Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-10-16
PARADISE or PACIFIC
ANOTHER LETTER FROM OUR CORES
P0NDENT In THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
DR.. Edwords Writes Of the Climate, the
Coffee Crop. the Bishop Museum and
Queen Lilioukalani.

Il
Japan tor a number of American newspa pers,
| Public Opinion being Que of them. His
| section In this paper, aud will be read with
much interest, we are sure. Editor.l
Honolulu, H. l., Oct. 10. If one he
able to distract his mind from socio-
logical conditions / know of no place
where the surroundings are more ideal
than the Hawaiian Islands. They
were well named when they were
called the Paradise of the Pacific
1t is all so essentially tropic in every
respect that one cannot remain here
many days without sinking into that
general state OF lassitude which pre-
walls among all the inhabitants, no
matter what their race or color. The
very air is conducive to rest and
quiet. and while it is generally sup
posed by those who have never visited
them that the tropics are hot and un-
comfortable, such is not the case. In
Honolulu it is always warm, the tenn
perature varying but degrees during
the entire year. But this temperature
is never above "a nor below rs. There
is considerable humidity in the air
which, at times, makes conditions
oppressive, but the nights are always
pleasant. Probably the most peculiar
freak of the climate is the rainfall. 1t
rains nearly every day, and l have
seen it raining on the upper porch of
the hotel while not drop fell on the
street below, the moisture all being
dissipated before it reached the
ground
Kona coffee is becoming staple
article in nearly all grocery stores in
the United States. but few people
know that the word ''kona" means
direction "Kona'' is ''South,'' and
kona coffee is coffee that is raised on
the south coast of the islands. The
kona wind is the south wind, and it
is this south wind that is considered
specially beneficial to the growth of
coffee. / have learned several things
about coffee on the islands, and one
of them is well worth remembering.
tCoffee should not be used until after
it has been gathered three years, and
if you can get coffee that is five years
old SO much the better. New coffee
has bitter taste which disappears as
the grain grows older.
l took trip yesterday to the Pali,
that famous cliff over which one of
the old time kings drove the natives
when he came to conquer. The APP
proach to this cliff, which rises sheer
several hundred feet. is narrow and
becomes more contracted, with rising
sides more steep as one gets nearer
of the northern end of the island from
the Pali, and one can we'll imagine
the terrible scene which occurred
when thousands of the natives were
driven over the edge to the ragged
rocks far below.
JUST how savage the aborigines of
these islands were can be understood
by visit to the Bishop museum
south of Honolulu. where all sorts of
old relics are to be seen. Here we find
bowls in which human bodies were
served up at feasts. as well as enor-
nous forks used by savage royalty
when eating human flesh. This
museum is wonderful place to study
anthropology. and one could well spera
Nm, h., fsoo
statue of King Kamehameha whics
stands in front of the old palace. is y
representation of the wonderful
feather robe of state made of yellow
feathers. The original robe is in the
museum, made of feathers so rare that
but two Of them are obtained from a
single bird. One would have to do a
lot of figuring to find out how many
birds lost their lives to furnish the
feathers for the royal robe.
In addition to the museum the city
boasts one of the most wonderful
aquariums in the world 1t is a
public institution, and contains speci-
mems of the wonderful fish found i'll
these waters. have spent some time
In tne snow places Dut must CONFESS
that there is more of interest to me in
the fish market than in the aquarium.
but shall tell about this fish market
: in a future letter. for / think it worth
! more space than mere mention.
n While on the subject of royalty
NAV as we'll say that / have visited
ex- Queen Lilioukalani. and found her
an entertaining and highly educated
, lady She ia a Skillet ,uusiciap and
tine composer, and is one of the most
refined ladies that l have had the
pleasure of meeting arywhere. as I
sat in her plainly furnished parlor,
} out where the soft whispering of the
waves of Waikiki beach kept up con-
tinual music, could not help con-
trasting her with those ancestors
whose savage implements had been
laxamininQ at hha mn sAum