Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-04-17

| If needed for clothes, hole was cut IN
piece and the head stuck through,
O., blessed days.
Sometimes they moved around the
body. One pastor writes that when SER
vice closed on rainy day the women OF
the congregation unwound the strips, put
them in bundle and ran safely bone.
Hence / conclude it would not wash.
When cotton cloth became common, the
women were taught TO make full loose
garment, called holicu, Yankee mother
hubbard) Ii is now worn by not only
the older native women. who make them
of silk and other elegant goods, but by
younger ones who wear them all common
occasions. Not only the natives, but all
foreigners recognize their comfort in the
tropics and make them of dainty white
goods and lace. Still the younger Haw.
allan desports herself in the latest fad
and the highest colors. AS TO the native
men no matter hoy shabby their clothes
or how battered the hat il will be deco
rated with bright wreathe or Lei or
lay of flowers. You can't help respecting
a man with flowers o. his hat. Besides
YOU suspect his sweetheart made it for
him, and "all the world loves a lover
Both sexes of the common people 60
with bare feet as we'll as nearly all OF the
school children. The frequent iains are
bad for shoes. II must not be concluded
that there are no we'll dressed aristocratic
natives, for there are many who have
wealth, education, travel and culture.
These fill the highest places in the
islands. They are especially musical as
a people. Perhaps the sadest thing about
them is the fact that they are dying .off
very rapidly. At the time of their dis
covery there were FIVE hundred thousand.
In 1900 there were but thirty-nine thou
sand, FIVE hundred while of foreigners,
other than white, of whom there were
seventy-five thousand, and they come all
the time by hundreds and thousands.
OF all the nationalities the Japanese are
the most desirable class. They are bright,
industrious and peaceable. One thing
about them makes my American blood
boil Most Of the wives of the cody
class are slaves, bought by their husbands
who hire them out and take their wages.
One pretty, gentle woman came here
yesterday with a baby strapped on her
back, small child at her side and two
huge baskets OF vegetables on long pole
across her shoulders. 1t did not seem
possible that she could carry them. II
is said that they have no morals among
their children educated while the very
babies in daughters kindergarten are as
eager to learn. OF her seventy TO eighty
children more than fifty are Japanese;
the others of various nationalities. and
only a few whites. These foreigners
can't understand English. She has
mastered few words that mean a great
deal and uses them freely. The little
creatures are very easy to manage.
There are in this little city of FIVE thou
sand, three private schools, one boys
industrial school, (started by one of the
first missionaries, Rev. Henry Syman,
and now conducted by his grandson and
daughter) two Catholic, high and
grammer school and several cottage
schools. You see there is no .excure for
ignorance. / ought to add that the Japa-
nese have a school where their own re-
ligion is taught There is large native
church, Protestant Portuguese church,
Protestant Chinese and Japanese chapels,
large Catholic and small Episcopalian
church. The white or foreign church, is
a very pretty building, with a good pipe
organ and organist and with large
membership. The pastor, Rev. Titus
Shields, is from Woster, Ohio. He is a
young man and very earnest in his work.
When we look about us and remember
that the third generation are still young
people, that some of the second are still
with us, and try to realize that so short
time ago these islanders were savages,
offering human sacrifices, we can partly
comprehend what a few consecrated
families by the grace and guidance Of
God, have wrought.
MRS. r. l.. STEVENS.