The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-07
MRS. DAY
An AUTHOR
Writes an Entertaining
Fairy Tale of
Hawaii.

The MenehuneS. Ihelr adventures
with the Fisherman and How They
Built the Canoe BY Emily Foster
Day. Illustrations by Spencer Wright.
Paul Elder and Company, Publishers,
San Francisco
Such is transcript of the title page
of a veritable little classic in the fairy
tale class which has just appeared. The
.'Menehunes" are fairies of Hawaii
and the scene is skilfully laid in a Ha-
waiian forest. In elegance of diction
the story will scarcely take second
place with any of the standard fairy
tales that have delighted childhood for
a century past. 1t has the merit of
simplicity without any sacrifice of liter
airy dignity. In other words, it does not
descend to childish prattle, yet chlid
will enjoy it for the plain story as
the adult will its artistic telling.
A fisherman one day felled a koa
tree out of which to fashion a canoe.
The fairies the same night came and
replanted the tree, it having been
brought down by undermining the
roots. Superstitiously scared as he was
at being unable to find the fallen tree
next day, the fisherman went at an
other tree and laid it low Again at
night the fairies repaired the damage.
On the third night, having repeated
the work of the previous two days, the
fisherman watched and when the
fairies came he seized bunch of them
and imprisoned the captive elfs in the
calabash from which he had eaten his
supper of poi. This made the uncaught
ones keep a respectful distance. Then
he parleyed with the prisoners and, on
telling them of great distress the want
of canoe would bring to himself and
family, in consideration for their re-
lease the poi-smeared little fellows en-
gagged that they and their tribesmen
would make him a canoe. Only he
must go out of sight of them The
compact was ratified and next morn
ing the fisherman owned a handsome
new canoe. Such is the story
A dramatic touch is given to the
opening of the story, thus: Some one
had committed monstrous crime.
Deep in the heart of the forest of Hilo
one of the gigantic old koa trees, whose
leaves were shaped like the new moon,
lay prone on the ground, its mighty
branches crushed, it's sturdy roots
hacked and torn from the soil''
There is an Introductory page in
italics, which is fitted to be very good
promotion" literature. 1t reads:
Let me introduce to you the Meme
huneS. Every one in Hawaii knows
them, and now that they are annexed
to the United States, with the rest of
the beautiful little country, and are
good, loyal Americans, you should
know them too.
ITO the best of my knowledge none
OF my friends-even my Hawaiian
friends-have actually seen the mys-
terious little people of the rocks, but
the ancient folklore of the islands is
full of tales of their wonderful works;
and if anyone wants more proof-why,
there is the great water-course of Ka-
uai cut through the solid rock-no man
knows by whom else-and the Hill of
the Shrimps where the Menehunes re-
ceived their reward from good King
Ola and his wise high priest. But that
would make another tale.-E. F. D."
Beautifully printed on heavy plate
paper, with buff-tinted border vignettes
and several full-page sketches-these
ell in keeping with the story and its
scene-the little book has the further
tropical attraction of being bound in
tapa.
Intimate personal acquaintances of
the author will identify her by name
as the wife of DR. f. r. Day, for many
years one of the leading physicians of
Honolulu. Mrs. Day is to be congratu-
lated upon the high literary merit Of
this booklet, the readers of which will
a ssIredIv ask for other stories from
her accomplished hand.