The Topeka state journal., 1898-07-14

The root is something like 1Ong beet,
and when boiled and mashed the pElp is
poi-a Whitley yellow batter at first, later
q sort of sour paste. It operates hnGR0s-
opathically, so to speak-thatis, 1t builds
up dilapidated constitution surprising
", but if used exclusive of any other
food it injuries the health. There is no
particular danger of any American or
Englishman using the native style of it
to excess, for it is emphatically nasty.
Decently prepared, however, It Is quito
palatable. Local statisticians say that
enc 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
to take with poi, and fish also are abun-
dant. Early visitors say the Kanakas
formerly ate them raw and at the SOON
est possible moment after killing them
Indeed it was thought a luxury to begin
to gnaw on the tail before the head was
dead. At any rate the hungry native
took the fish as it came from the water,
hastily ran a knife from gill to tail, tore
out the entrails and at once fell to eat
ing, and there is a story that when the
first Kanakas were taken to be presented
to the king of England they behaved
quite handsomely till they saw some fish
in a little aquarium in the royal apart
ment. Their appetite overcame them
Men and women alike fell on the fnny
prey, tore and devoured it with the savage
yum-yun of appeased hunger, and de-
clared in choice Kanaka that it was their
first square meal" since they left Homo
lulu.
They tell many hard stories like this
about the former HaWaiians, but as I
saw nothing of the kind l will continue
to hope they are not true. IF it was true,
as the first visitors said, that the parents
killed all 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 larger
Why SO much greater than now, when
none of these things are doneI 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 tho darker
Malay, the very fair EngEshman, dark
Portuguese and medium American, the
smooth brown Kanaka and the rough
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 as 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 'Ftie
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 for1nality of putting on suits"
The Kanakas are described by scientists
as belonging 70 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 as.
Brigham Young told me just before
left Salt Lake City that they were like
the American Indians descendants Of
the ancient Israelites who had back
slidden" and been cursed and turned
dark accordingly. IF so, they have slid
den back great deal further thar they
are ever likely to slide forward again.
And this makes 1t fitting to close with
a 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
q 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 everthrew the kingdom in effect, COM
PEELED the king to retire to the mountain
forests and raised the British flag.
Z.[1<<zI#/2#zZH Z--3ys.