Evening journal., 1897-11-08
COLONEL COOpER'S LETTER.
TELLS ABOUT THE NATIVES AND
THEIR LANGUAGE AND A LIT
TIE OF THE ANNEXATION Cos

From the Milford Herald.
have spent about a week in the Ha
waiian Islands since | wrote by steamer
Alameda. The Australia, the steamer |
came over on, starts on its homeward
trip this afternoon at o'clock. ] send
this letter by that mail. The leaving
of a steamer for the states is always an
occasion of public interest. The people
gather upon the wharves and watch the
departure of the boat and passengers
with great interest. 1t is almost an af-
ternoon holiday. The government band
plays for an hour before the steamers
departure. The Australia is the only
steamer that phys between the islands
and San Francisco exclusively. The
other steamers go on to Sydney or
Honk Kong, stopping here en- route
each way.
A weeks stay here enhances the
beauty and pleasantries of Honolulu
and vicinity. A drive around Diamond
Head presents a magnificent view of the
city and the mountains for miles
around, stretching as far as one can see
along the coast of the Pacific. The view
from Pail is said to be one of the grand
est in the world. Beneath this precipice
is a fertile valley of thirty thousand
acres, and in order to gain easy access
to it the government is now cutting a
road through the rocks on the side of
the mountains for one mile and a quar-
ter, which work has been put out at
contract at a cost of $4,000 The land
of this country is being fast developed.
Say what you may about the Chinese.
| they have in the past been a great
| benefit to Hawaii. In all directions
can be seen the handiwork of their in
dustry. What a few years ago was bar
rem and uncultivated fields are now vast
acres of rice, bananas, pineapples and
taro They have dug bitches, employed
to the best advantage the irrigation sys-
tenn and have developed the agricultu-
raj value of the lands to a degree that
no other people would scarcely have un-
dertaken. The Portuguese and japanese
are now following their example. The
population of the islands is fast in
creasing. According to the last census
there were 72,517 males and 36,503 fe-
males. as follows: Hawaiians, BLOB;
part Hawaiians, S,485; Americans. s.
0S6; British, 2,250; Germans, 1882;
French, 101; Norwegian, 37S; Portu-
guese, 1871: Japanese, 24,407; Chi
nese, 22, ,407; Islanders, 455; other ma
tionalities, 900. Total, 10000. There
have leen many foreigners come in
since this census was made. There is a
compulsory school attendance law here
and the schools are taught in the Eng
lish, Chinese. Hawaiian and japanese
languages. Whenever a plantation is
started a government school house is
built thereon for the education of the
children Of the laborers. The average
salary paid a government teacher is SIT
per month. The appropriation for sal
aries for the past biennial period was
! S432 400. There are various kindergar-
tens, singing and drawing schools
and evening schools in parts of the is
lands. In the public schools in 1885,
i there were 1S0 male and 246 female
teachers, and 1866 scholars. America
| furnishes the most teachers, being III
to 6S Hawaiian. GO part Hawaiian, 6l
i British, 13 Portuguese, IA Chinese,
German, French, Belgian, Scan
dinavian, Dutch and 2 japanese.
i / called on Minister Sewalll yesterda!
and found him a very pleasant gentle
man and with most excellent lady TO
4 his wife. Her mother was of Virginia
The minister told me that he had jus
\ received a letter from his father th'
ldlt AOI int NltI
II presidency, and that he was still as san
guine of the final triumph of free silvei
as he has ever been. Mr.. Sewall is wei
liked here / see the canned goods o.
=. Richardson & Robbins, from Dover
4 Del, in all of the grocery stores. II
u fact | was in a fruit store the other day
and saw a canary drinking water on
ef one of q can bearing the mark of th'
| q - hnp 10 oil
y me that the bird had been sent to hin
from Samoa, over 1000 miles furthe
on in the Pacific, and that the can CAM
in the same cargo with water for thl
canary to drink.
!, l attended the native Hawaiian
church on Sunday evening and hear,
good singing and a sermon in the Ha
waiian language. The minister had jus
, come home from South Africa ant
dwelt elaborately about what he saw
, among the uncivilized tribes of tina
land. He concluded his address as fol
I, lows: "Hokabi men nui; e lokabi kakol
, a pau KoumanaO keia: ina e lokah
ana ka hae Hawaii maluna a kakou NJ
ka mana wa pau ole" which, interpre
| ted, means: lone thing is important
: unanimity I believe that if we all vii
! stand together the flag of Hawaii will
float over us till the end of time"
This shows pretty well the feeling
among the native Hawaiians here ol
the question of annexation. This feel
ing is not shared extensively by tn
] whites and the business people. AS
have occupied much space already AM
the steamer carrying the mail will sool
p start on it's Eastern voyage, l will lno
take up the political situation in thi
E letter. I had a pleasant ride last Sun
E day with DR.. J. S. McGTey, out to hi
plantation on Pearl Harbor, and thel
thirty miles across the island on tn
Oahu railway to the terminus of tn
road. The doctor is universally know
] here as the Father ot Annexation"
2 Mrs. ]. w. Luning, of this city, wh'
was born and raised in Wilmington
and is a niece of the late Senate
James H. Ray. of Newark. called TO Sc
me the other day to pay her respects L
one from her native state, and to asl
T for many friends of years gone by.
E. T. c.
Honolulu, Oct. 20, 1897.
FOR A SUNNY CLINE.