Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-06-28

'-N '%NsN"N W hVA uutAtos AS Nht uftt
of the volcano had died down until
there was nothing but little sparks left
She had never revealed to her husband
that she was the fire goddess, though
he instinctively felt that she was some.
thing more than an ordinary mortal. He
was loath to have her depart and
finally prevailed upon her to remain
as his eonsort. That is why the heart
of the volcano became cold, and is
no longer a menace to the safety of the
people.
Power Of Native wizards.
No reference to the old order Of
things in Hawaii would be complete
without mention Of the kahuna, or ma
tive doctor. He was sort Of wizard
or soothsayer, who was reverenced and
feared by all the people. He was sup.
posed to have the power of life and
death, and it was accepted as a matter
Of fact that he could pray ones life
away. Next to the voodoo priests Of
Hayti, the Hawaiian kahuna is the
most mysterious individual of whom we
have any account. They say it is not
at all universal for a man or woman
to be prayed TO death, and the explana.
tion is the use Of suggestion. When
the idea Of death becomes fully lodged
in the mind of a patient the end is
easy from the sheer force of imagina.
tion.
1t has been charged that vegetable
poisons figure in these fatal prayings,
but there seems to be no evidence to
substantiate this claim. The reader
may scoff at the idea Of a man being
able to pray a person to death, but one
has only to see the baneful light in the
kahuna's eyes to recognize the pres
ence of some strange power. Once the
idea Of death suggests itself to a sick
person medicine can do him no good.
There are those who assert that the
beautiful Princess Kalulani was a vic.
tim Of the kahunas. 1t is certain that
the house was surrounded by them at
the time Of her death.
When her mother died she, too, was
strongly influenced by the belief that
the kahunas were praying her life
away. She remarked to one Of her
khite friends that it was no use for
her to try to live against the influence
of the native wizards. The white ply
sicians tried TO force medicine down her
throat, but she resisted with all her
strength. She asserted that her time
had come and that she was ready to
20. This is not generally spoken Of,
but IL is known to be true by many
people in Honolulu
sootAsayers Dress Gayly.
OF course the kahumas do not have
the same hold upon the people that
they did in days gone by. The belief
in them is a superstition which really
belongs to the old generation. They
are now regarded as doctors who prae-
tiee without license, and are treate I
accordingly Sometimes an old inhab-
liant win insist upon being treated by
a kahuna, but IL the native doctor fails
a white physician is then called. One
Of these soothsayers is easily distiu-
guished on the streets Of Honolulu
by the scarf handkerchief which he
wears around his neck. When indoors
he is very gay in dress, but on tbs
street he only allows himself trace Of
scarlet.
There Is one venerable wizard that
is said to be over 90 years Of age, liv-
ing in the hills near Honolulu, and who
is noted for the wonderful power Of
his eye. He is filthy, ragged and un-
kempt, but the strange light in his
eye holds the natives in awe and at
tracts many curious white people to
see What ne - IKE.
And now, leaving the legends and SUI
perstitions Of the fair island behind,
we come to what may be called Ha-
walls skeleton in the closet. IL is the
leper settlement in the mountains OF
Molokai. II is located on peninsula
Of some 5000 acres in extent. IL Is sur
rounded on three sides by the ocean,
and on the remaining side by a steep
preeipiee about 1900 feet in height. The
settlement can only be approached by
a small pathway, and two policemen are
always on guard here TO prevent any
one from entering.
About 40 lepers were sent here in
1865. and the number has increased
from time 70 time until there are now
about a thousand persons in the com
munity. Nine-tenths Of the afiieted in
mates are either Chinese or natives,
white people being rarely susceptible