The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-25
HAW ALI.
Land of Perpetual
Summer.
FIT SITE FOR EDEN.
John Howard Corwin Tells
Of Our Pacific Possessions.

John Howard COrWin, a New York
lawyer, gave an interesting lecture at
the First Universalist Church last eve
nlng on "Recollections of a boy in Ha-
wall" Mr. Corwin spent the greater
part of his boyhood days in the Pacific
isle, so his talk was reminiscent in
character. The same lecture was de-
llvered at the Williams alumni dinner
at Delmonico's, New York, a week ago.
1t was illustrated with 100 colored ster-
eopticon views. The entertainment
was under the auspices of the Chaplin
Club.
Mr.. Corwin said in part:
There is a legend that he who has
once set foot upon the island of Ceylon
and leaves it, wanders through the
world with a vague and melancholy
discomfort, which cannot be dispelled
until he has returned. So the enchant-
ed air of the Hawaiian isles, sweet
with the odor of jessamine and the
night blooming cereus, seems ever to
cast over him who has breathed it,
some strange spell so that he cannot
| Danish from his heart the desire to re-
turn to those happy isles.
What Is called the temperate zone is
most Incorporate. The truly temperate
| zone lies in north latitude between 20
| and p degrees, where it is seldom cold
or hot. There lies Hawaii barely over
| the threshold of the zone, where the
strong, ceaseless trade wind sweeps
down from the northeast Pacific There
| where the datepalm f1ourishes is a
| climate fit for Eden with a mean tenn
| perature Of rs degrees. The only Of
| fees of clothing in Hawaii are those of
modesty and fashion.
In country where schoolboys spend
| all their spare time in an artificial
pond intended for their playground,
simplicity of raiment was desirable /
remember no three-year resident that
couldn't SWIM Hawaiian mothers
throw their little ones into the water
on the principle of sink or SWIM"
root hog or die" Hawaiians are am
phibious. AS swimmers, they are UNI
| surpassed. In the saddle they are
| centaurS.
The islands are of volcanic origin.
They are like Mauna Kea, peaks of
| lofty mountains pushed above the
ocean level. The coral polyp has built
| about reefs enclosing harbors. The
beach is white sand. Within the reef
| sharks rarely venture. Behind are
evergreens and lofty mountain. Hon
olulu is a city of 10000 inhabitants It
| is the only considerable town. AS its
name signifies, it is "a fair haven The
houses of the foreign population, built
with wide VerandaS, tasteful in archi-
| lecture and style, would not be found
inferior to good cottage architecture in
| your own country.
| There is hardly a sDot on earth so
| much written about and so little known
as Hawaii. 1t generally surprises
! those who have not given the matter
attention to know how much territory
! they occupy. The largest one which
gives it's name to the group, contains
| 1000 square miles. nearly the acreage
of Connecticut. The rest of the group
| taken together, represent an area some
| what less. The whole chain with lit
| tie islets. extends 1900 miles east to the
| Midway islands
Americans are credited the world
over with boastful tendencies and a.
disposition to glory in big things, the
| biggest cataract, the mammoth cave
mighty rivers, boundless prairies. Pos
sessed of the Hawaiian isles, we can
now boast the largest active volcano
the crater of kilauea, and the largest
extinct crater in the world-Hale-a -ka-
Ia. The house of the sun" is an in
active crater 5000 feet high, 40 miles in
circumference at the base, 20 at it's bar
rem brim, whose bowl is precipitous and
about 1000 feet deep. 1t is half as high
again as Mount Washington.
Hawaii with it's fruitful soil and
Dland climate, is place to laugh and
grow fat. These are occupations suit
ed to the aborigines. They are a peo-
pie Of rich, dark olive skin. black
haired, of fine physique, except that
they esteem and cultivate adipose it's
sue as an ornament-judged bv which
standard Liliuokalani is not deficient
IN beauty. They are easy-going. in
doient. honest. There is no evidence
that they were ever cannibals. They
are religious by nature and quick to
learn. They love their country. They
are hospltable beyond all men.
ina native Hawaiians love America.
ana when Lincoln was murdered. as
rode around the island of Oahu to carry
that dreadful message, left behind at
every nut and village the weird and
dismal wailing for the dead, which is
| the custom of the people
Or the native Hawaiians only 30, 900
| survive. There are in the islands "a.
900 Japanese, 10000 Chinese. 5000 IA
waiians, 5000 Americans and 5000 of
| other races, in all 10000 Between 1882
and 1878, the population fell from $780,
900 to 40, 000 In a very few years there
Will be no Hawaiian question as far as
HaWalians are concerned as there will
be no Hawaiians. The Hawaiian is n
Unique OIL great simplicity, without diff
ficulties of pronunciation The written
language is phonetic and easily ac-
CURED. single month sometimes sur
fees for the mastery of the grammar
| and considerable vocabulary. There
are no sibilants or gutturals or any
harsh sounds. Two consonants can
never occur together. There are five
vowel sounds and every vowel is a
syllable. I doubt if there be a sweeter
tongue, one more soft and LIQUID. The
written language is a gift OF the Amer.
lean missionaries to the islands.
You would be-charmed could you en-
ter intimately into the American So
ciety of Hawaii There is simplicity
with refinement There qualities Of
mind and heart are more esteemed
than wealth and pedigree. There you
| find pianos and plenty of the best
books in each house and those who
know how to use both. There you find
| self-sacrifice and liberality
The ceremony of annexation is over
| Such is the country now become an
integral part of our union. And over
| the government house of Honolulu
floats proudly and protectingly the
flag which the Hawaiian people have
| always loved, and which is never to
| be lowered.