Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1895-10-25
wRENriiID wI,KEnNrSS.
strange social Law OF the isles of
EIursI ncRuty.

said a true word the other day in
its column of comment. II Ger
taiuly is the constitutions, prIvi-
lege Of every man aud woman on
these Islands 10 wear u lei. But,
for some unexplainable reason. a
narrow and despicable spirit has
set the seal of social ostrac su
upon the white man who exorc sps
that privilege.
During the days of the Golden
Age, the days OF heroes and the
Olympian games, when Greece
so shone that her reflected light
is still a beacon to us; in those
old days the highest, most cher
ished reward for superiority in
the arts or sciences, the realms of
poesy and of prose, or Of excel
lence in warlike or athletic feats,
was II laurel wreath. Crowned
kings and proudest princes en-
wed the honored recipient of this
/ SIbaltSl Vi IbhOGS.
In these Islands, for ages past,
the Hawaiian has worn, as an
emblem of affection, wreath of
flowers. 1t is the symbolical ex-
preston of that word Of infinite
meanIng-Aloha. 1t is the Ha-
waiians way of expressing fam
lily tie, as the white man wears the
wedding ring.
Whence has arisen, / wonder.
this spirit of intolerance? Some
wee Drained st,ckier for the So
perlatiye in etiquette must needs
imagine that he or she has dis
covered that the act bad yelled
purport not in accordance with
Puritanical ideas.
L do not believe there ever was
any foundation for such notion,
but constant harping on that
strain has led to general con-
demnation of the most beautiful
sentiment ever symbolized by the
| - VI ibNoluh IhSC'
So today the haole who has the
temerity to adorn his person with
garland is at once kapu. 1t is
comparatively safe to Call man a
villain, liar or a fraud, in this
country, and it won't seriously
affect his social standing; but if
you wish to utterly destroy him,
in that direction, just whisper
about that he sports a lei, and
"sassiety"wilI know him no longer.
Some time ago, a year or there
about, nu intelligent and very
decent young fellow arrived at
Gossipville, on the big island,
from San Francisco. He bore
number of letters of introduction
from people Of first rate standing
and expected to meet with
hearty reception.
AS soon as he landed he noticed
that the majority of the Hawai-.
ians wore wreaths of flowers or
feathers and, the custom striking
his fancy, he immediately invest
ed in one.
Calling at the house of a promi-
nent resident, he presented his
credentials and was received. -
with considerable GOODNESS.
AS soon as an opportunity
arose, the family questioned him
about his decoration, and then,
for several hours, lectured him on
the objectionable sin of tying
string of blossoms around his hat.
The young man stayed there
about three months, but there was
always an element of sadness in
any conversation of which he Yves
the topic, and a hope expressed,
more or less dolefully, that he
might eventually be forgiven.
How silly and fnjcky it all
seems.
Flowers are natures loveliest
production. Poets 60 mad over
the beauty of the daisy and the
violet, the sunfower and the rose.
Hawaiian lyrics beam with
rharsodies over the perfume of
the male. In every cline and
nation volumes are penned to the
charms of the flowers, and have
been through all time. l believe
that this is the only land in which
set rules and regulations have
been laid down to indicate the
proper method of adjoining one
self with them.
You may gather the flowers of the forest:
You may bear bouquet on your breast
You may garnish the vase in the parlor
And your spirit in safety can rest.
But II you would lose reputation;
See ii shattered with sickpninV tbud