Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-04-01
Father Clark Writes
OF Hawail's Beauties TO
Christian EndeaVOrerS
BY REV. FRANCIS e. CLARK.

as workshops, hover gardens as well
as schoolhouses.
1t would be a sorry old world II Mr..
Gradgrind reigned supreme and alone.
One of the most notable develop
ments Of the day is the great park
system of our leading cities, the lungs,
the breathing-spaces for stiHed, stived-
up humanity.
But there is need not only Of Cen
trail Park and a Lincoln Park. of THE
Fens' and THE Fells," but of certain
! large divisions of the earth's surface
where recreation and relaxation shall
be the order Of the day for tired hui
mainly; where stocks and bonds, and
politics and science, and servants and
housekeeping can be forgotten for a
while. and tired natures sweet restor.
ers. rest and recreation, can help
Sleep to knit up the ravelled sleave
of care.
Europe has such playground in
Switzerland with its lakes and its
mountains, its splendid boulevards. its
delightful hotels, its enhancing seen
cry.
America within her own continental
borders has as yet no such playground,
through the Yellowstone ard the Yose-
mite, the Adircndacks and the White
Mountains, are promising candidates
for the onor.
But lately there has been annexed
to Uncle Sans domains q playground
rnn1v.n1aIn nj tho Iattuhtfnl
and charming caracter-the Hawaiian
Islands OF the mid.Pacific.
Take a map OF the Pacific Ocean,
and you will be surprised to find how
nearly in,the very centre of this nun.
dane sphere this land of the lotus is. IL
the earth has any centre on its surface.
You have been accustomed. very
likely, dear reader, to think of Hawaii
as land that Is very far off, almost
as far as heaven itself.
In fact, We all resemble the boy who
lay down face up in his fathers pas.
ture. and made the startling discovery
that the centre OF the sky was exactly
over his head. and that therefore he
must be in the very centre of the uni.
verse.
But, when We get over our provin.
cialism enough to realize that even
Boston isn't the hub Of the universe,
we find that. II any one place can
claim that distinction, 1t Is Honolulu;
for here the spoHes radiate out in every
direction TO the ends of the earth. 1t
Is, In round numbers. 1000 miles to
San Francisco from Honolulu. $500 to
Yokohama, 1000 to Auckland, 5000 to
sydney, 5000 to Shanghai. 1000 to Pa.
mama. II lies Immediately on the way
between these ports, and direct and
frequent steam communication con.
meets with it all these world.centres.
Here, in the eight Inhabited islands
Gf tie group, live somewhat MoTc ,lMn
100000 people Of many nationalities, In
climate where the mercury has a
range of only some So. between 51o
and So, and where the mean average
Is just comfortable summer heat.
But | will not inhict upon my long
suffering readers another figure, not
even figure of speech, but will con.
fine myself to the tigureless facts which
hope will prove my title true.
In the first place, there are certain
things you do not want In worlds
playground.
Venomous reptiles, fierce animals,
frightful storms, intolerable heat, bit.
ter cold, these should be conspicuous
by their absence; and so they are In
10 uraU II. 70 % hA oil la Col
ers that make plain to the wayfaring
man, though fool. the beauties of
this Paradise of the Pacific tell us In
blood.red ink on every page that here
are mo frosts," mo sunstrokes," mo
malaria" mo reptiles" mo tidal
waves" mo sand.storms, mo fogs,"
mo wild BEASTS mo poisons," mo ty.
phoons," mo hurricanes" mo beg
CARS"
While We may have to take these
statements, like most advertising ma.
terial. with an occasional grain OF salt,
yet they are undoubtedly substantially
true, and great negatives they are In
favor of worlds playground.
But what are the positiyes that jus.
tify my title?
First, an infinite variety of the most
delightful scenery. People go to Swift.
zerland for mountains, to Coronado for
the sea, to the Riviera for the climate;
here you have everything In the way
of mountains, seashore, vegetation, eli
mate, raised to the highest power.
Magnificent mountain peaks, sullen.
burnt-out craters, at least one seeth-
ing, boiling lake of volcanic fire, pre-
cipitous cliffs, fern.clad precipices.
lovely plains, dashlng, glancing water
falls-what Is there in the line of seen.
cry that the Territory Of Hawaii pos.
sesses not?
Mention what you want to satisfy
the most stated taste In natural seen
cry. and | will guarantee to produce II,
unless you Insist on large lakes or wide
rivers, which the limited surface of
the islands, aggregating about as many
square miles as the State of Massa-
chusetts, naturally precludes.
But, II the land surface OF Hawaii Is
glorious, so also Is the surrounding