The Republican journal., 1902-05-08
LIFE IN HAWAII.
[ Extracts from private letter to Mrs. NJ. }.
Gammans, Belfast.

birthday. | suppose you are i'll the
| midst of winter but / cannot realize it.
am sitting by an open door and all of
our windows and doors are open day
and night. The only difference between
winter and summer here is the cooler
| nights of winter. Last Sunday the
mercury was at 81 degrees for short
time in the morning, and that was the
coolest in eleven years. Generally in
the early morning it will be about 60
sometimes at IS, or trife lower, but by
noon it is at Il and that is the tenn
perature NOW as | write We often
like to warm by the kitchen stove
before breakfast. II looks odd here to
see 10 chimneys to the houses. A
stovepipe extends through the cook
| room roof, which is all that looks any
thing like chimney. | am sorry for
the little folks at Christmas time for
the old stories are without meaning to
| them. They have fireworks and shoot
off tire-crackers the same as on the 4th OF
July in the States.
On Labor Day in the morning | went
to Honolulu to see the parade and after
enjoying a few floats | thought it was
| gong to be quite procession, when 10,
! it was done and had taken just fifteen
minutes in passing. The music was
good, and on the whole it was GOOD for
such a small city At noon on the
same day ex-Queen LiliuokaIani gave a
reception at her home which | attend
ed. All the morning papers made pleas
| ant mention of the forthcoming event
and offered congratulations, it being
her 63rd birthday The Government
band played its sweetest airs and large
concourSe of people, white and native,
We're present Outside near the en-
trance, were some old women who kept
up a ceaseess wall in a most doleful
her virtues and those of her ancestors,
as has been the custom of lIaWaiianS.
Preceding me up the steps on entering
We're two native young men, one bear
ing the Hawaiian flag and the other the
Stars and Stripes: they advanced and
kneeing before the Queen kissed her
hand. Many of the natives did like
wise, but tile white people bowed.
shook hands and offered congratula
tons, to which she responded very
pleasantly. She is We'll preserved and a
good dresser. The guests We're request
ed to 90 INTO the library and register.
In that room | noticed many sets of
books and it looked Ike room occu-
pied 10y well to-do family in our own
land. y cabinet attracted my atten-
ton, for it contained fully fifty leis and
nothing else and protected by glass
| doors. These leis are worn on the hat
or around the neck and were of feath-
ers, shells, beads, seeds, silk and don't
know what all, and many are of price
| less value. A native is rarely seen
without lei of fresh flowers or paper
around his hat, and white men wear
them also. Those made of feathers
are from bird that is now extinct. 1t
is impossible to replace them.
Guy and Amy reached here on Oct.
30th. Soon afterward Guy bought a
surrey for our use, and with the gentle
horse which we already had it fitted us
in good shape for drives. | was never
in country where a horse and carriage
| seemed so indispensable as here, | sell
! dom take the train to Honolulu pre-
roads are so good. Although this is
! supposed to be the rainy season we have
had very few rainy days, and during the
! fourteen months have been here | do
not think we have had more tran five
or six days without sunshine. There
are frequent showers, but Of short Gura-
ton, and many perfectly beautiful rain
! bows. | wonder if you ever saw a lamar
rainbow. | saw one at ten o'clock at
night not long ago, very clear and we'll
defined, but without the bright colors.
The Chinese make great deal of
their New Year and the celebration
lasts three or four days, when most of
the business men keep open house and
| any one who calls is received with
princely hospitality. We made some
calls with lady who has quite ALI
| extensive acquaintance among them.
The Consul is an elegant looking gentle
man, tall and large and of good figure,
and dresses in native costume, the
jackets and robes of fine silk and satin.
At his home he had two young China
men to assist, as he speaks very little
English; one was dressed in Chinese
and the other in American dress. We
were shown number of banners and
notices framed and hanging on the
walls richly embroidered in Chinese
letters and emblems, and one thing was
| specially worth seeing 1t was a red cloak
with fine red silk lining on which were
seven hundred names of Honolulu
citizens embroidered with yellow silk
floss, given him as testimonial of
regard for his loyalty and service to his
| cOuntrymen during the plague and fire