Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1901-10-09
NUMBER Is.

we stood gazing on the dimly out
lined landscapes the island did
not appear nearly so beautiful as
our excursion revealed il TO be.
Honolulu on Oahu Island is COM
posed of some thirty thousand Jap
anese, Chinese, Portuguese, natives
aud mixed nationalities and about
eight thousand white people, who
completely dominate in social and
industrial wealth, though many of
the finest business houses are owned
and operated by the Japanese and
Chinese, who together, constitute
by far the larger part of the popula-
tion. Several of the half breed
natives, inheriting their property
from feudel ancestral chiefs, into
whose family white men married,
are very wealthy. The natives,
themselves, classed as Polyuesians,
are genial, good natured, indolent,
above the average person i'm size and
very sensitive to ridicule They
have pleasing features, well shaped
heads, and very expressive eyes, and
If 1T were not for their dark color,
in appearance they would equal the
white race, but they are sadly de-
ticient in chastity, culture aud clean
illness. Many of the younger ones
work in the capacity of clerks and
such, but few of them, if any, can be
induced to perform hard, menial
labor. The natives live mostly upon
PoY, which is mademostly from the
TARo plant, which grows in very
moist or irrigated land. This plant
is indigenous to the island and grow
ing resembles the rheubarb, only the
leaf being smaller and The stem
slenderer, The edible part is the root
which is pounded into n tenacious.
paste-like consistency having a pink
color. When they eat they sit down
in circle with pot Of Poy in the
center and on the first two fingers
each gather the pasty substance
and conveys it to his mouth An
acre Of Taro will furnish subsistence
for over thousand people That
may sound ridiculous, but some
claim double that maiutainancc.
Along with Poy tropical fruit and
/ iish are eaten 7 he Hawaiian waters
abound in fish OF many and peculiar
varieties, aud Honolulu has one Of
the best fish markets in the world
They have one OF the most equitable
climates, minimum of 56 and
maximum of 80 with an average Of
- degrees. All the tropical fruits
thrive fairly well.
The Native population il rapidly
passing away, due to their iiceutious
debnuchery and their susceptibility
20 contagious diseases, which owing
To their disregard for bygenic laws,
generally prove fatal. The decrease
has been wonderful. In the last go
years, three-ifths of the people or
/ 90, 900 have succumbed 90 the infec-
tion Of the white man, though TO
this one exception should be mention
ed, that of leprosy. The filthy
inheritance Of the natives is answer
able for this the most terrible Of all
diseases whose charual house is on
the Island of Molokai, and whose
victims live there perfectly cogni-
zant that sooner or later that Tread.
ful malady will rot the flesh from
their bones and that only years Of
suffering and remorse remain. Some
times it progresses swiftly and pain
lessly, At others slowly, and with
graat pain In battle the carnage Of
death is terrible beyond description,
but the agony Of leper's mind is in
comparably worse. All lepcrs are
sent TO the prison home where there
arc at present about twelve hundred,
five being Americans.
G. w. O'BRIEN.
(To be continued next week.