Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-07

MAP OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
nounced exactly like long in line and
prime; as in fate, | as ee in feel, u as
90 in COO and all other letters as in English.
When ii follow vowel the first is
sounded with that vowel and the second
alone. Thus Hawaii is Hah-wy-ee, ac-
cented on the second syllable.
1t is the consonants which mako the
trouble To say that the language has
no constant consonants would be scarce
" an exaggeration. Tho novels are al
ways pronounced clearly and strongly,
in many cases with a real lingering
sweetness, but not SO the consonants.
In fact, if clear voiced talker should
omit tho consonants entirely, n native
would generally understand him. One
must listen carefully to distinguish be-
tween and |, between t and k, and so
of many other doubles, and in the older
works on the islands one finds the names
thus spoiled inditferently, as taro or
kalo. Kilauea or Trauea, or more COM
monty Kirauea, Pele, Tele or Kele, etc.
NY first lessons were in the Book of
Mormon" my local mentor being mis-
sionary of that persuasion, and this
book unlike most, loses nothing in trans
lation The spirit of the original could
not evaporate us Max Muller putsit, l.
cause in English the book is aptly de-
scribed as "chloroform i'll print"-hope-
lessly dull. Nevertheless the Mormons
have done a wonderful work on the is
| lands. and this would be one of their
strongest outposts if their converts had
not, Kanaka fashion, died off so rapidly.
In Utah is an extensive family of Ncbc-
kers, cousins, believe, of the present
! United States treasurer. One OF these
did so good work in Kauai that his
most talented converts took his name.
After my return to Salt Lake City
heard one of these Kanaka Nebekers de-
| liver an address there in his native
tongue which a returned missionary
translated, and though by no means n
expert in kanaka | understood enough
| to realize that that interpreter was phe-
nomenally brilliant liar
The American missionaries reached
! the islands in 1920 and soon had the ma
tive speech reduced to a written Ian
guage. Now every adult kanaHa can
read and write Some 300 books have
been published in the language. and the
Kanaka journals are read by every one
Bearing il mind the rules above given,
the reader will easily see thai Oahu is
pronounced O-ah-hoo; Maui. Novice;
Kilauea. Kee-low-a-ah; Liliuokalani,
Lee lee-oo-oh- ka- lance, and so on Of all
other places and persons. The main is.
land gives name to the whole grQup
with the addition OF Nei (Nay-ee) aword
signifying union, or the whole; hence
the official designation Of the kingdom
is Hawaii Nei
Hawaii is nearly twice as lar;,e rs all
the other islands together, but Oahu is
politically the most important. having
thu capital and by far the best harbor in
the islands. and Kauai is rather themost
advanced H. agriculture. did not know
the reason of this till found it out, and
was quite suddenly put i'll the way OF
finding it out at Hilo, in Hawaii. 1t was
perfectly lovely day. and was writing
and lounging by turns when there cam
strange culver; my inkstanG danced
over the table like quicksilvereG toy
man, felt sudden nausea. there was q
grinding sensation in the very light
frame walls, and "subseQuen: proceed
ings interested me no more" in that
room-for | was in the middle of the
street with severa. other people. Il
was over in minute. Then every
body laughed and pointed out that ever
| fF al ON, N fol
would not hurt him much for they arr
very light in structure Heavy ston,
buildings are all very well for Oahu ant
Kauai, and will barely do in Maui ant
Molokai, but not in Hawaii
The explanation is, to my mind very
curious The islands were all built NJ
by volcano and earthquake, Nature he
gar the job at tho northwest end of thu
chain with some small islands, mer,
rocky peaks; us she moved southeast
ward she built up successfully larger is
lands, and she is still at it--intends t.
keep at it, the crock sharps" say, till sh
makes II real island continent Will
she is building an island it is of cours
powerful uneasy and mighty uncer
tain but when she has finished it i
settles down to a quiet maturity. Hcnc
the comparative stcadiness of Oahu ant
Kauai; hence the instability of Hawaii.
Only five years before my visit Their
was Pele to pay in that island. Pele i
the native devil of Hawaii, or deviles
rather, for it is a female,) For man,
days together the whole island shool
like giant in an ague fit. The propri
etor of the hotel at the Kilauea crate
said in letter to the Honolulu Adver
tiser that "Pele sent Rodman 20-incl
shot with such precision that it strucl
the ground within an inch of my bed.
ran and did not return" Nearly all til
stone buildings in Hilo were shaker
down. The missionaries record with
sort of grim humor that their bookcase
were upset and the books went tumblin
over the house. Trees swayed and fell
stone fences went down. and vast noun
tain masses rolled into the sea. On
missionary adds, so gravely that W
must not suspect him of joke, tina
they prayed with unusual fervor all
, sang
On Jordan's stormy banks we stand,
And cast a wlshful eye.
} THE WORLDS GRANDEST VOLCANO