The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-05-02
BY HIS HAWAIIAN MAJESTY KALAKAUA

Edited and with an Introduction
BY
Hon. X. NJ. DAGGETT,
Late United States Minister to the
Hawaiian Islands.
Chas. l.. Webster 81 Co, of New
York, are the publishers.
Passing from the handsome ex-
terror Of the book to the more i'm
portant matter Of its contents, we
find its literary quality to be of quite
a high order Mr. Daggett is a
forcible. and facile writer, with a
picturesque style and the gift of
making even comparatively dry
topics entertaining. Hisjournalistic
experience has doubtless been Of
great value in developing a talent
for popularizing, without vulgariz
ing, the subjects Of which he treats.
The introduction, which comprises
lifty-fve pages, is devoted to a con
densed historical sketch of the ISL
ands, with an account of the abOrig-
inal manners and customs, modes of
! life, implements and manufactures,
together with the ancient religion
and the various divinities cOmpos-
ing the Hawaiian pantheon The
author appears to have made dill
agent study of the available sources
iU1Sf information on these topics, and
lohay be credited with an evil
lent desire to make a fair state
'4Aa1nent of facts. There are no
those who will Judge him to
lave shown a defective sense of pro
portion in the relative Importance
.istnd value he attaches to some Of the
lllnatters which come under consider
Tytion. If his conclusions are in any
,ivnWay colored by mental bias or pre-
JicOnceived notions, the defects of this
r4k,;ind are by no means conspicuous,
and the authors are rare indeed who
can treat of historical, or even of
scientific subjects, without the ''per-
sOnal equation" coming more or less
into play.
Considering Mr.. Daggett's com
paratively brief residence in this
country, his lack Of knowledge of
the native language and of personal
observation Of native modes of life
and expression, and his consequent
dependence for information upon
others, who were themselves liable
GO be more or less influenced in their
statements by prejudice or interest,
we think that the execution of this
part OF the book is creditable to the
authors fairness and intelligence, as
we'll as his literary ability. We
speak of this matter the more fully,
because it is the only portion of the
work in which his authorship is
avowed.
The remainder of the book is de,
voted to what purports to be a re-
production of Hawaiian legends and
myths. OF the twenty-one stories
comprising this collection, all but
two have been previously published,
some Of them more than once, and
in different forms. The two which
now appear for the first time, so fan
as we are aware, are The Iron
Knife" and THE Sacred Spear
Point" The other nineteen have
been supplied with literary form
and substance, and published al
various times by Fornander, Ellis
Dibble, Jarves, Gibson, Alexander
Mrs. Beckley and others.
Most of these, however, have been
entirely rewritten, and exceedingly
well rewritten too, so far as THEN
picturesqueness and readableness
goes. But, unfortunately, as il
seems to us, the writer has seen fiji
to reconstruct the matter as well
making, in many instances, such
changes, that however charming an6
entertaining as stories of savage
tropical life, they fail to repro
duce, in any true sense, the spirit OF
the mental and moral atmosphere Of
the originals.
Of the general principles upon
which those myths and legends
have been reconstructed, of the ma
ture of the changes made, and OF
the apparent purpose and intended
effect of such changes, we do not
purpose speaking at present. Any
thing like full consideration OF
these matters would open up lines of
thought and invite the discussion of
topics, which We cannot go into just
now. Taken, however, as whole,
and not regarded from the stand
point of the scientific, or ethnOlOg-
zeal critic, the book may be fairly
described as handsome, well written,
interesting, and to a considerable