The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-09-21
Everyone
Makes His
Own Path
KEEP OFF THE PATHWAY is THE
RULE OF MANY ON CAPITOL
GROUNDS.
KEEP OFF THE WALKS"
WALKING ALLOWED ONLY
THE GRASS"

A11I G1NA0.s
Instead of a broad lawn crossed by
pathways, the Honolulu public appears
to have decided that the Capitol
grounds shall be a complicated maze Of
pathways streaked by grass.
For some months past the shortcut
fraternity has been the bane of exist
ence to those in charge of the Capitol
grounds, from Governor Carter down.
Paths were made to allow the short
cut men to cross the lawn diagonally,
and Caretaker Greene thought he saw
chances Of keeping the grass the color
of his name, But the first morning
after the paths were opened he beheld
gangs of laborers cutting small TRAN
giles here and there. He consulted
Holloway The result was a very crafty
scheme. 1t was decided to put sprink-
lers in the midst Of the favorite routes
Of the short cutters, so that they
couldn't make their cut without get
ting wet. Greene began to get blue as
he watched the short cutters follow
the old routes, except that they cheer
fully made little detours round the
sprinklers' spheres Of influence.
Greene had some nice signs painted.
They were planted right in the middle
Of the unauthorized paths and they
told people TO sticl, to the cemented
walks. The short cut men simply side
stepped the signs and continued on
the even tenor of Their grassy way.
AS the Capitol is one of Honolulus
objects Of beauty and the Territory is
responsible for its care, the matter
reached the dignity of an affair of
state, and the Governor discussed it in
the robins egg blue chamber, with
Holloway, while Greene cavoted below
and said things to short cutteers. From
above the governor looked down and
saw the people making cross sections
all over the lawn, till it began to look
like a picture of the canals on Mars.
Greene put a man on watch to keep
people on the sidewalks, but after a
short experience It was found that his
language was burning the grass and do
ing more damage than the trespass-
ing.
As a last resort barbed wire was de-
cided upon, and now there is a line of
it barring people from their favorite
walks. This morning a healthy Portu-
guese was observed approaching from
the Hotel street side. The short cut
walk was well guarded. There was
barbed wire, a sign and a sprinkler
The pedestrian quietly stepped over the
wire, past the sign and around the
sprinkler and sauntered leisurely across
the grass towards King street. Care
tater Greene is said to have done eX-
erything but weep.
. There is a good deal of a howl about
the barbed wire, as likely to hurt chill
dren and possibly men with packages
but the governor is inclined to approve
the wire. 1--WE must do something
he said. "tO prevent that portion of
the public who will not stop to think
from destroying the beauty of the
grounds Everything has been tried.
We might shut the gates and order
people off the grounds altogether but
we don't want to do that. The grounds
are for the public. and it is desired that
all possible use shall be made of them
People are at liberty to go on the grass
to lie down there and slumber, and
children playing on the grass are glad
ly welcomed. But we cannot have
footpaths worn in all sorts of direc-
tions by people who are merely cross
ing to cut off a few hundred feet of a
corner. In some way we must teach
the people who are merely crossing that
they should keep to the walks"
: The governor was on the upper lanai
of the Capitol as he spoke, looking at
the troublesome green lawn. Two la
borers were walking from King street
mauka-Waikiki towards the Capitol
One was on the cemented pathway, and
the other strolled blissfully along on
the grass, walking all the way just
parallel to the path and about one foot
from it.