Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-11-23

The city water supply and the roads are
under government control. The streets
are macadamized, and the drives are
equal to those Of most cities four times
the size OF Honolulu. Bicycling is q
general pastlme (the Chinese themselves
indulgingl, and baseball has a foot-hold,
the native boys playing the game with q
vigor that would surprise the young
American. The jockey club has a splen.
did mile track, with a large grand-stand
and stables, and s%emi-yearly meets are
held. .&.
Business in the city is generally sus-
pended at 5 O'Clock in the evening, and
at noon on Saturday, and life is livid
with some pleasure in view. There are
two electric light, and two artificial ice
companies, and such evidences of civil.
lzation are placed within every ones
reach. There is a large public library
". M. CAY, Masonic buildings, and the
government houses, which were built
for royalty.
So far as l can judge, absolute honesty
rules in politics. I attended one sen
atorial nominating convention, and ii
was altogether the office seeking the man.
The position is purely honorary, no pay
being attached to the senatorship, and
no one was inclined to have his time
taken up by it's responsibilities. It
seemed to me that a modification of the
Puritan law of Massachusetts,, compel
ling each nan to serve his term as gov
ernor, would not be out Of place here.
We.are without the benign influence OF
the American honest municipal govern.
ment also. I don't know whether that is
a calamity or not, but don't think it is.
The homes of Honolulu are its pleas.
ATTEST feature. The yards are large, with
a plentiful water supply, and the trop-
ical verdure is magnificent. The night.
blooming cereu trails over the walls as
a common vine. The oleander takes on
the dignity of a tree, twenty to thirty
feet in height, and the monkey pod, the
poncia regia, with its masses of flaming
flowers; the mahogany tree, the royal
and sugar palms, the bsnyan, orange,
and countless other varieties, reach the
perfection Of verdure.
The bathing resort is Waikiki beach,
said to be one of the finest, beaches in
the world, and on a moonlight night it ie
a place of glorious pleasure.
The sunsets and the moonlight deserve
a passing mention. The latter is of such
brillia"ce that after a night rain a lunar
bow is formed. The sunsets are such as
are peculiar to all tropical countries, and
as various as they are gorgeous.
The government band is an important
social feature of Honolulu. Il is almost
entirely native and consists of forty
pieces, under the leadership of a German
military bandmaster. Classical and pop
ular music is played. There is an an
nual appropriation Of $4,000 for it's
maintenance, and daily concerts are
given in the different parks and squares.
Music is the natives chief delight. Most
of them possess good voices, and, with
the "okalala," a native instrument re-
sembllng a miniature guitar with five
strings, produce really good music.
American national airs are favorites, and
what, with the Stars and Stripes flying
constantly from q half score Of business
houses, one doesn't seem more than q
couple of miles from the Golden Gate.
The harbor and fsh-market are places
of great interest. Ships from all parts
of the world lie at the wharfs, and there
are generally three Or four big memo
war of different nationalities lying in
naval row. This is a halfway stopping
place for all Pacific travel, and it's i'm
portance will increase as m adj
vances.
The fish market is a tremendous shed,
with stalls, rented to a hundred or more
different fish and meat merchants. Sat
urday is market day, as it seems to be in
most countries. The "Kanaka' puts on
his best white suit, and the woman her
most gorgeous red ''holoku' (Which re-
sembles the Boston Mother Hubbard
more than anything else), and, plentifully
bedecked with flowers, sally out to pur-
chase a Sunday dinner. The native
character is curiously illustrated here.
If a man possesses rs cents, he pays a
quarter for a hack ride to market, an
other quarter buys his fish, and the third
is reserved to enable him to ride home.
A great deal of the sea food is offered
for sale in it's live tate-lobsters, crabs,
etc.-and small boys are constantly en-.
gagged in herding the. animals back which
have succeeded in crawling away. The
wrangling ' % prices, constant and ami
mated, is carried on in no less than four
different languages, and the din is deaf
ening. Everybody enjoys himself.
From fifteen to twenty small steamers
do the inter-island business, which is a
heavy one. Three Of them are 8OO.ton
boats. alootric l;0htad ond