The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-19

clothing. and for many years not
made at all in these islands. 1t is the
inner bark of the paper mulberry
tree. manipulated by some lost art into
strong, but transparent silk, and dec
grated with curious designs in native
vegetable dyes.
At one end of this delightful drawing
room is a broad staircase, leading TO
a small, dimly lighted room, low-ceil-
inged, and hung with dark drapery.
1t is the celebrated memorial cham
ber, arranged by King Kalakaua's
widow, the late Dowager Aside from
the fine bust of the King, in the center
of the room, the most notable objects
are the royal collection of calabashes,
the polished wooden bowls which the
ancient Hawaiians used as table fur
niture. Much of the wealth of former
kings and chiefs consisted in Gala
bashes, and to-day not only native is
landers, but curio collectors of other
nationalities. prize them highly and
pay big prices for them. They are of
all sizes, from that of a tea cup to a
wash tub, and are made from the eX-
quisitely marked wood of the "koa'
tree, or the still older and rarer "kou"
wood, both once sacred exclusively to
the island kings and chiefs, and now
almost extinct. The vessels were care
fully shaped by hand from a solid
block of wood and beautifully pol
ished by laborious rubbing with va
rious leaves and flowers and the oil of
the ka-kui, or candle-nut which the
old Hawaiians used for lighting pur-
poses.
The value and beauty of an old Gala
bash is greatly enhanced if it has been
cracked or broken and mended. This
mending is very ingeniously done, with
thin slivers of wood and strong, fine
fiber Nowadays Portuguese traders
are flooding the curio market of Hon
olulu with an imitation of the ancient
Gala bash made by turning lathe and
finished with piano polish but one has
only to see and handle a genuine speci-
min to reject with scorn the highly
vanished substitute. There are few
old calabashes to be bought now, and
none are made. except perhaps, in
some remote part of one of the older
islands where ancient customs still
prevail.
In this memorial room of Prince Gu
pids home is the famous Wind Gala
bash, found more than 200 years ago
in the burial cave of a high chief. 1t
is almost as tall as a barrel and is
bound around with richly chased bands
of pure gold, and has also a gold plate
like other calabashes, this has cover,
and within it the winds were supposed
to be confined, to be set free at the
will of the owner.
On an easel is a fine large portrait
of Queen Victoria, sent by her majes-
ty to King Kalakana, on the occasion
of her jubilee, when Queen Kappiolani
and the present eX-Queen, as her lady
in waiting. bore his greetings to his
e-t.- 1f,rv1 T- 1v.oYD Dad
with a cloak of red and yellow feath-
ers, similar to the one in the National
Museum at Washington. The last
named royal feather mantle was pre-
sented to Gen. George Washington by
King Kamehaneha the Great. They
were worn only by men of highest
rank, and it took half a lifetime to
collect the feathers of which that one
was made. On the wall of the memorial
room hangs a water color representa-
ton of the lei" or wreath of pre-
cious green feathers, which Kalakana
sent to Queen Victoria as jubilee
gift; and Prince Cupids wife loves to
relate that on her own recent visit to
Windsor palace, she was shown this
"lei' in the private apartments of the
late Queen, together with the portrait
of Queen Emma, the wife of Kane
haneha ", who was once an honored
guest Oh Ine EnSlSn sovereign.
Princess Cupid by the way-the
princess of Honolulu, as she is known
at home-is an extremely beautiful
young woman, tall, dusky, with soft
dark eyes and languid grace and the
dignity of Queen. She wears a modi-
fed and elaborate form of the "holo-
ka"-a sort of glorified Mother Hub
bard gown, introduced by the early
missionaries to take the place of the
papa's scanty drapery. Hers is of soft
black silk. with a long train, and
looks as if it might have come from
the hands of Partisan modiste. as it
probably did, for the Prince and Prin-
cess Kalanianaole otherwise "Cupid'O,
have lately returned from a two years
tour of the world, and her costumes
are the best that money can buy.
though fashioned somewhat after Ha-
waiian ideas. She makes the chance
visitor to her bungalow very welcome.
serving tea and cakes-or rather the
refreshment is handed, by her order
by stately middle-aged Hawaiian
servant, all in white and with bare
feet, his thick white hair standing
sttfiy on end, like quills upon the fret
full porcupine, above his solemn golden
brown countenance