Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-01-25

RVuANA Ut nan HllN Wy ~ wv AHtil
planter This planter has materially
added to the house and Is fast destroy.
ing all yestiges Of Stevenson, lie has
a sign over the gate In half a dozen
languages beginning "Elngang yerbo-
ten and going on to say In English,
French ana Samoan that strangers are
prohibited from coming inside the gate.
Robert Louis Steyenton's tomb is over
grown with weeds and the pilgrimages
TO II from the Incoming ships are less
every year,
AMONG THE sAMOANS.
| have been taken around over the
island Of Upolu by one Of the Samoan
chiefs, l was introduced TO him In his
house, kind Of matched shack not far
from Apia. lie was half naked when
came into the house, but he dressed
himself In my presence and went about
with me. | find that he speaks good
English He knows the islands well,
and Is very intelligent, as are all the
natives have so far met.
with my friend the chief I visited
many Of the Samoan villages, They are
made up OF huts walled and rooted with
thatch II IL not necessary that the
walls be tight, as II Is always warm
here and the more all you can get the
better The usual sleeping place Is the
floor, and this Is also the sitting place.
The conditions are Just about the
same In Tutuila and Manua "a here,
and what | write about Upolu will DO
equally well for our islands. The peo-
pie sleep on grass mats which they lay
on the ground, They use as pillows
little stick Of bamboo, mounted on four
short legs, which raises their heads well
UP on the floor, The samoans are a
cleanly people They are always bath
Ing. You see them everywhere In the
water, both women and men, They
wade about walst-deep IN the streams,
swim together In the surf and splash
one another, acting more like boys In
swimming than like men and women,
: UNCLE SANS SAMOAN DAUGH-
TIERS,
like the Samoan girls and I think
Uncle Sam has materially added 10 his
gallery Of American beauties by the
acquisition OF Tutuila and Manua,
Manua, you know Is an island Of ours
q little beyond Tutulla. which Is noted
for It's pretty girls. The Samoan wo.
men have beautiful forms They are
stralghter than the statute OF Venus In
the Captolne Museum In Rome and
they are az plump and as well formed
as the Venus de Medici, They have a
rich chestnut brown complexion large,
soulful eyes, which are full OF smiles,
and luxuriant black hair, which they
often bleach to a bright red by the use
OF lime ana other things,
Both women and men are full Of good
nature. Especially In Tutulla, where
they have not been spoiled by foreign
ers, they are gentle, kind and easily
governed
our government steamer has been In
port here during my stay and its Off
GERS have given me much about things
In our part Of the Samoan Islands. They
tell me that the Tutuians already con-
slider themselves American citizens.
They have sworn allegiance to the
United states and hurrah for the stars
ernment has brought quiet TO the ISL
and stripes as enthusiastically as we
do on the Fourth Of July The gov
and II has for years been torn UP
with wars among the different tribes,
hut the naval officers have required
that all the guns be given up and the
people are now, hguratyely speaking,
turning their swords into pruning
hooks
HOW WE GOVERN THE SAMOANS.
We are ruling the samoans after the
Dutch method; that Is, we are allowing
them 20 govern themselves and working
through their chiefs, Every village Is
q little republic with It's own chief,
who is In most cases a hereditary rul-
en-. These chiefs have been made the
governors OF their villages and all work
IL done through them, Our naval ofli-
cials sit behind the chiefs ana pull the
strings and the people think they are
ruling themselves In this way schools
have been established and some Of the
old customs have been abolished, The
government desires 20 encourage ed
ucatlon as far as possible and mission
airy work is respected AZ present the
islands have q revenue OF $500 year,
the taxes being paid In copra.
FORTUNE MAKING IN SAMOA,
have been asked TO investigate the
chances for Americans to make for
tunes In the samoan Islands. Robert
Louis Stevenson tried IL aud failed lie
made about $4,000 a year out OF his
books. but rs far as | can learn not
cent out Of cacao The Islands have
an excellent climate, II is good for
consumptives, and II the consumptive
be anything else than an impractical
or literary man he might
make money at cocoanut raising or ca.
Gao planting. There are men who have
cacao plantations on Ppolu who are
making money.
Cacao plants are those which produce
the seeds from which chocolate Is
made They are planted here ia rows
about fourteen feet apart and some