Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-06

''pidgin English in China or Chinook"
on the northwest coast. For one thing
Hawaiians were always very slow in &C
curing any foreign words; Their tongues cues
consonants. 1t vas always much easier
for the white or theh Chinaman to learn
the native: and THE native tongue itself
between different races. Whether with a
French priest, Chinese trader or a Japan
ese, l can always get on comfortably by
talking the familiar Hawaiian.
A Mixed Language. -.
Although we have no Chinook lingo, most
foreigners used to murder the Hawaiian
in their common use, MOST atrociously. and
the yielding and initiative native would
copy the foreigner, 'sefhat in the seaports
even a missionary aSould find the people
of the grammatical ttlunders mada by for
eigners became widespread among natives
and quite fixed in general use. In fact, this
language, like all other tongues Of uncul-
tivated peoples, is in constant f1ux. Just
as the English tongue of the thirteenth CEN
fury is now puzzling 10 IFS, so the language
of old Hawaiian meles or odes, lating CEN
turtles back, Is nearly unintelligible TO the
uninitiated. Sixty years ago the mission
ares had nearly completed, translation
of the Bible. They made this with great
care and exactness Every translator en-
exceptional intelligence to give him pre-
cisely accurate forms of expression. Thus
the printed Bible embodies purely choice
Hawaiian of the thirties. sixty years ago.
To some extent this set and crystalIized
the language. Notwithstanding this. many
changes are apparent in reading a common
Hawaiian newspaper of today, in which
words and idioms are changed quite
much as our English of today is from King
James version.
There are a few native words which have
tendency to become adopted into English.
A l., L.
in our dictionaries. Tattoo is the Poly
neSian tatau, to inScFibe or write. Taboo
is the Polynesian tabu prohibit, used es-
pecially for the numerous and severe pro-
hibition3 in their religion. Certain words
are now constantly used by white residents
in ordinary conversation. Perhaps the
most common is pau pow, meaning done,
finished. Another convenient word is pill
kia, which applies to any kind of difficulty,
strait obstacle or Ierpexlty. large or
small. Such term of indefinite latitude is
highly convenient in this world of trouble.
Maikai (mye-kye) good. everybody knows.
Makemake mukky-mukky) is equally ia
miliar. meaning to wish
But the old days of native speech are
beginning to pass away. Half the natives
now have a smattering of English. and
most of the more youthful can speak it in
telligibly. and can make out the meaning
of an English newspaper. OF the hun
dreds of country day schools only two are
now taught in Hawaiian. and those will
the common speech of the native people in
another generation. We have been bitter
ly accused of stealing their government be-
cause We gave them a better one than their
rotten monarchy: their country because
we seek to introduce Hawaii as a partner
in the glorious American Union. They
might with more truth charge us with
robbing them Of their language, which we
are really and rapidly doing although with
their own most eager consent and assist
ance.
To recur to the subject of the old stone
church. That edifice was formerly the
scene of many great ceremcnials. Having
been erected largely by royal contributions
and by labor called out by the chiefs it
was REGARDED as in some sense a royal
vicinity of the palace. Hence its spacious
audience room was often used on great
state occasions. Several royal funeral were
great chiefs lay in state. watched by at
ttndants, who measuredly and solemnIy
waved over the great kahilis Qly brushes),
SLOWLY. rising and Falling in turn. These
and long processiohs The high cata-
3 fallues would be Surrounded hy monster
kahils. borne aloft, Insignia of royalty
i, The last one was thai of Kalakaua: fodr
years ago.
Tomb OF i, King.
In the great church gyard is an Enclosure
surrounding handsome mausoleum. where
repose the remains of King Lunalilo, the
last of the old royal, line: King Kalakaua
had caused to be removed to the royal maui
soieum IN Nunaru valley the remains of his
father and mother. who were chiefs of low
er than royal rank, Hence LemaIlo's sur
wing father (he had inherited through the
mother) would not leave his sons remains
with them, and caused them to DE removed
to kawaiahao churchyard. / was present
On the occasion There was pompous pro-
cession, but the king would not permit the
mo- !, Low.
two miles. He said .Lunalilo had already
had the due honor at his first funeral 1t is
the native superstition that stormy weather
always attends the funerals of royalty.
strangely enough an extremely violent
thunderstorm. most rare occurrence, sud
denly broke out over the city and flooded
the streets. 1t held up raining in time for
the procession at pm. Very curiously
during. the whole hour of ma rching, there
was quite regular succession of low thun-
behring's, which the natives regarded as TAX
ing the place of minute guns. But the
strangest circumstance of all was that at
the instant when the catafalque arrived be-
tween the gateposts of the church ward
there burst from clear sky overhead a
blaze of lightning, and one of the most ter
rifle crashes of thunder that 1 ever heard
That was the last sound of the storm The
incident was so strange that almost hest
tate to write 1t down. 1t was witnessed
howe by the entire population of Homo
lulu. The facts stated will be verified nv
any one residing here in November 1870 1t
had been particularly noted that when Ka-
: lakaua 5 parents were removed the wealth
er had remained pleasant. kalakaua's own
funeral in 1891 was attended with bright
weather.
l also witnessed in 1864 very striking
ceremonial in the stone church. 1t was the
opening by King Lot Kameha meha V of
the constitutional assembly called by him
to make a new constitution for his king
dom number of the old royal chiefs We're
then still living. The church had become
well filled. After we had waited for some
time, observing the large empty stage
which had been prepared. there came slowly
pacing in at short intervals, two and two.
the ponderous old chiefs. Their grand state
Illness was most impressive as they marched
up-men and wonderland seated themselves
on the stage. Perhaps the stateliest couple
was the dowager queen Kalama, and the
Princess Ruth Keelikalani, who paced up
the aisle together Last came the king and
after he was seated an Insignificant Angll-
can bishop tr.pped hastily up the steps and
mumbled prayer in ludicrous contrast to
the dignity of the men and women who
preceded him.
Lots constitutional assembly proved a
failure. The people had taken alarm at