The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-18

| NeihC NiJSNiy NiOpPSu anu DdINlS oi5-
| cernable stubble.
Many friends of the Chief Justice met
him during the day and listened to his
stories of the odd customs on the ISL
ands. In the evening there was fam
| lily gathering at the home of his broth
er on Morgan street, He was asked to
| tell something of the characteristics Of
the island people.
| II found the language an easy one to
learn" he said. There but fourteen
letters in the alphabet and of the nat
ives majority have learned to read
! and write In their own language. You
see you can hardly look upon the natives
4 as savages, or uncultured people, be-
cause the missionaries have been at
work among them for the last fifty or
sixty years, and have made excellent
progress in teaching them Christianity
| and the social customs and usages of
| civilized nations. When / first went
to the islands, / found them improved
| by the influences of the missionaries
to an extent which had removed many
of the vagares and peculiarities which
are usually to be expected among the
uncivilized islanders. There is one
thing, though, that no amount Of civil
ization will destroy in the islanders, and
that is an excess of politeness. t---
They are the most polite people in the
world They are oppressively polite.
One of the novelties had to become ac-
customed to as the Chief Justice of the
islands, was that having prisoner give
most elaborate salaam after I had
sentenced him to five or ten years at
hard labor and have him say in his own
tongue, I thank you, sir
1.-THE people are not only polite, but
they are most affectionate and once you
attach one of them to your love, he or
she is forever your friend This was
most forcibly exemplfied after hostil-
tiles broke out and the fighting was
going on in the island. We had three
native girls and three native boys in
our household who We're very much
attached to our family. This was par
ticularly true of one Of the girls, who
was passionately fond of Mrs Cham
bers. Every night there We're skirm-
ishes on the island and very frequently
firing was heard near our home The
girl in question would not leave our
apartments but would rest on a rug at
at the foot of our bed. When the
sl1irmishing fire approached our home
the girl would go out and reconnoitre.
The natives never fire on their women,
no matter what their connections are
and often women walked down tn firing
lines from one side to the other, carry
ing water or caring for the injured. Our
young girl took us under her protection
and seemed confident that she could
,ff I,o f,,1, How,
ready to leave the islands, all of the
chiefs began to bring presents to our
home. At first | felt very much COM
limented, and some of the old clubs and
war implements and decorated mats
and other bric-a-brac made by the nat
ives was really quite interesting and of
value. However, | soon had to refuse
to receive anything more, because |
had no way of carrying the stuff away |
from the island. At any rate things |
We're coming from all parts of the ISL |
and | would have soon have had ship |
load As 1t is I have several large |
cases of the most valuable presents | I
received with me.
Il know of no people in the world
who are as ceremonous as are these |
people, and who have more rigid ideas |
of the advantages which rank conferred |
upon ONE of their number gives. For
/ had my rank all fixed up be-
fore l realized the importance it would |
prove to me afterWard. The Chief |
was a new thing to them |
and their more intelligent classes who
were sufficiently versed in English to
the terms of the treaty I'M
der which my appointment was made.
explained as best they could what were
my duties. One thing that worried the
natives was the fact that they had no
name to apply to my position They had |,
chiefs of their own and leaders of var
ious kinds but nothing that came ex-
actly In my line. Finally they thought
the matter all over and named me Fa-
amasino silli' This was a combination
Of words which meant in the native
tongue "a man of one word which was
their way of expressing the fact that
decisions mad by the Chief Justice
were final.
II do not think that the people of
Samoa are greater eaters than the peo-
pie of other nations, in spite of the repu-
.ation which they have established be-
,ause of their e~+-- lasts. Perhaps
hey do eat more at the feasts than the
people do who attend banauets in civil
zed countries but at the same time
here is always an abundance left. Tt |
vas decreed when the Chief Justice
irst came to the island that he should
)e second In rank to the King. Mrs.
Chambers was honored as the first lady
# the island in consequence. was given
many fetes by the great chiefs in con-
sequence of my position, upon my arri
-al It was bit embarrassing to me- too
When I wished to return the excessively !
,olte attentions that were shown me. :
'he people are most jealous Of their
ank, and | made some blunders that |
,ept the. Interpreters busy for hours
EXPLAINING to the satisfaction of the !
atives. The first bit Of meat at the /
east was given to the king, if he We're {
resent; the next came to me, and then f,
n down the line until the person of I
east rank was fed. 1t was the same ! {
,ay when it came to serving the drinks