The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-07-13

The root is something like . long best,
and when boiled and mashed the pulp 10
poi-a Whitley yellow batter at first. later
sort of sour paste. 1t operates homo
opathically, SO to speak-that is. 1t builds
up dilapidated constitution surprising
ly. but if used exclusive Of any other
food it Injuries the health. There is no
particular danger of any American or
Englishinan using the native style OF 1t
10 excess, for il is emphatically nasty.
Decently prepared, however, it is quite
palatable. Local statisticians say that
one acre Of it will furnish yearly bread
for 5000 men-a pleasing statement
which, | regret TO say. do not believe.
Fish is said to be the proper corrective
10 take with poi, and fish also are abun-
cant. Early visitors say the Kanakas
formerly ate them raw and at the soon
st possible moment after killing them
indeed it was thought a luxury to begin
10 gnaw on the tail before the head was
Lead. At any rate the hungry native
took the fish as it came from the water.
hastily ran knife from gill TO tail. tore
out the entrails and at once fell to eat
ing, and there is IA story that when the
first Kanakas were taken 70 be presented
TO the king of England they behaved
quite handsomely till they saw some fish
in little aquarium in the royal apart
ment. Their appetite overcaIne them
Men and women alike fell on the fnny
prey. tore and devoured it with the savage
yum-yum of appeased hunger, and de-
clared in choice Kanaka that IL was their
first square meal" since they left Homo
lulu.
They tell many hard stories like this
about the former .ta'saiians, but as !.
saw nothing of the kilj will continual
to hope they are not true. Ii it was trud
as the first visitors said, that the parents
killed ali their children above two or three;
that methods of check were used which
soon proved fatal to half the women;
that thousands of men were killed in the
saturnalia following kings death, and
thousands more were sacrificed or eaten,
how did the population get so large?
Why so much greater than now, when
none of these things are done! l cannot
help suspecting that there has been ex-
aggeration.
There is peace and good fellowship
enough now. There are social enjoyment
and ease and joyousness and feasting
enough now. Everywhere this is true,
but especially in Honolulu. There the
slant eyed Chinaman and the darker
Malay, the very fair Englishman, dark
Portuguese and medium American, the
10
brown Samoan jOstle each other good
humoredly in the streets and even prac-
tice sort of social equality unthought
Of in the United States. During my stay
there King Bill was even a. one of us in
many an excursion, and at poi suppers
it was not very uncommon to meet ma
tive ladies' got up regardless In silk
and delicate pongee done in the tie
back style, and wearing the monster
chignons which were the fashion 20
years ago.
Of all our pleasure excursions those to
the Waikiki beach for bathing by moon
light were the most pleasant, and the
requirements in costume were much the
same as at Long Branch. Back in the
secluded districts, however, the natives
of both sexes took to the water without
the formality of putting on suits
The Kanakas are described by scientists
as belonging to the Polynesian branch
of the Malay race" which means. | take
it, that they are Malays modified by long
residence among many islands" (polu-
nesia). and therefore swimming is about
as natural to them as walking TO us.
Brigham Young told me just before
left Salt Lake City that they were like
the American NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of
the ancient lsraelites who had "back-
Sudden" and been cursed and turned
dark accordingly If so. they have slid
den back great deal further than they
are ever likely to slide forward again.
And this makes it fitting to close with
few words on the political question.
This is not the first time by several that
Hawaii has in a measure been revo-
lutionized From 1880 or thereabouts
to 1S43 it was sharply contended for by
various powers. In 1889 the French
compelled King Kamehameha III to pay
large sum in gold and held the king
dom in duress till it was done. The
American merchants raised and paid the
money. and thus saved the kingdom for
the time. In 1912 the British consul,
Richard Charlton, and Lord George Pau
let overthrow the kingdom in effect, COM
PEELED the king to retire to the mountain
forests and raised the British flag
4Maza6z79.