The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-12-14
INDEPENDENCE DAY.

the anniversary of Hawaiian Inde-
pendence was more grandly cele-
brated on Saturday last than it had
been in many years. There was a
goodly display of flags on shore and
in the harbor, the British man-of-
war Constance looking gay with a
string of flags arching from stem
to stern. The procession of church
societies to the Kaumakapili Church,
marshalled by Hon. j. A. Cummins,
escorted by native militia, and
headed by the band, was hardly up
to the programme, but what was of
it looked well. AT noon royal
salutes were fred from the shore
battery, Kakaako, and the guns of
the Constance, that vessel being
enveloped in a dense cloud of blue
and white smoke before half-a-
dozen discharges were made. A
south breeze prevailed during the
day, making the weather somewhat
sultry. Although many stores were
open, the bulk of the foreign, as
well as native population, gave
themselves up heartily to holiday
keeping. Some of the baser sort
went too far in this respect, and
made the evening air disagreeable
with unseemly language and gem
eral misconduct. A complaint has
been preferred to this paper that
the police were wilfully blind and
deaf to gross breaches of public
decorum.
THE GRAND LUAU.
The large auditorium, 100 feet
long by 60 feet wide, was densely
packed with an audience consist
ing, for the most part, of natives.
The assembly itself was a spectacle
worth the going to see. People who
refer to the Sandwich Islanders as
''savages" would be astonished to
find here, in a thoroughly native
church, congregation of at least a
thousand people, the women got up
in style as if they had just come
out of New York millinery stores,
and the men fixed in holiday cos
tune very much in the fashion of
well-to-do New England farmers.
The front pews were occupied by
members of the royal family, officers
of state, representatives of foreign
nations, and many of the principal
officials of the civil service. The
exercises opened with the singing
of 'Hawaii Ponoi' accompanied by
the Royal Hawaiian Band. A brief
prayer was offered by the pastor,
Rev. j. Waiamau, after which came
the Grafton delivered by the Hon.
Robert Hoapili Baker. The Incl
dents of the recognition of indie
pendence, AZ years ago, and the
present commercial status of the
kingdom were ably and deliberately
discussed. The concluding para
graph of the grafton reads: "The
future of our country is full of pro.
mise. The name of Hawaii has be.
come honorable among the nations,
Let it be our duty, fellow citizens,
to endeavor and do our part tc
maintain the independence of oul
country; to assist His Majesty's
Government in carrying out theil
duties and measures to promote the
general welfare; to strengthen anc
widen the foundations of oul
national independence, ever pray
ing to the Almighty to long pre-
serve the health of our sovereign
Long Live His Majesty King Kala
kaua the First" After the Grafton
the band struck up, and played
some lively airs, while the larg'
audience filed out in due order
Next came the grand luaw whicl
was held in the basement. ST!
tables extended from the platform
to the opposite end of the building
On the platform was spread larg
table, occupied by members ant
connections of the royal family
Two or three side tables were ap
propriated to the use of foreigners
The six native tables were prettil.
spread with fern leaves, givinI
them the appearance of long strip
of green sward, covered wit
crockeryware and the staple article
of food peculiar to genuine Ha
waiian feast. Calabashes of poi
cuts of pork rolled in ii leaves
dishes of fish, salt, potatoes, kulol
and palau, made up the bill of fare
The clatter of knives and forks tina
makes the white mans dining ha
sound like a machine shop, was nc
there, for the transfer of the muir
tious elements from the festiy
board to the mouths of the eater
was effected after the manner {
the ancients. The supplies for tn
occasion had been furnished by tn
twelve districts into which the col
gregation is divided. Committee
were appointed to look after til
contributions and the evidences {
plenty that were everywhere sprea
out, proved that the committees ha