Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-04-21
DANCED THE HULA-HULA.
How King kaIakaua Put Aside His
Royal Dignity and Enter
tained Americans.

"I witnessed a most extraordinary
Thing in 1898, and one that never ex-
pect to see again, should 1 live 100
years. crowned head, king, dancing
en- billiard table," remarked Paul
Trommlitz, of San Francisco, to an En-
auirer man recently, land there were
several Americans present who will tes-
| tify to the truthfulness of my state
ment. There was party of us from
The Pacific coast stopping at the hotel
| in Honolulu in the year I mentioned.
King Kalakaua was then on the throne,
little dreaming that his dynasty was
| fading away forever to be merged
| into the American government. The
old man, for he then appeared to be
nearly 60, was wont TO come down to
the hotel every evening from the royal
palace and mingle with the guests. He
| was attired in ordinary citizens garb,
with no insignia of royalty about him.
"On the evening I refer to Kalakaua
came to the hotel attended by several
| of his best musicians and most accom-
| plished dancers. We all went to the
wineroom below, which was also the
! biliiard-room, where we were enter
| tanned at length. Later, along midnight
| OF d1IeT, WneH Tie WlHe, sung slH0 ddnCC
had warmed his blood to the boiling
point, King Kalakaua leaped upon the
billiard table with the agility of a
cat and commenced to give us the
shula-hula,' or native muscle dance. in
great shape, while we applauded him
TO his most effective efforts. When
he had ru4- the gamut of the exciting
dance some one bet him that he could
not kick the chandelier. He attempt
ed it several times, but failed, owing.
perhaps, to his exhaustion from the
dance. Then one of our party jumped
upon the table and kicked the chan
delier from its fastening to the gas
Jet. The flow of gas was quickly shut
off with bottle stopper. All the dam
ages were promptly settled by cash on
the spot, and the king and his retinue
retired from the scene. King Kalakaua
died III San Francisco during the
knights Templar conclave, and after
attending the banquet returned to the
hotel and died.
During our stay in Honolulu a prom
inent native half-breed invited our
party, which included two American
ladies, to his handsome home, to be
entertained, which included the hula
hula The women dancers were clad
only in the close-ftting. light tan walk
ing suits that Dame Nature had made
for them. The American ladies stood
it little bit, and then blushingly re-
tired. The native half-breed guests of
the party remained throughout the per-
Torrance, for they did not regard it
as anything out of the way, for the
'hula-hula' is part of the ancient re-
ligious rites of those barbaric people.
AS an evidence that the natives do not
regard the 'hula-hula' as lascivious the
day after the performance I have just
related an Italian count, who had been
one of the guests with us, and myself
were in a wine warehouse attending to
some matters of business, and in the
course of our conversation, which was
going on in German, commented upon
the dance of the night before in
facetious manner. a native half-breed
clerk, who was employed in the
warehouse, spoke up in German, to
our amazement, and after begging our
pardon, proceeded to explain to US that
the dance had no vulgar significance or
suggestion to the native mind. When
he had finished I asked him how on
earth he got to speak such good Ger
man. He replied that he ought to be
able to speak some German, as he had
attended Heidelberg as a student for
Zine years."-Cincinnati Enquirer.
80 $1,000.