The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-07

ana were apt seriouslv 90
u'sturo public worship at church ~
h"t the great crowd OF the cor,,-
people We're miserably lean "a ls.'Dn
NerS sauaiid In appearance. tn, ,'.s'.u
zoe much In the sea to appea- a,.s.'
although the heads OF both h1.,s y ,
low were thoroughly infested +, -
a daily spectacle TO see them ,to,,,.
over each others heads for aa,n.,.t
Their vicinity rendered necessar,. -
irequept use Of a fine-toothed co,,h -,
Us chldren, much TO our discor,,...
hut believe our ancestors at no 20
NIUE period were little better Oft
Ihe people had ample cultivable land
ih the moist upland from two to four
niles inland at attitudes of 1000 IN 9soo
rect ~ Is popularity of that Roma
coast that while the shore NAV no ah-
s"'utely rainless for months. 1an,I.
showers fall daily upon the moun,a,r
slope. The prevailing trade Minds are
totally obstructed by the three ,raa,
mountain domes and never reach r.
ma There are only the sweet Ia
breeze by night. and the cooling SEQ.
uree]e oy day. The latter comes in.
loaded with the corporations of the
sea- and floats high up the mountain
slopes. AS II rises. the ratification OF
the air precipitates more and more OF
us burden OF vapor. so that at 2OOO and
5000 feet, there are daily copious rains
and verdure Is luxuriant. The con-
trast Is immense and delicious between
the arid heat OF the shore. and the
moist, cool greenness of the nearby
upland. The soil is most fertile. being
formed from the decay OF recent lava
flows. There the natives found their
chief means OF subsistence. and In good
seasons. were sufficiently fed. In bad
seasons there were droughts and more
or less OF wi" or famine. The uala
or sweet potatoes. and the taro. which
constituted their chief food. grew best
/ on the lower and warmer ground.
where was more liability to drought
The chief causes Of restitution were
the careless oppression OF the chiefs.
and the attendant shiftlessness Of the
people. No one owned his land. and
occupied II solely at the will or caprice
of his chief. who might and often did
without notice deprive him Of thcprod-
uce ~ his toll. and even Of the land
Itself. The village was much infested
by miserably lean pigs. whose scant
food came by scavengering. Occasion
ally n pig was fattened In a pen. But
the eye Of the chiefs retainer was
usually upon any such pigs. and n
was likely Co be snatched away. even
after being cooked No one dared o.
demonstrate. Hence the village was q
place ~ great and squalid poverty. Nc
man or woman could earn the smallest
coin. No money was In circulation
/ The women very commonly plated
/ mats % lau-hala. aud there was much
/ beating OF tapa. or bark-ClOth. IL Is a
dreary memory OF childhood. that dis
/ NAL resonance Of the tapa mallets all
around the village.
/ The common multitude wore no for
eign cloth. Their few garments were
wholly 81 tapa. The younger women
were rarely seen uncovered beyond de-
ccncy. although old crones went about
with the pau only. The smaller child.
rem had nothing on. The men always
wore the haif-deccnt malo. and moth
ing more. AZ meetings. they wore ths
little kihei. or shoulder cape. Before
1888 simple cotton shirts would not
unfrequently be seen In the church.
never saw but two Hawaiians wearing
trousers In kailua. one was Kuakini
the other Thomas Hopu. from this
/ Cornwall school. who came out with
bingham and Thurston. The nationa
female costume was the pau, which
was worn by all az all times. II was
a yard wide strip Of barl<-cioth wounc
quite tightly around the hips, reaching
from the waist To the knees. and Sc
cured at the waist by folding over tn,
edges Foreign cloth was also used
At one great ceremonial. a queen ha'
her body rolled up In a pau OF iO
yards 90 rich satin.
The drinking water Of the people wa
very brackish. from numerous cave
which reached below the sea-leveL Tn
white people. and some chiefs had thei
water from up the mountain. wher
there were numerous depressions II
the lava. full OF clear. sweet rain wa
ter. There were also many tunnel
caves. the channels OF former Law
streams. The air from the sea. pene
trating these chill caverns, depOsite
les moisture. and much distilled waite
filled the holes In the floor. Sometime
the fine rootlets Of ohia trees pene
trating from above. festooned the cell
ings Of these dark lava ducts as wit
immense spider webs. N In a dry sea
, son. water was lacking on the ope
ground. II could always be found high
err up on the mountain. IN such caves
Twice n week one Of our Ohuas or ma
tive dependents went up the mountai
with two huewai. or calabash bottles
suspended by nets from the ends OF hi
mamaki or yoke. similar To those use
by Chinese vegetable vendors. Thes
he filled with sweet water and brougf
home. having first covered the bottle
with fresh ferns. Co attest his havin
= been well inland. The contents Of IN
Z two bottles fiiled n hve-gallon demijoh
, twice n week.
For cooking and cleaning purpose
the brackish water sutilced. I liked
FOR drink as "a child, although u late
became revolving. our people took on
: clothes up the mountain To be WASHED
, The wealth of clothing hung out on th
4 lines was "a wonder TO the people. VIII
/, had none. one day when my fathe
was about Co sail for Honolulu. his 81
, new shirts were hung out on the lin
4 together. a great amazement pei
4 lvaded the minds OF the villagers at IN
4 Incredible opulence Of their spiritu'
r father. and the premises were SUI
rounded with crowds To gaze at N
marvel our house occupied about a
acre of land. half ~ ~ I'm yards Il
= our native ohuas. and for domest
ID animals. cows. pigs and poultry. TT
4 other half where the children playe
Wna aurrpuudod nv "A htQh wall topDe