The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-01-02
LIHUE, Kauai, December 30th.

stranger III strange IanO, WneFe nc
quaintances are few, experiences in the
present joyous christmas occasion some
thing of the feelings of Goldsmith
Traveller :" "Bdt me, not destined
such delights to share" To such per-
son no season is better fitted to call up
the joys of home and the happiness of
early years.
1t was therefore with melancholy
pleasure that [ witnessed the delights of
the children at little family Christmas
tree to which had been kindly invited.
A pleasure, because it reminded nae of
the days long gone by when, little
child, reveled in such innocent joys as
theirs. Melancholy, because those early
years are passed, and [ need never ex-
pect to realize their unadulterated bliss
again. When the innocence of child
hoods years have passed our pleasures
will be always mixed with pain, and our
happiness mixed with care. Remem-
bering this, l think parents should make
it their sacred duty to minister to the en-
joyments OF their children. Since the
sum OF human Happiness is SO small, and
the greater amount is always to be found
in the innocence of early years, why
not, parents, make it one of your chief
aims in life to minister to the joys of
your little ones. | am sure in SO doing
you will be made happy by their happi-
ness, and in years to come, when they
take your places, and you are laid in GA
low green tent, whose curtains ever cut
ward swing they will look back to
childhood's happy years and bless your
memory.
1t was with feelings akin to these that
l sat watching the children while the
tree was being unloaded and the toys
distributed "Quite an expensive tree,
quite an outlay of money, l never saw
the like" said another invited guest.
"Aye, that is true" said I, but money,
in my opinion, is desirable only SO far as
it will purchase human happiness; and,
my friend, will you please inform
me how given amount of money may
be invested so as to produce greater
amount OF JOY than we see before us.
Besides" said l, "these pleasures will
never be forgotten, and will continue to
bring forth revenue of happy reninis-
cences even when those bright eyes be-
come dim with age, and those curly
locks are white as snow"
Ny attention was then for moment
drawn from the laughing children by
hearing my own name called and receiv-
ing a small Christmas token. Then my
heart swelled with gratitude. Good
people," thought 1, ''your love for your
children is commendable, but your re-
membrance of the stranger is exception
ally kind You have by this little token
caused him to forget one half of his
melancholy, and taught him that in the
islands of the sea people may dwell
whose kindness is sufficient to cheer the
strangers heart and recall it from dis
tant land.
When all was over, went to my room
and sat musing upon the past. After
some time [ was aroused from my rev.
erie by some strange sweet sounds
which seemed directly in front of my
door. [ listened, and such beautiful
strains of music. [ went out on the
veranda and sat down. What sight
met my eyes. Drawn up in battle array
in front of the veranda, dressed in sill
very whiteness which glittered in the
moonlight, clearly discernible all but
their sable faces, stood a number of the
sons of Kauai. They sang. What a
smooth liquid language. English is
powerful and varied for expression, but
for the flowing rythm of song the native
language is unsurpassed.
ACCOMPANIED by the violin, the boys
sang number Of beautiful songs. Sit
ting there on the veranda, total stran-
ger to the language, cannot describe
the effect upon me better than to quote
the words from Dryden:
"Softly sweet, in Lydian measures,
Soon he sooth'd his soul to pleasures.
When it was over, praised the boys
heartily, thanked them kindly for honor
ing me with such a splendid serenade,
and went in. But / noticed that the
boys still fingered. [ knew not what for.
After a time they shouted aloha, and
marched off.
The next morning l boasted of the
great honor l had received, that the
kanakas had given me Christmas SER
enade in honor of my coming here.
eyes" they said, ''you were serenaded,
but to honor you was far from their in
! tention. They were after money for
| the holidays" l then saw the matter
their music was half so good as ] had
formerly imagined. / don't know who
my serenaders were, but they know who