Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-11-13
TRIP TO THE ORIENT
Clarence E. EdwUrds Touring the
Eastern Countries.
HE is OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN IN WEEK
LY LETTERS, WHICH WILL AP.
PEAR IN THE RECORDER.

| FEAR I'm HE IECOhDEh.
Papsete, Tahiti, July 30 want
to introduce to your notice Alexan-
der Earl, my mentor and guide for
my visit to Tahiti. | am sure that
what Alexander does not know
about the island is hardly worth
knowing. Alexanderis,s a Barba-
dees negro who has lived here five
years. He speaks the language
and has a native wife. 1t is his
second since his arrival. Much
that / shall tell you about condi-
tons here l have obtained from
Alexander, and should any of my
readers ever make a visit to Tahiti,
and l am sure you all want to, do
not fail to get Alexander as your
driver. He wilIadd fully a hum
hed per cent totEeur enjoyment.
By the way, speaking about Wis
ting Tahiti, the first question usu-
ally arising about such trip is
that of expense, and an estimate of
cost. One person can make the
trip to the island and return on the
same ship for $3.50, of course
spending very little for extras. The
round trip ticket on the steamer
costs S125, and your board at Lo-
vina's will cost you So day for
the four or six days, as the case
may be. You will want more be-
cause there are certain rides and
trinklets and photographs that will
cost money, but if you really want
to 60 just to make the trip it can
be done on $3.50.
There is quite a difference of
opinion regarding the honesty of
these islanders. | have been told
that they will steal anything they
can lay their hands on, and again |
have it from good authority that
they will not modest anything be-
longing to stranger, and that you
can leave your valuables lying
around anywhere with no fear of
losing them. Alexander explained
this seeming discrepancy very
clearly to me. Those of my read
ers who live in the South know well
the negro characteristics. Negroes
are accused by those who do not
them of being great
thieves. We all know that when a
negro takes any thing from the
family where she or he is working,
they do not consider it stealing
they just take what belongs to thel
family and they are part of the
family. This is much the case in
Tahiti, and had several instances
which went far to prove the mate
honesty of this people. One OF
these was so remarkable that |
think it will be of interest. A few
days after my arrival | had occa-
sion to return to Lovina's uneX-
pectedly one afternoon. On en-
tering my room | saw dark form
crouched behind the bed. | spoke
and Lavina rose up, with a laugh,
II was just hiding my
money. There are too many strang-
ers."
After she left the room | looked
behind the bed, and there, lying
openly on the floor, was a sack con-
tanning probably $500. There was
no attempt at concealment, and she
trusted the bed makers more than
she would the first class passengers
who had come down from the Unit
ed States. The natives are eager
to gain a few cents or dollars, as
the case may be, from those who
come to visit the island, but | have
not heard of a single instance where
anyone has been wronged, or where
anyone has lost anything through
theft.
One of the priests who has been