The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-10
GOOD OLD
HONOLULU
A Protest Against a
Return To It.
CITY BEAUTIFUL NEEDED
Anna Award Games Writes of the
Possibilities of Our Future
UpbuiIding.

VI
That Toxic ceases to be of interest to I
the tourist as she becomes more and more '
Westernized' You continue that what is !
true of Toxic is equally true Of Honolulu :
That should Honolulu yield to the desire !
on the part of some to widen streets, etc. :
becoming not impossibly another Omaha,
the tourist would desert our shores; that
Honolulu is even now far less picturesque
than in the good old days. etc.
TGkio Is city of one of the oldest, most
conservative, most highly cultivated civ
ilizaticns of modern times Those who
dimly understand assert that the beauty
and poetry of her thought. art and cul-
ture. the westerner in his crudeness is
prevented from entering into. Toxic in
recent years has been. the haven of the
collector. the artist and the literary man.
As late ten years ago Toxic was to
the tourist charming glimpse of a people |
naive In their conventional, stately art, |
which penetrated their whole life as deep
~ as their religion, OF which indeed il
seemed part In losing her individuality |
she loses everything which has previously |
constituted her charm. With the adoption |
OF the commercialism of the West comes |
surely II slowly a period of decadence in
her art.
The present City of Honolulu, II / do |
not mistake. is essentially what 1t is in
its best features, through the efforts of
.ts Anglo-Saxon population. 1t is not
made up of the institutions. temples ca
thedrals or theaters which mark the his
tory and development of a great or old
civilization. In all that constitutes her
right TO the recognition of the world,
viz: her great sugar industry, her bril-
liant IL shoyt-lived little Republic. and the
Importance of her geographical position.
Honolulu Is new to the verge OF crude
ness. Therefore a parallel between this
lefty and Toxic Is not precisely apt.
As TO the charm OF Honolulu, doubtless
no one comes here without a sensation of
surprise at the gentleness Of the gentle
Polynesian. but who Is, alasl not pictur-
esque! Later. when he beholds his alb
sence Of a past. he marvels IL the price OF
lgentleness Is inertia. He did not come to
study his art or Institutions. but the alb
scnce Of II all creates a blank in his hori-
non which produces finally the conviction
that he has been gathered up bodily and
cast out fromNall which he has been
trained to conNider essentials He did
lnot know how he priced sanitary condi-
tons until he looked forth and beheld
good-sized town existing along the lines
% the assemblage of grass huts which
was at one time good old Honolulu" He
beholds the most dread known diseases
rampant and shudders when he thinks of
such disease germs in the fertile soil Of
so insanitary a. city. He gathers up his
skirts at last and goes back on the first
steamer to what he calls when he reaches
n. Gods country.
How do I like IL? oh, IL Is beautiful
\ beautiful sunsets and sunrises, beautiful
J cloud-effects and rainbows. beautiful
I mountains. beautiful foliage. charming
y coloring. delightful climate. but simply
Impossible. my dear fellow. to live therer'
I Exactly what the good old Honolulu
was like, with its flavor Of royal happen
ings. we OF later generation may never
know. We are told that 1t was once a
l"Paradise Of Roses" a stranger TO disease
germs. a veritabie Andalusia. However
Nc mother who signs over the crudities
and waywardness OF her H-year-old boy
could not II she would turn back the year:
~ his be-curled baby-charms. She may
keep what she has in the place IF the
charming child in kits and pinaf,res II
she will. but she may not prevent hi
growing. nor may she prevent the SUR
arrival of that stage Of his transition
x, which Is usually painful. II Is delightful
that Honolulu had picturesque beginnings
But II her commercial. military and agri
cultural Importance decree that she Is Z
he n great city. keeping her in the swad
= ding clothes OF narrow, crooked lane
will not prevent her from becoming
city nor contribute TO the sanitary condi
i tons nor beauty Of the future city.
No one pretends that change Is agreeabl
= not even a change for the better.
'. rapidly growing city the world over nee
- sssarily involves much tearing down an
wedding out TO make room for the new
BIO this L. Inevitable. The serious question
AZ this: Why should not Honolulu arrang
linteliigently and wisely for the healthy
normal growth OF a beautiful city, OF
tanning now while there are but few goo
buildings involved. an adequate, compr'
u hensive and beautiful street system, frol
skilled engineers? French engineers haN
laid out most of the great modern citt'
OF Europe at great sacrifice of beautif'
- and historic architecture. What IL q
GOOD for Honolulu? Why should u
tourist evermore come TO these shores OF
II to depart with Views unutterable tn
side Of the Mainland of us and our cit!
The tourist comes to Southern Californ
comes and then stays. All the wor
Knows that Honolulu Is rich city. 4
tho world does not know that she Is pars
nonlous as 20 public improvements. Fl
vate philanthropy IL very nice when IL
wise. But the people stand revealed
their public works. One never hears tn
Melbourne Is a second Paris without
wave OF wonder and admiration for I
enterprise and enlightenment OF that I
away people.
Pray what Is money for. that we Shot
hide behind far distant Omaha as an {
lcuse for not spending IL? And does IL r
MIC indeed pequire wild flight of the ina
to- nation TO picture another Omaha in I
| of lap Of charming Tantalus? II was
ala Paul BourRet who said. THE herds of
res great Western plains walk straight do
the threats of the East by way of On
ha No wonder those Americans are en-
getic." There Is not. II would seem.
rcnotest suggestion OF climate, indus
or location to induce the growth mere
the bleak. horny. wind-blown personnel
poor. frigid Omaha.
m 10 Is expecting much TO expect that
w pie will instinctively build good hou
here any more than in other places. Ar
itecture Is one oS the noblest branches
the worlds knowledge. And therefore
H. that cities which lay claim TO archit
turaI beauty have building regulations
Intelligent building Inspection. Rus
a. has laid down three principles essen
kSs 20 n good building which even though
IT'S miliar. will bear repeating:
$50 One-A building must act well; do
acts frrr~-t was intended to do In the simp
de- and est-ranner possible.
Two-A buirdlpg must speak well;
whether IL Is a bridge, place OF wors