The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-12-06
DAYS OF
LONG AGO
CONTINUED from Page 81

Continued from Page So
went kicking, and then the indIsUPn
sable caf was applied to induce \he
cow to give down her milk. Two quarts
per COW was CONSIDERED a large yield.
IThey were from the wild, longhornea
4siexIcan breed, which can be handled
loniy with the lasso and heavy whip.
/ A very large black boar in pen was
also an object of interest and much
fear. He may have been of some i'm
proved breed. Most of the native pigs
We're of the razor-back species, with
immense heads and bristling spines.
Their dogs, which were their meat as
well as pigs, were of small size with
upright, ears. l never saw, except in
picture, dog with dropping ears until
iperhaps ten years old. Cats we kept
in plenty. An old black puss was a be-
loved pet, who after a protracted alb
sence, when we reached home, came
running and jumped all over us. Not
long after she mysteriously disappear
ed. The Thurston cats were yellow.
/ On the road between our house and
by both families. 1t contained a large
flock, which were driven down to 1t ev-
cry afternoon to be MIXED. The gam
bols of the kids were entertaining. In
milking, the goat was laid down on her
iside. A little to the north of the road
Twas a well some sixty feet deep, which
the missionaries had dug through the
lava many years before, but the water
found was brackish. Nearer the
shore the road led past some caves, or
lsufficient area to form convenient
Iplaces for beating tapa. The mallets
were generally hammering away.
II II have delightful recollections of our
Intercourse with the Thurston children.
There were three, Persis, Lucy and Asa.
III M
Persis is the only survivor, now the
Venerable Mrs. Taylor in her 80th year,
who has had great experience Of So
tial and religious activity. Lucy was
girl of the sweetest amiability. who
J died in New York City, February a.
1S41. Asa was nearly my own age, a
boy of great activity and pleasant
playmate. After graduating at Will
liams College, he married in Honolulu
and left one son, the distinguished Lor-
rim A. Thurston. Both of the families
} were under very careful and systematic
discipline. Once a. week on Wednes-
days was holiday afternoon. when the
five children played at each house on
! alternate weeks, and at s o'clock at
tended a half-hour's English prayer
meeting, after our elders had been TO
the native prayer meetings. The relig-
very thorough; we were all very famil-
lar with the Bible, and great deal OF
. religious exhortatiOn was address to us,
perhaps not wholly adapted to our ten
der minds. Our parents diligently lid
their duty according to their old-fash-
toned Calvinistic lights.
We children were not permitted to
learn any of the native tongue until
later years. The reason Of this was to
prevent mental contamination. There
was no reserve whatever upon any
subject in the presence OF children in
! the social and domestic conversation of
the native people. The vilest topics
! were freely discussed in their pres
! ence. and the children grew Up in an
atmosphere of the grossest impurity.
! The same strict tabu was enforced in
nearly all the mission families. 1t grew
out Of very unhappy experiences In the
families of the early missionaries in the
Society Islands, a visiting deputatior
from whom had earnestly exhorted ON
younger missionaries strictly TO keeI
their children apart from the natives
remember that when I first attended
a public school in Rochester at the age
of thirteen, 1 was COMPOUNDED by the
prevalent grossness Of speech among
the boys, when by ourselves, although
they never talked SO before the other
sex.
An exceptional feature Of the family
life was the diligent early literary In
struction of the children. Both Of The
mothers were able teachers, although
Mrs. ThurstOn was disabled By mater
nifty and some serious i'll health from
engaging actively. as Mrs. Bishop did
in teaching the native schools. The
children of the latter were thoroughly
taught. There was some concert be-
tween the two families, and a degree OF
rivalry. Before leaving Kailua at the
age of nine, i had teen carried with
the other four children through all he
larithmetic l ever learned, and into !Cle-
mentary Algebra. We had also all
lgone through Blake's- Natural Philoso-
ply, a very good elementary book on
Physics, for which 1 had an especial
turn. We had made some progress in
easy Latin. My sister and myself in
the old-fashioned way, had parsed
through the whole of Pollok's Course
OF Time" We were all adopts N spell
ing. There was some Botany and some
exercise in Drawing. Altogether 1t was
quite little university Books were
scarce, and were daily exchanged be-
tween the two families. Asa brought
down the package of books from the
hill and I trotted back with them. We
were strictly enjoined not to speak with
natives on the way.
Our mother always went to her large
native school at a. m, and finished
teaching her own children before that
hour Latterly we had to rise at 4
O'Clock, and work an hour with slate
and pencil on the arthmetical prob
lens of "Colburn's Sequel in which
we delighted. We had one tin whale-oil
lamp between us, with a single wick.
Both of us became near-highted, but
otherwise had sound eyes. Soon after
is we had breakfast Our stepmother
was notable worker. Before o'clock
her voice would be heard calling. "Mr.
b., l think it's past 4! Look at your
watch!' Mr.. B. would open his tinder-
box. seize steel and flint, deity strike
a light and perhaps pronounce It half
past three. He himself rose at 5. I
saw my first "lucifer' matches in 1888.
Mr.. B. split and dipped his own sulphur
matches, and burnt his own tindcr The
natives produced fire by swiftly rub
bind hard pointed stick into a groove
In SOFT. dry wood. They also used an
old file with a gun-flint.
For some reason I was once sent IN
the hill with the books at an unusual