The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14


flowers. and they ate POI with thOlr fingers II
the good oid-fashioned way. while hewitt,
Strangers looked on and commented audibly. t.
the evident amusement Of the natives. In from
otthe marquee was spread a mat about tenfee
square. S1uattlnE cross-leeged behind the mat
were two men who had each a hollow gourd
shaped something like an hourRlnss. except that
one half was larger than the other. In each
Eourd wero q lot of dried seeds. With their
left hands the men lifted the Eourds and
brought them down smnrtly on the ground. al
the same time beating them with tho open
palms OF their right hands. The seeds ratified
and the result was music-ift the musicians are
to be believed. To this accompaniment tho
men sang. Most Of those who heard the song
describe it as weird, and I guess II was. It was
all on one note, a fiat. level monotone. abso-
lutely without infection. droned out with q
nasal twaug aud with eyes closed. But IL served
the purpose as admirably Us clappine does for
o darky dance.
Out on the mat there stepped two Hawaiian
women-by courtesy called hula girls" De-
yond doubt they were 1.-THE Of body, rs the sub
Observation-Disclosures showed. They wore thin
white waists and abort. thick salmon-colored
skirts that came alittlo below the knees. Legs
were bare except for anklets Of the same soft
material as the skirts. Feet were bare. In tho
glorious days Of old. before the missionaries
ruled the islands. the hula girls wore grass
skirts and anklets. and that was all. These
two girls were short and thick set. Their faces
were round and nat. their black hair was
oiled until II Rlistened. Their arms were bare
and about their necks they wore leis. The
music struck up. They stretched out
their right arms. calculated something that
sounded like Mclean man getta da Rooda
banan and began a series OF most amazing
abdominal contortions. The only leg motion
was a short forward Jump. most Of the time
both feet together. and the necessary retreat
to keep on the mat. usually made at the close
OF the particular dance in which the advance
occurred.
MATHEMATICAL cuBvEs SET TO MUSIC.
Each dance lasted from three to FIVE minutes.
ana was supposed to exemplify some particular
phase OF life or to accompany some particular
prayer or to have something to do with some
particular kind Of worship Of something or
other. For the contortions. language is weak
In adequate description. The most eminent
contortionist who ever performed in all the cir
cuses of the world fails miserably in COMPARE
son. The abdominal display began by being
simply protuberant. and the repression OF
the missionaries had contrived only to
heiGhten the effect by the skilful con-
cealment effected by the 1imsy waists
the dancers wore. From simply protuberant
the display progressed rapidly through all the
movements OF the soldiers manual. Advance
and retreat, right and left oblique and wheel
were easy. It was when the manual was ex-
hausted and the complications came In that the
exhibition became lively. Practical ~illustra-
lions OF the cissoid Of Diocles. the conchoid OF
Nicomedes and all the spirals, coils. curves
and twists that mathematics knows followed the
simpler And 1t all wound up with q
grand climax Of wriRgling. hips and shoulders
motionless meanwhile. and then the arms were
extended again and the old chant was re-
peated. Mclean mar getta da Rooda banan."
Throughout this performance the arms kept
up q continual delineation OF imaginary geo.
metrical figures in the air. TIL gourd gentle
men pounded. shook. and chanted. and the
man In the moon beheld it without q grin.
Seated about the square mat were the spec
tators. the white ducks and blue uniforms Of |
the men contrasting with the soft colors Of the
dresses of the women. A faring torch here
and there gave a fickering. uncertain light,
and the background was the deep green Of the
turf and the trees. General. Colonies, navy |
Captains. army Captains, Lieutenant-C ~olonels,
Majors. and LieutenRnts sat together with the
twodrivers. and IL was a great time. Part OF the
time four girls danced at once on the mat, and
when 1t rained. as it did for q few minutes. the
mat was moved inside the tent. It was all over
ny IL O'CLOCK, ana tne First Brigade OF the |
Philippine army had seen the hula.
or course. you knew all about the protests
made by the representatives OF the French and
Spanish Governments in Honolulu to the Ha-
waiian Government about the reception OF the
United States soldiers. but there Is o Joke about
the Spanish protest which you may not have
heard. The Spanish representative is a Ger
man whose personal preference is for the an
nexation OF the islands to the United States.
As a German annexationist he subscribed to
the fund for the entertainment of the boys.
Then. as the Spanish representative, he pro-
tested. And he professed great grief that his
protest had so little effect.
OFF FOR MANILA.
Honolulu and her mountains are out OF sight
now. Ahead the dull gray Charleston leads the
way toward Manila. steaminR about nine knots
an hour. with two curious square sails set, one
on eachSmast. The three troopships follow in
line abreast, the Sydney on the right, next the
and the Picking on the left. The
stars come out and for the first time we raise
the southern Cross. much Wanted in poetry
and story. five faint stars that show little
brilliancy to repay the fine things that
have been said and written about them.
the north the Dipper, O far brighter
constellation. shows low Town to the horizon,
Behind us the moon rises round and full. ont
Of the low-lying bank OF blue black clouds that
fringe the horizon. Ahead. through a rift
than ever planet Jared. Venus, the
evening star. marks the west. west by south
half west the compass shows the course-and
out there beyond the dim skyline. five thousand
knots away and more. lies Manila. the goal.