates to the dreary volcanic
cenery itself, which her pencil has illustrated
2 varying features with its accustomed cum
ing. In themselves the lake Of fire and the
temporary crags Of kilauea are not so beauti.
al OF picturesque as those extraordinary Tahi.
ian spires and minaets Of living rock which )
urprised us SO much in her last work, but !,
shen boiling and seething with flame and /
ume they must form a magnificent exhibition '
Il natural forces. In outline Mauna Loa can. I
lot be considered striking or imposing \
though it rises TO height of Ia. {
90 feet, its long dome swels up too gradually, !
Ike an Alsatian AaRen, TO give by any means Y
full idea Of its real elevation. After the per. {,
,ci contour OF snow.capped Fusi Yama. tina, 1
ieal cone, the Hawaiian volcano looked poor 2
nd ugly indeed---a stranded whale upon | X
arren shore Miss Cumming could only con. a
ole herself by thinking that Mauna Loa was
S yet but half made; that in time il would
row up to be bigger and that il il were not
. wasteiul, its good building material, proper.