The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-17

eaten without plates, knives or forks,
| the f1nger-bowls consisting of cocoa :
| nut shells, and the napkins of fern
| leaves. Duly decorated with red car
nation leis, the guests gathered round
| the festive board, which in this case
resolved itself into a long mat spread
upon the ground and covered with
| bright flowers and leaves. Upon this
We're placed numerous Gala bashes of
koa wood, containing delicacies dear
TO the Hawaiian palate, such as poi
a paste made from taro. the principal
vegetable of the natives-raw sQuid
dried octopus), shark fins, breadfruit
dumpiings, edible seaweed and tropical
fruits. Then various mysterious pack
ages of fish and fowl, wrapped in ii
leaves, were brought forth from the
stone-lined pit or underground oven,
heated by charcoal, where they had
simmered for the previous twelve
hours, and, last of all, there was placed
before us sucking-pig (hoolua) roast
ed whole-the piece de resistance Of
the feast,
Hawaiian musicians meanwhile dis
coursed sweet music, playing strange
dreamy melodies whose plaintive har-
monies haunted US for many a day; |
and native girls, wearing wreaths of |
red 1ehua flowers twined in the hair |
and garlanded about the neck, perform |
ed the famous hula dance, their 1.-the /
forms swinging and swaying with /
graceful undulatory movements, as
they advanced and retreated with arms
extended, their brown skins glistening
in the moonlight.
Moonlight bathing parties are most
popular at Waikiki Beach. the fash
ionabIe suburb of Honolulu and no.
where isAocean bathing more perfectly
enjoyed all the year round than inside
the coral reef there, additional excite
ment being lent to the ordinary dip
bv riding on surf-boards. The skilled |
Hawaiian takes his surf-board out to
the place where the reef breaks the /
swells into rollers, and. catching the
impetus of the topmost one. he rides
on IT'S crest, stretched at full length,
or even standing erect upon it. Ordi-
nary visitors pay five dollars for
surf-canoe. and find it sufficiently ex-
70 ride out TO the roaring
surf, where the oncoming wave lifts
the stern of the canoe, and sends it
spinning shoreward in a cloud of driv-
ing mist. while the surf roars. beneath.
and the spray from the breakers
dashes upon the drenched and breath
less occupants.
A visit to a sugar plantation is an
other pleasant experience in Hawaii,
and one never tires of driving round
the estate in the rare pure air, between
tall green canes with their ''tassels
waving on the lea" and broad leaves
rustiing in the breeze. The canes are
cut and brought to the crushing mill
0y fumes OF wooden aqueducts, in
which they are foated down for sew
.ral miles before being transferred to
.rucks.
The mill machinery is tended entire
y by Japanese and while staying on
he plantation I heard a great deali
bout the difficulties of the labor ques-
ion.
Hawaii is essentially a brown mans
country, for few white men of any
ace can work in the fields or make!
farmers in the tropics, and
t is a matter of regret that America
Ioes not encourage the Japanese and
Chinese to settle freely with their
wives and children. and become in
iIne good American citizens. At pres,
mt families" are discouraged by the
Federal Government, and males pre-
,onderate among the immigrants. SO
hat the Japanese try to make as much
money as they can and return to their
wn country as quickly as possible.
)uring this present year (1906).
Uncle Sam has imported 500 Molo-
ans (Russians) into Hawaii as Ia
orers. but those who know best say
hat this experiment is foreGoonled TO
allure. One thing is certain; that ii
he japanese born in the islands bel
ONE q permanent population eager tol
aim its citizenship, the fear Of futurei
official domination by a single MAJ
onality will become q reality, for out
{ a total population Of about 154 .000t
Hawaii. more than 5000 are Japa-
csc!