The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-23
means all this and some,

I
thing more.
As we approached the group one o
the women hastily rose and crossed I
the far side of the garden. remainin
there until we were on the point o
going. My friend, wishing to be polite
turned back TO greet her with extende,
hand and a smiling Aloha -; she drew
aside as if embarrassed, then put fort
her hand, shook hands and quickly RAJ
/ into the house Nv friend washed hi
hands in the next pool He saw, to,
late, that the woman s hand was al
most fingerless and of an uncanny color
The curse of Hawaii-Ieprosy-w up
on that woman who at our approach
had glided away from that picturesque
group of lei-makers, but had returned
too soon, and in her confusion had be
trayed herself. The Hawaiians do not
fear the dread disease; they aid theil
stricken friends to conceal the fact OF
their misfortune; nor did my companion
appear alarmed, claiming to know that
mere contact, such as the touch of that
withered hand, is not likely to transmit
the horrible Infection
Taken as a whole, Hawaii, the ideal
dreamland of the Pacific, has been
transformed by American enterprise in
to very real and very wholesome land
of strenuous living. There is no sug.
gestion of tropic languor about the Ho-
nolulu of today; for example, one of
the shocks that the traveller gets in Ho-
nolulu, who has not been there for
years, is the trolley ears of the latest
American form that glide with the IA
mlllar clang of gong and clnk of con-
ductor s bell as he ring up the familiar
fve-cent fares. Honolulu has the
aspect of prosperous New England
tOWn-with a dash of Western freedom
and a touch of Southern repose 1t
does not impress you at first as a pref
ty place. Alphabetically, the heart of
Honolulu is as hideous as the business
centre of the average American town
scrawny business blocks, dumpy Office
buildings with utility stamped all over
them. But the residence streets are
rich in beauty, though the vistas are
marred by ugly telegraph poles and
network of wires. But the homes of
Honolulu are among the most attrac-
tive in the world-the gardens around
about them as Edenlike in loneliness
at every season of the year.
X X X
/ found that the spirit of Honolulu
had not changed with the changing
fortunes of the city. | had enjoyed
ten years ago so many manifestations
of that spirit of hospitality for which
Honolulu is renowned that / was al.
most fearful that such generous,
warm hearted hospitality must be too
sweet and rare thing to last. In fact,
Honolulu wore a rather forlorn look
as our ship crept into the port very
early in the morning. There were few
people on the dock-only one person
lid I see carrying leis, one woman wait
ing to greet expected friends in the
gracious old Hawaiian way. My heart
sank as I said to myself: "The ruth
less touch of American civilization has
the oldtime floral welcome Of
Hawaii; the spirit of, Aloha is pass
ng; soon Hawaii will be as brutally
lard and material and unresponsive as
Broadway itself. With sad misgiv-
ngs of the disiJlusions that so often
attend second visit to well-lOved |
and I stepped down the steep gang
vay to the dock-a welcoming hand
yrasped mine, a smiling face looked up, |
| happy voice said: ''Aloha to you, Mr..
folmes. You don It remember me. I
net you ten years ago-l We changed
nv name since then-I IN married now; |
nv name is Mrs.. We heard you |
we're coming, and we want you to see |
Is much as possible of Honolulu in case
you are going right on to Japan with |
his ship, so my husband has sent down |
ur new automobile for you to use for
he day-anywhere you want to go
he car is waiting for you just outside
it s yours while you are on shore.
gasped my thanks. explaining that
nv stay was not to be limited to one /
hort day, that I was stopping over in
laval for several weeks. "All the
can take you for long run
ny day you choose-and you will dine
nth us, of course, and you must see
he baby
And this proved but one of many
imilar experiences. Those who had
cen kind ten wears ago were even
Under than before, and all fears for
he fate of the FAloha spirit were
ispelled ere we had been two hours
n Hawaiian soil. The custom of Civ
~ garlanuS SUlll prevails; the part
riend or relative or guest goes up the
angplank laden with leis. And as the
reat ship slowly glides away, ring at
n ring of flowers, yellow, red or white,
nd string after string of the green
aile vine, are flung back from the
Ugh decks by those who are going
way, down to the friends who stay
ehind. This seems at first almost a
ldeness, to fling back at the instant
{ departure the flowers that We're Civ
I YOU only a moment since. Yet such
the custom The lei means "Alo-
4 1t means Glove to you. You
,cept the love, wear the garland for
lie brief period that intervenes be-
veen the final handclasp and the ac-
al sailing of the ship, and then with
our "Aloha you fling back the gar
nd which carries your love back to
lose who gave you theirs.
And so, as a whole, with some excep-
ons, of course, the Hawaiians, white,
own and yellow, sons of New Eng
nd missionaries, hustling business
- Chin