The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-01


on the platform he called for order and
then arose, and all the councillors arose
with him. and he led them I'm prayer.
saying, as near as / can remember;
20, Lord God OF nations. we ask thy
direction I'm the matters that shall come
before US. Give US wisdom and pru-
dence and fidelity I'm the discharge or
our duties, and thou shalt have all the
praise, world without end. Amen i
have not been told whether most OF the
presidents OF the United States have
opened their cabinet meetings in that
way. but Il certainly Is "A good way.
At O'Clock that afternoon the con-
gregational church was packed TO over
flowing with n multitude, about one-half
native Hawalians. and the other half
people or many lands. IL was amazing
10 me that with such short notice OF
few hours such n throng could be
gathered. But the Honolulu papers have
been publishing my sermons for wears.
and II was really \ gathering OF old
friends An interpreter stood beside me
I'm the pulpit. and with marvellous ease
translated what i said into .he Ha-
waiian Language. IL was such scene as
never before witnessed, and / shall
never see a. repeated. After shaking
hands with thousands Of people 1 went
out In the most delicious atmosphere
and sat down under the palm trees.
What bewitchment OF scenery What
heartness OF hospitality The Hawailans
ness In ali the world. In physical pres
ence they are wondrous specimens Of
good health and Submarines. one Ha-
waian could wrestle down two OF our
nation
The Land Of Flowers.
Miracle OF productiveness these is-
lands Enough sugar TO sweeten all the
worlds beverages; enough bananas TO
pile all the worlds baskets; enough rice
10 mix all the worlds pudding; enough
cocoanuts TO powder all the worlds
cakes; enough flowers to garland all the
worlds beauty. Banks OF flowers white
as snow. or blue AZ skies, or yellow as
sunset. or starry as November nights.
or red as battleheids. heaven Of
flowers Flowers entwined In maidens'
hair, and twisted around hats, and hung
on necks, and embroidered on capes and
sacks Tuberoses, gardenias, magnolias,
passloras, trumpet creepers, oleanders,
geraniums. convolvult, fuchsia, hibiscus
red as FIRE, jasmine, which we In Amer
lea carefully coax 10 climb the wall just
once, here running up and down and
jumping over the other side and coming
back again TO jump down this side.
Night blooming cereus, so rare IN our
northern ATTITUDES we call in our neigh
bors to see it, and they must come right
away or never see 10 all, here IN these
islands scattering It's opulence OF per-
fume on all the nights and not able TO
eNpend enough In darkness also flooding
the day. Struggling TO surpass each
other all kinds OF trees, whether Of fruit
or of rich garnlture, mango and organe
and bamboo and alligator pear and UNI
brella trees and bread fruit and algabOra
and tamarine and all the South sea
eNotics. ROUGH cheek OF pineapple
against smooth cheek OF melon the
tropics burning incense of aromathcs TO
the high heavens.
These islands are volcanic results.
The volcanoes are giants living in the
cellars OF the earth and warming them
selves by subterraneous fires, and when
they come out 10 play they toss Islands,
and sometimes in their sport they sprtn-
lSle the sea with the Society islands, and
then they toss up the Navigation Islands,
and then the Fiji islands. and then the
Hawaiian islands. They are Titans, and
when they play quoits they pitch islands.
When the earth finally goes as 60 1t Will,
while It viii be n very serious matter TO
US, Il VIII be only the work Of volcanoes,
which In heir sport are apt 10 be care
less with fire While volcanoes are as
signed TO the destructive agencies we see
here what they do as architects. See
here what they have builded. All up and
down these islands are dead volcanoes.
Rocked in the cradle Of earthquake, they
grew up 10 an active life and came To
their last breath, and the mounds under
which they sleep are decorated with
tropical blooms. But the greatest living
volcano Of all the earth Is Hawaiian and
named Kilauea. What a Kissing, below
ing. tumbling, roring. laundering place
is Kilauea! Lake of unquenchable fire!
Convolutlons and par0Xysms of flame.
Elements Of nature I'm torture! Torridity
and luridityi Congregation OF dreadsi
Molten horrors, Sulphurous abysms!
swirling mystery of all time! Infinite
turbulence! Chimney of perditoni
Wallowing terrors! Fifteen acres of
threat! Glooms insufferable and Dantes-
que! Caldron stirred by the champion
witch OF pandemonium! Campfire of the
armies Of DiabOlus. Wrath of the noun
tains in full blooml Shmmering in
candescence! Pyrotechnics of the planet!
Furnace blast OF the ages-Kilauea!
Once upon time all the geysers and
boiling springs and volcanoes Of the
earth held a convention to elect king,
and Etna was there, and Hecla was
there. and Stromboli was there, and
Vesuvius was there, and Fusiyama was
there. and Mauna Loa was there. The
discussion In this convention OF volca-
noes was heated. They all spouted i'm
FASHIONED sentiment. Some were candi-
dates for the throne and crown because
of one pre-eminence and Others for other
superiorities. But when 1t was put to
vote by unanimous aoclamation Kilauea
was elected TO De king Of volcanoes. All
the natural forces Of the earth, all the
vapors, all the earthquakes, all the hills,
all the continents voted aye. And that
night was the coronation. The throne
was of lavo. The scepter was Of smoke.
The coronet was of fire. And all the sub
limlties and grandeUrs and solemnities of
the earth kneeling at the foot of the
burning throne cried out, Long live
Kflauea of the Hawafiansp' And a voice
from heaven added mighhness TO the
scene as 1t declared. He toucheth the
hills, and they smoke
l must leave TO my next letter the
political aspects of the Hawaiian islands,
and the story of my visit to the presi-
dent and the ex-queen, and my opinion
of both Of them.
T. DE WITT TALMAGE.