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

HAWAIIAN MONAGCHS
European annals. Originally each island
had its own king, and some more than
one, but about a century ago arose the
great Kamehaneha, and in n series Of
wonderful campaigns reduced them all
under his rule.
He is the great Hawaiian hero, the war
rior, king and sage, tho David and Sol
ONION and Haroun III Raschid all in one
But it is great mistake to say. as many
recent writers have done. that the civil
cation he fostcred was purely native and
original. and still more to begin Hawaiian
history with Cooks voyage. y hundred
years before that the islands were visited
by white men and many times between
that date and Cooks visit. White men
lived on the islands even before Kane
haneha's reign. They had introduced
many improvements, and he had the as
sistanco of some Of them III his wars.
He was succeeded by five kings of his
blood, who took his name as title. but
were known by other names. OF these
Alexander died in 1868. and Lot late III
1872, William Lunalilo taking the crown
in January, 1873. David kalukaua was
elected to succeed him in 1914, and III
1891 he died and gave place to Liliuok;i
lani.
Now, the old royal line expired Il,
aforesaid with King Lot, and as King
Bill and KGlakaua, though of ancient
royal stock. had to be voted into power
there was necessarily some lowering Of
the royal dignity and lesscning of the
royal prerogative And as a liberal con
stitution had been adopted and govern
ment established somewhat ON the Eng
fish model, there is really no chang,
perceptible to the mass of the people il
adopting provisional government semi
republican III tone.
And through all this century, Will,
civilization was rapidly progressing ant
later while Christianity was beconiin.
dominant, the kanakas Were fading ava,
at rate unprecedented since the tende
natives of the West Indies died off unde
! Spaiu's harsh rule First, the wars O
1 kGmchamcha wrought havoc. ard AS tn
last of these wars was ending there cam
n mysterious pestilencc which reduced
the population by onc-fourtlI or more
Diseases introduced by prohigatc sail
ors doubtless wrought some destruction
but not nearly 50 much as has been re
! ported. Then came the lCprosy Tor rathc
it dcveloped) and for IL time threatened
general destruction. Even now it is
great curse, but not so destructive a
formerly.
Beyond all these known causes, how
! ever, there are causes not understood
y too rapid civilization is often fatal t
primitive races. The sudden inflow 0
new impressions on unprcparcd merry
centcls breaks them down. Tho wcaI
ing of clothes seemed for time to max
the native women barren, as they pai
no attention to the ordinary rules TO
keeping their raimcnt in hcalthful con
dition. Another cause has lately bee
assigned in these words: Hawaii is
holiday land-a lazy land-a soft, lux
urious, voluptuous land-and the de
preston from safety is corresponding,
great. There is no set purpose in life
no firm and high resolve, and so whel
melancholy comes it kills"
No other man dies so easily and gentl.
rs a true Kanaba. He can lie down an,
die whenever the notion takes him, an,
with no apparent disease. This happen
among many dark races, but with non
so often as the Kanakas Captain Coo
guessed their number at 100000, and
may have been half that. In 1922 tn