The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-12-29
THE TREE FOR
THE CHILDREN

1t was novel, barelegged Christ
mas-tree celebration which took place
in the pretty park. opposite the Alex
ander Young Hotel, Friday morning;
bare.legged because few of the four
teen hundred boys and girls who
passed by the tree and received gifts
of candies, dolls and toys wore shoes
or stockings. 1t was just one of the
beautiful summery, trade.windy days
in Honolulu in December which are
the envy Of the snowclad, frosty main
land celebrants.
In the middle of the park rose
beautiful pine tree fresh from the
summit of Tantalus, trimmed with
Christmas toys and glittering tinsel.
Beneath its branches were stacks. of
toys and dolls and close by were ia.
bles heaped with tin horses and SOL
diers, cloth dogs, horns, masks and
pyramids of candy tied up in bags, a
sight upon which the hundreds of
little folks greedily east their eyes.
Around this treasure-trove were the
"Malihinis' whose absence from their
snowclad homes on the mainland
prompted them to spend their Christ
mas Day in Honolulu among the poor
children. Nearby was the Hawaiian
band, directed by Kapellmeister Ber-
ger, and close at hand was an auto
in which was seated Ernest Kaai's Ha.
waiian quintet club. So there was
good cheer, music and malihini smiles
for all the children who came.
A squad of police officers under
Senior Captain Parker kept the crowds
of Honolulans back from the fence
around the little park, and assisted in
lining up the children out in the
street, two by two. With spectators,
young and old, autos, carriages and
prospective recipients of the malihini
Santa Claus, Bishop street was pack
window in the great Alexander Young
Hotel and the parapet of the long
roof garden were lined with spectators.
In the little park, photographers had
put up stands and upon two of these
Moving Picture Expert R. X. Bonine
operated two machines and took hun
dreds of feet of films of what can be
used as one of the best promotion pic
lures to be displayed on. the mainland
"a greensward and hibiscus Christ.
mas in Hawaii.
From the upper part of the park to
and past the tree and on to the lower
park was roped walkway. This led
past the heavily-laden tables heaped
with things to please the youngsters.
The "Malihini Christmas Tree"
was gotten up by tourists who found
themselves, possibly for the first time,
far away from their own homes, with
an outlook for a dismal day. A
Christmas tree for the poor was the
result of much thinking on their part
And so it was that Mr.. and Mrs.
Jackson, Mr.. and Mrs. J. J..
Bryan, Miss Margaret Bryan and Mr..
Cassidy, assisted by the Misses Muir
ply of Helena, Montana, and Baron.
ess Molcarch, stood at the tables as
hosts. The band played, and at a
signal Mr.. Rath of the Palama Mission
started the head of the long column
into the park, through the roped walk
tributed candy and the children pass
ed on to others who passed out bon.
bons.
Mr.. Jackson, the moving spirit in
the celebration, looked after the boys,
gave them horns, patted them ON the
head, blew horns himself and created
enthusiasm all along the line, for soon
the park was filed with the noise of
horns and shouts. Mrs. Jackson and
Mrs. Bryan looked after the little girls
and to each child gave a doll. And so
laden with candy, dolls, horns, masks,
toys, the lower end of the park grad
ually filed. Even after the line of
children who had received tickets pass
ed by there were many boys and girls
outside who looked with fearful eyes
upon the scene. A tourist noticed their
grief and going to Mr.. Jackson said:
off you wouldn't mind d like to buy
a hundred tickets, and - but Mr..
Jackson answered quickly, "Don t
think about it, send the kids in, and
in they trooped and each received some
thing. The bags of candy gave out
and buckets were brought out and the
hats of the boys filed There was
something for everyone.
"Now, Captain Berger, play us some
thing lively-play the Scouts Patrol
my favorite,'' said Mr.. Jackson, and
swinging his hat, he started the band
off on another lively selection and the
boys and girls shouted with him.
Then Judge Sanford B. Dole and Mrs.
Dole came into the park and greeted
the malihinis and expressed their
thanks to them for providing such a
novel treat to the young folks. Judge
Dole mounted table and spoke to the
crowd, referring to the generosity of
the strangers, and he said something
about the Christian spirit. 1t was some
thing he hoped to see perpetuated. In
concluding, he asked for three cheers
for the good strangers, and the crowd
responded.
1t was n sight to gladden. the heart
| of stranger and resident alike to see
the cosmopolitan array of nearly fif
teen hundred children march past First
in line were some Portuguese, then Ha
waiians, then Chinese, then japanese
white children, colored, Porto Ricans
Spaniards, Koreans, and there were
healthful and crippled children, repre-
sentatives of nearly all nationalitie!
here, guided to the tree by the repre-
sentatives of the Salvation Army, the