The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-10

For the first time in the history of
Pacific exploration it is possible to do
i this work from within the region, and
! perhaps no place in the Pacific or on
! it's borders offers so many desirable
| things to the investigator and student
as Hawaii. a climate where work can
be agreeably done at all seasons of the
/ year; country healthful and beauti-
! full: communication by cable with all
the world; frequent mails and very
comforta BILE steamers between Homo
lulu and San Francisco. Vancouver,
Japan. China, Manila. Sydney, Auck-
land, Fiji, Tutuila, and through these
ports with all parts of the Pacific In
the suburbs of the city of Honolulu
was founded in 1890 a small museum
intended as monument to the Ha-
waiian Princess Bernice Pauahi. the
wife of Charles r. Bishop of Honolulu.
and built to contain the Hawaiian
relics collected by Mrs Bishop or in
! herited from her royal ancestors the
kamehamehas.
From this modest building the Ber-
nice Pauahi Bishop Museum has grown
with the inspiration of the declared
intent of it's founder, Charles Reed
Bishop, that it be "a scientific mstitu
ton for collecting. preserving, storing
and exhibiting specimens of Polynesian
and kindred antiquities, ethnology and
Natural History, and books treating
of, and pictures illuStra ting the same,
and for the examination. investigation,
treatment and study of said specimens
and the publication of pictures there
of and of the results of such investi-
cation and study until it may now
challenge comparison with any ethno-
logical museum in its chosen field. 1t
has published one quartO volume of
Memoirs, one of Occasional Papers in
octave, and is we'll along in the second
volume in each series. But it is not
in the beauty of it's halls. the arrange
ment of it's exhibits nor in the number
of its specimens that the value of this
museum consists for the work under
consideration. but it is in the careful
and studied selection of specimens
that are richest in chronological inter
est, if the specimen be only a half
wrought bowl of wood which the maker
buried a century ago to save it from
the hand of an approaching enemy and
yield it at last to this museum to tell
the method of the old time artisan. It
is that the series of these objects is
fairly complete from each island group, F.,
and that in all cases the specimens are |
authentic. And not least in value is
the intelligent and loyal interest and !
devotion that has animated the small /
staff of assistants in this museum from !
the day VIXEN the Director ceased to be :
alone some years after the opening of /
the museum to the public.
While every one attached to the :
phuseum desires to carry out the ex-
ploration of the Pacific, it is agreed |
that the present small force cannot do
this, nor does the income of it's en- /
dowment, while sufficient for preserv-
ing and studying the present collec- !
tons, admit of the needed extension. |
In the mind of the Director for forty T
years has been growing a desire for a
more thorough knowledge of the people
of the Pacific islands since an explora-
ton in the early sixties of the Ha-
waiian group with the late Horace
Mann at the instance of his honored
Louis Agassiz and Asa
Gray. Other interests for a time in
but on the foundation of the
Bishop Museum the old love revived
with greatly increased strength and
his work in the museum has been al
ways with thoughts directed to the
time when it would be possible to call
together many helpers and preach a
new scientific crusade against the pow
ers of darkness that Cypress our vision
IF the early days of the Polynesian
ace
Is not the time now ripe when
through the Spanish war came the ;
of the Philippines and Ha-
vail arousing an interest in this re-
zion. and when we have a college, in
ha f1-11n old of tho word whore ,
he forces can be marshalled. drilled
nd set out with a God speed to gather I
md save the knowledge. much of f
which is rapidly slipping into oblivion? {
With the new buildings proposed. the :
laboratories will be ample. the library I
onvenient and more complete than E
nv scientific library in this region. c
nd the space for the storage of speci-
mems sufficient. In general EthnoloSy, /
Ichthyology and Ornith-
Iogy the library is especially We'll Q
for the work hitherto Of the G
taft has been along these lines; in view a
f the greater needs of a more extended Y
xploratfon large additions must be I
lade to its shelves. b
But all this building and preparation II
nd the resulting exploration will cost u
considerable money! That is true, but o
ne generosity of the American people s
nat in the year 1905 contributed sixty t
x millions of dollars to innumerable W
orthy objects has not exhausted itself p
nd can always be depended upon TO n
lrnish the means to do good and de- n
rable work and in no channel does a
lis golden stream run more freely 81
ian in that of education. Ia
Now let US look to the educational OF
de of the proposed exploration. We II
ant twenty or more men, not too old a:
pr too bound to theory. to train in el
lis museum for at least six months. OF
ost of them should be graduates OF CT
me reputable college. They are here
learn. among other things the eth kl
,iogy of the groups to which they may II
assigned. so far as study of the ii
elections in the museum can teach pc
is in order that no time need be &C
in rhp field what | q