The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-06-03
COMING RACES.


are close at hand, and interest is being
developed as to the rival crews. Prac-
tice which has been going on for some
weeks upon the waters of the harbor
will be transferred to Pearl Lochs very
shortly, and the several crews be wound
up for the final contest.
The crews of city have ADVANTAGES
and disadvantages over crews else
where. In the East and in England
the training and even some of the
races take place when the season is
still Indictment and waters feel icy.
Many of the preliminary races both at
Harvard and Yale take place when the
weather is terribly keen, the great race
between oxford and Cambridge has
often been rowed through sleet and
cutting wind. Our oarsmen have moth
ing like this to contend with. The
weather, save for an occasional rain
squaI, is always balmy and soft, and
the only thing that there is to complain
of is that it is too relaxing.
On the other hand our men are all
workers. We have no leisured class in
our community, young men who can
takeup a-sport and devote several hours
a day of it. Our oarsmen come from the
stores and offices and have to be on
hand promptly in the morning, spend
the day in what is very frequently ex-
hausting labor and then snatch an hour
or two for their athletic practice. 1t
shows energy and vigor when they are
able to do this.
Most employers thoroughly vi. .er-
stand the value of their young men go
ing in for athletics of this character. 1t
gives a zest to the young mems lives,
and gives them something to think
about, and more especially so as youth
is the time of eXuberance, and if it
does not find an outlet in one direction
it will in another. To give young men
an incentive to try and excel in athle-
tic sport. may not be a very high ideal,
though the ancient Greek thought it
was the very highest ideal, and keeps
all events is clean ideal, and keeps
him in paths of clean living. A man
cannot be a drunkard and debauchee
and good athlete at one and the same
time. .i
Boating, and in fact any regular
form of athletic sport, was unknown on
these Islands twenty-five or thirty
years ago, with the exception of "a
scratch match at cricket or baseball
when a man-of-war came in. but the
officers and crews of men-of-war did
not care for athletic sport in those
days. The men used to come ashore
and get Systematically drunk, and the
officers used to lounge round and fiirt
and dance at the primitive parties of
the period. A great change has come
over the personnel of naval vessels
since then, as it has come over the
young men of the city as we'll Man
ners have improved, and morals have
improved very much.
The boating organizations of this
city have not only done much towards
improving sport, and bringing up the
style and method of rowing. but they
have had a distinct social influence.
The boat houses form nice club where
young men can gather, exchange ideas,
and have place of their own for leis-
ure hours The little parties and enter
tainments which are constantly being
got up serve to bring into social inter-
course the youth of both sexes, and
grabbed age is often asked to look on
In this direction an incalculable
amount of good is done, which while
not, perhaps. apparent to the casual
observer, is very plain to any one who
has made a study of social relations
under the peculiar circumstances in
which settlers here have been placed.
1t is pity that the other Islands do
not develop in this direction and give
tests. We have had inter-island base
ball occasionally, though not yet as a
permanent event of a season. We have
had an inter-island pole match and
hope TO have many more. But we have
had an inter-island polo match and
because there are no boating clubs up
on the other Islands. However it is
difficult to see where boating clubs
could flourish outside of Oahu. There
is no calm stretch of water on Hawaii
where shells can be used, and there
certainly is not on Maui. On Kauai
there might be some chance on either
the Hanalei or Hanapepe rivers, but it
would be hard to concentrate the boat
ing population. However in yachting
there might be good deal done, but
that can furnish material for further
thought.