The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-01
HIGH SCHOOL
CORRESPONDENCE

y - -
Since last September the Low sixth
grade of the intermediate department
in the High School building has carried
on an interesting correspondence and
exchange of curios with number OF
schools on the mainland. The work
was planned in connection with Eng
Iish composition, nature study, and
especially the study Of the geography
of the United States. The class has
been studying about the coal, iron.
copper, silver, and gold producing
States. Boxes of Island curios with
letters explaining them were sent to
places where these porducts are found,
such as: Duluth, Minnesota; Birming-
ham, Alabama; Phoenix. Arizona; and
Scranton, Pennsylvania. In exchange
the class is receiving letters telling of
the industries in those places, postal
cards photographs, and boxes contain
ing specimens OF minerals which are
to be labelled, studied, and placed in
the handsome cabinet which Miss Alice
King, their teacher, made at the Nor
NAL School last summer.
On Friday, December eleventh, the
members of the class visited the Ho-
nolulu Iron Works where they saw how
the iron pigs of which they had read
in their Biographies were changed into
cast iron; they saw the smiths work
ing the wrought iron. and they had the
whole process of the manufacture OF
the sugar mills explained to them from
the drawing rooms to the machine
shops.
There are forty pupils in the class
which was divided up into eight differ
ent sections, five pupils in each section
and each section sent their letters to
a. different school so that the class are
communicating with eight different
schools. Some of the members of the
class have been made happy by hay
ing their letters from Honolulu printed
in the local papers on the mainland.
The following are some of the letters
sent away:
Honolulu, T. H, Oct. 9, 1903.
Dear Unknown Friend: thought I
would write you a letter about our
land-shells, and hope you will answer
it. Achatinella is word meaning
small agate in Latin; it is the scientific
name for the land-shell. There are a
great many kinds of colors in land
sheIls-purp1c, white, green, red,
brown, and black. Often there are
many different colors on one shell.
There are great many more varieties
of shells on Oahu than on any other
of the Hawaiian Islands; it is said that
there are two hundred fifty-six differ
ent kinds on this island.
One hundred seventeen years agoll
was when the first land-shells were
seen by white people. Captain Dixon
gave the Hawaiians some iron which
they thought was very valuable and
in return the natives gave him a lei,
or wreath of land-shells. When he |
took them to London he sold them for |
several hundred dollars-each shell be- |
ing sold for seven or eight dollars.
The largest shells found are from |
one to one and a half inches in length. |
The Hawaiians used to think that the |
land-shells sang a song. I will put it |
out in the Hawaiian language and then |
translate it into the English language |
for you:
"Kahuli aku, .'Sing Of the night"
Kahuli mai, Sing on the light
Kahuli lei ula, ''Sing of red wreath |
now
Lei ako lac, Wreath to crown the |
brow
1t is not true that the shells do the |
singing; it is the crickets that do it.
The home of the land-shells is on
the trees and old stumps. Some of
their favorite trees are the qua, lehua,
alani, kolea, and the olona. One of
their favorite shrubs is the ii, or Xxi
plant. The best time to hunt the
land-she11s is when it is dark and
rainy and not very windy. Then they
come out of their hiding places and
travel from one tree to another. It
is very hard to get them on high
tree, because if you shake. it a little,
they will fall off so you cannot find
them. 1t is very funny to watch these
snails as they walk along on their one
strong muscular foot. I guess I will
have to stop now, as I do not know
any more about the iand-shell.
Your unknown friend,
CHARLIE DOW.