The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-11-28
VOLCANOES.
Views of Young Lady Who Has
Lived Long in Hawaii.

LlNcu Long III Travail
Some of the happiest days of my
life We're spent on table land looked
down upon by the three great noun
tains of Hawaii, Mauna Loa, Mauna
Kea and Hualalai, in height 1860
1880 and S,275 feet. | wonder if there
Is another place In the world more
beautiful than those great ranch lands
whence one gets Il view of rose-eol
ored Kea, somber and ghostly Iua,
and The lower crags of Hualalai. Fer
hapS Mauna Loa. from the Volcano
House on the brink of the crater of
kilauea. is better One does not real
lie at kilauet that one is on the side
of Mauna Loa Is 1000 feet above sea
level, for the summit is miles away.
and seemingly, miles up in the clouds
From the hostelry Mauna Loa looks
quiet and ghostly; unless touched hy
the red light of the sun, when il he
comes mountain of fire.
Late news tells us it Is now a YER
table mountain of fire; that u noise
heard at the Volcano House, twenty
miles away, announced terrific eN-
ploSion had occurred, and that the
light of the fountains of fire can be
seen for forty miles around. We wait
further news with much interest and
some anxiety; three great lava streams
travelling in different directions. down
the sides of that huge mountain. sure
~ will work havoc to some of the smil
ing country that lies on its Sides as
we'll rs cover the ruined land that
marks the old flows. When one thinks
of the fine growth of young coffee
trees; Of the wide ranch lands, where
roam wild cattle and sheep; of the
wonderful tropic forests jungled with
fern, chua and pandanus trees when
one thinks Of friends that live ON
these coffee and ranch lands. one
wishes there was n cable to bring
daily news from old Mokuaweoweo,
the summit orator of Mauna Loa.
In the olden time whenever an erup.
ton took place it was the custom 10
pick the ohelo berries, which grew
In great quantities near the volcano
aud throw them into the crater as an
offering TO Pele Hogs ana other prop.
erty We're often thrown into the
streams Of lava. 1t Is rumored that
modern monarehs tried this latter
method OF appeasing the wrath of
Pele; and, strange coincidence. the
day after one Of such ceremony the
lava flow ceased to advance. A ma.
tive girl. with wide-distended eyes
and in a hushcd voice, told me Of
Pele's recent appearings; how the old
people tell of seeing her flying about
the country at night sometimes hay
ing the form of a very ancient woman,
sometimes very young and beautiful.
| could not decide whether the girl.
who lived in a primitive part of lIa-
vail, believed the stories or not the
Hawaiian of today, while ashamed
to acknowledge faith in the old super
stitions, of course, has not wholly do
parted from the beliefs of his fathers.
Alexander in his Brief History Of
the Hawaiian People" tells how one
superstition was broken down by Kap.
iolani-not the dowager Queen, who
lived about seyenty-tive years ago In
her youth she was incorporate and
dissolute, but later In life became an
example of virtue to her country-wo-
men. Up to her time 1t had been tab.
coed for any woman to ascend tho
mountain to the volcano, or to pick
the ohelo berries, sacred to Pe,e. dread
goddess of the place. After her CONVEX
sion 10 Christian beliefs kaplolani
determined to break the spell of be.
lief in Pele. and teach the superst,
tious natives to worship the true God.
She made journey of $50 miles, most
~ on foot. On approaching the vol.
cano she met the priestess of Pele
who warned her not To go near the
crater, and predicted her death If size
violated the taboos of the goddess.
"Who are YOU" demanded Kapiolani.
zone in whom the goddess dwells."
was the reply. In answer to a pretend
ed letter of Pele's, kapiolani quoted
passages from the Scriptures, setting
forth the character and power of the
trOe God, until the priestess was 81
fenced and confessed that Keakua
the deity, had left her. Kapiolani and
her company of eighty persons deseen
ded over five hundred feet to the
black ledge. There, in full view of
the grand and terrific action of the
inner crater. she ate the berries con.
secrated to Pele, and threw stones ill.,
to the burning lake, saying, Jehovah
Is my God. He rules all and |
fear not Pele, If perish by her anger,
then you may fear Pele; but If trust
in Jehovah and he preserve me when
breaking her taboos, then you must
fear and serve him alone" This has
been called one of the greatest acts of
moral courage ever performed. Miss
iopge well described the scene in a
chapter called can Hawaiian Chief
tess" After Tennyson's death among
his papers was found poem in honor
of this same heroine, 1t was published
in the Illustrated London News and
afterward in a late edition of Tenny.
sons poems. He wrote.
Noble the Saxon who hurled at his
idol
n yalorous weapon In olden England.
Great, and greater, and greatest of
women,
Island heroine Kapiolani,
Clomb the mountain. and flung the
berries,
And dared the goddess. and freed the
people of Hawaii.
katherine pODe in ST Iouis