The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-06-30

| Tie uOWn kIdQS III tueOlORy anu eNO
lutionary philosophy but trust it will
| prove that they have been travelling or
the improved bicycle by which. wher
they run down the near hill, they rise
by momentum and work still higher or
| the farther hill.
PunahoI boys were always given te
tramping. There was scarcely q NOOK
or corner of Hawaii nei which they have
not explored. The depths of the deepest
valleys and the tops of the highest noun.
tains had felt their tread and revealed
to them their secrets, their beauty and
their grandeur; The grown-up boys have
| continued to be travellers. Wherever
you 90 from Alaska to Chile, in America
| Europe, Asia, Africa, or the islands OF
the sea, you are likely to meet them OF
| find traces of them.
One night in Spain, as my wife and !
were on our way with Sam and Lottie
Alexander to the Alhambra, our train
drew up about midnight near the ancient
city OF Toledo, when another train from
Lisbon drew up beside us. We were
talking quietly in the dark, when sud-
denly voice called from the Lisbon
train, "Is that you, Sam ?" We inn
mediately recognized the voice OF Chas.
Judd. We all got out and had pleasant
little midnight chat with Judd, Macfar-
lane and King Kalakaua. They brought
US late news from our relatives and
friends in China, Japan, and Hawaii.
AT least five, and | presume more. of
the Oahu boys have travelled quite
around our little globe, and now are sup
posed to be signing for other worlds to
conquer.
But we notice too that the wanderers
love to come back to the old home. In
Barcelona many of the homes have fiat
roofs surrounded with parapet, and the
inmates often go up there to enjoy the
cool of the evening. They frequently
have dove-cotes up there, and it is fav-
orlte amusement to train decoy pigeons,
or robber-pigeons, "palomas ladrones,"
as they are called. These very attract
i've and beautiful pigeons being sent out
will 60 and make the acquaintance of
pigeons in other cotes, and having be-
come their fast friends, will fly back to
their own homes bringing one or more
of their admirers with them, which are
Immediately bagged.
This stealing by proxy is said to be
most fascinating game, which would de-
light the heart of Fagin, or even of q
robber baron himself.
| sometimes think that robber pigeons
have been carrying Oft from our Hawaii
an dove-cote those who belong in Hawaii
nei.
But this is one of the serviceable rules
Which work both ways. Many, see,
that have been attracted and held In
foreign lands for time, after years re-
turn to the home nest bringing their |
companions with them. Many strays,
too, who only planned to make short |
visit here have been caught and held
and the newcomers seem to become as
fond of the new home as those " to the
manor boru."
Welcome" we say to one and all. |
And "alohs." to ali the tired wanderers
who have knot come back, but who
sometimes look with longing eyes to the
enchanted isles where their life began,
and where they now see in vision the
sun glimmer in gold on
the summer seas.
Punahou boys in our days were con-
stantly hunting for shells, especially |
for land-shells. 1t was not strange, for
by remarkable combination of causes,
we have right here on Oahu the most |
beautiful varied and highly developed
land-shells OF the world. Though we
did not then know that fact, we knew |
they were beautiful and fascinating. |
Saturdays and vacations we were scour- |
ing the hills and valleys for new species. |
This school boy enthusiasm has borne
fruit, and l believe is destined to bear
more, in helping to a solution OF the
great question of development, by the
discovery of new and important factors
of evolution, and by helping to deter
mine the relative value of the known
factors; questions which to-day absorb
SO large share of the interest and study
of the scientific world, and rightly, as
these are the living, growing questions of
our time.
We claim our accomplished scientist,
the genial editor of the Friend" as an
Oahu boy in esse, and Punahau boy in
posse. He has improved on Emerson's
advice, glitch your wagon to star"
By quick and keen observation he has
fastened his name to the Day-star. To
day Bishops rings around the sun are
known and spoken of throughout the
scientific world.
Once when we were climbing over the
old Rocky Hill we came upon a cavern
between the cliffs. By excavating, we
penetrated to where we required torches
10 see our way, anu GHeTe We iouHu oHe
or two idols and various instruments of
superstition. We frightened off the bats
and carried away the idols.
Has not this, too, been prophetic of
the life-work of many Punahou boy
and girl? They have been carrying the
torches of gospel light and civilization
into the dark caverns and among the
gross superstitions of the world. The
owls, the bats and all birds that love the
twilight, have hooted, screamed and
tapped their dusky wings in fear or in
angry protest; but the reformers, the
educators, and the preachers of right
eousness have gone right on with their
work, bringing hoary superstitions to
the light, and carrying the gospel into
the darkest caverns of the human soul.
May Oahu College ever be light
bringer in science, In industry, in morals,
in politics, in religion; and may her
sons and daughters continue to go to the
ends of the earth as messengers of light
till every cave of superstition is illumin-
ated, its idols cast to the moles and the
bats, and the whole round earth filed
with the knowledge of the gospel OF
Christ.