The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-08-08
TOURISTS AND VICE.

The Advertiser, as d result u SUI
observation in the principal tourist re
sorts Of the coast, does not agree wit
the conclusions of Mr.. Woods, tn
eminent San Francisco lawyer, who
writing in the Chronicle of his visit 4
Honolulu, says:
Honolulu is tourist tow1, aDt
should, as such, afford the tourist some
opportunity to spend his money ana
have a time according 10 his taste, anc
Vet a more dismal and forbiddi7e place
for the tourist on pleasure bent II is
hard to find The saloons close at i
O'Clock sharp, and from II o'clock sat
urday night until Monday morning the
town is dead The tenderi0.n is an IN
known quantity. The seductive games
OF chance are strictly prohibited, and
there is no such thing as police Dro-
lection In brief the festive tourist has
afforded him the sea and the church.
in one of which he can swim. and IN
the other hear his sins denounced.
Outside Of these two he is absolutely
without opportunity to enjoy himself
according to mis- bent These things
have destroyed, and will continue to
destroy, all the chances which Homo
lulu naturally has as tourist resort.
It is altogether out of reason TO ask
a man to take a sea voyage of 1000
miles merely for the purposes of taking
a swim in the Pacific ocean and of
going to church. The ordinary, every
day man of the. world must be aliured
by other charms. He must be made to
understand that in taking such voy-
age he will find a town where he Is
free to do as he pleases and enjoy him.
self after the manner OF his own IN
clinations; and while 1t may be admit
ted that he is not seeking the highest
plane of morality. yet, as a free agent, |
ne will avoid the place where he cannot |
be allowed to sin as to him seems fit
These are not especially creditable |
sentiments, but they probably repre- |
sent the San Francisco idea OF what |
a tourist town should be; also the idea
of Tombstone Arizona, Cripple Creek, /
Col, and Nome City. Alaska. But II l
Mr.. Woods travels much in his own |
State he will find, as at the tourist re-
sorts in Southern California, that the |
Eastern idea of decency and propriety |
Is very much in evidence. In Pasadena,
for example. he will find thousands of
satisfied tourists but will look in vain for
an open saloon on any day OF the week:
and in Los Angeles and San Diego he
will find a Sunday law which is en-
forced about as the Sunday law is here.
The average Eastern tourist, whose
presence we all desire, has very little
sympathy with the registering gold
miner-of-'4s idea of public and private
enjoyment. He is not illiberal; he does
not insist that all wheels shall stop
turning and all bands cease playing on
Sunday, but he can get along very COM
fortably without Sunday dram shops,
horse-races and everyday resorts of in
fanny. Such people, who pass most sat
isfactory winters at Pasadena, at Co
ronado Beach--where there is but one ,
bar, and that one closed on Sunday
and no questionable resorts whatever ,
would certainly find Honolulu to their !
taste. A hundred thousand of them ,
saw Pasadena last winter; probably ,
so 600 saw Coronado Beach. The same | -,
promises to be true next season and ,
for indefinite seasons to come. OF the =
Eastern people who spend their win ]
ters on the coast the majority are re-
spectacle and conservative; the other
kind can be well done without, there
or here.
There is too high price to pay even
for tourists; and anything calculated to
make Honolulu bad place in which to
maintain a righteous standard of fami-
Iy life and to bring up wholesome chill
dren. is to be deprecated on grounds
of self-interest-