The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-08-10
LOOKtrS5 SOUTHWEST From FLAGSTAFF HILL DEVONPOET
TCWzRD AUCKLAND, NV ZEALAND

I very presence testifying TO the wonderful
{ influence, the miniStratiOn Of religion. that
has made this leper island what they call
a home Of the bIest- Nature then seemed
more kindly and-weH you were glad
that there We're churches and waterfalls
and flowers and bright skies and flashing
: seas and that kindly impulses have soft
ened the lot OF those TO whom the sin Of
the world has been most cruel.
Beauty of Maui
In an hour or two we approached the
Island Of Maui and skiried its shores for
about twenty miles. The real beauty
/ Of these islands began 20 be unfoIded.
There were mighty hins. cut and slashed
by the rending power Of earthquakes as
the place was thrown up from the seas
Deep blue shadows almost purpled their
4 caver0us recesses and lent soft tint
70 the gray and reddish tops and green
ISL slashes made by nature in her
I angriest mood. Then there came into
view patches OF green. bright green.
sugar cane under cultivation. with brown
stretches OF the fertile land slop.ng from
the mountains 20 the sea. made bare
for fresh planting. And along the shores
were the fringes OF palms Here and
there crossroads threaded the hills and
occasional nuts and bungalows could be
made cut Down around a point we
swung and then Iahai-a came into
view It is the ancient home Of The
kings Of the islands Formerly its road
stead was crowded with whalers. Back
on the hills some Of the most furious
native battles IN Hawaiian history have
( been fought L is now settlement OF
. about 1000. two-thirds Of whom are Jap
anese, who work the sugar plantations.
CuStom-houSe stands Dat.
The costom house. the courthouse and
the buildings Of a great school far up in
the hills stood out consplcuousIy- The
shores were lined with cheering people.
The japanese put up a great screen Of
bamboo on the waterfront spelling the
word Welcome. Flags ab0unded and
DAY fireworks sslutes went on The
flaming red trees Ponciana reg.a. the
most gorgeous OF all trees on earth. were
IN blossom II this was Hawaii. truly il
looked Ike paradise.
On shore the people were preparing a
great luau for the sailors Automobiles
were rgnninr about and when YOU
reached the landing stage the glad hand
was stretched out truly. A company Of
the Hawaiian National Guard had come
across the island % camp
Well Lahaira oUtdid itself Nothing
was too good for the boys. There was
dancing when night came and Hlumina-
tion and singing You don't know what
singing is until you hear i here. where
the first note OF the human voice in song
must have been heard Every one can
sing in Hawaii They dance 10 song
The natives bring their own Instruments
and Reinforced them with guitars. man
dolins. and violins-all OF which they play
by ear. for few Hawaiians can read mod
ern husband they strUm OF a few
bars and then break into song While
the song lasts you dance. and when IL
stops and the Instruments keep on you
rest Then comes the vocal seduction
again, and OF you 90 with flying feet.
Songs Run to Harmony.
The Hawaiian songs run 10 harmony
rather than mere melody. and there is 10
wei sustained theme in them. The sing
ers glide from one harmony-deIicious
chords they are-intO another. The tim
bre Of the voices can be heard only IN
the Pacific islands. Ano when the na-
tives pour out these voices there comes a
blend OF notes such as no chorus Of An
Elo-SaXons could make The voices are
Hght-they run 70 te1ors a great deal
but there is such superb balancing Of
tone In chorus music as TO resemble a
than anything else. But there IS more
than that in them. The music has Iiv-
ing soul When a sad piece Is sung the
sadness enters into the singers hearts.
They close their eyes 4 sigh comes from
their lips with the harmony. When they
open their eyes there IS mist in them
When they sing rOllicking music their
eyes dance with their stamping feet. Their
music is heart laden
- -.
its best you should have spent an evening /
IN the military camp. where the boys
were just the ordinary singers Of the peo- |
PIE and not selected voices such as make I
I'D the quintet clubs all oyer the islands: I
and YOU should have laid on the sward /
as we did the first night in Lahaina- The I
moon came up over the black eastern hills /
and then mellOwed things through the
palm tree leaves. The water /
rippled onto the beach and added the 4
poetry Of the gentlest seas 10 the occa-
sion The soldier boys twanged the in /
strUments for minute or two and then 1
came a sweet. soft gliding from chord to /
chord Of these rich vocal organs. and
well. you were in dreamland.
What did you care for slkyscrapers and 4
the hurry Of business life or the strife for 4
wealth? What did you care Ior operas /
and great singers? You even ceased TO 4
think Of home and loved ones. and you /
now began to understand why often these I
Islands so enchsnt the traveller that he /
goes no further and spends the rest of 1
his days here And when these singers 4
poured out the songs. part in Hawaiian /
and part in English, so that you got some 1
Of the poetry that was in their souls. you
were sure that you had lost some of the 4
sweetest things in life by not coming here
before
"Old Plantation was one Of the songs
that got under your skin and touched 1
your soul Oh. no; it wasn't a coon song.
il was collection OF harfnonies that 1
would soften the meanest crouch that any
man ever had II Just took hold Of you
from your toes to your hair tips and made
you feel kindly toward al the world It 1
brought signs to your lips and made you
think that gentleness and sweetness were
IN the world as its choicest factor. and 4
that YOU had never known their full
depths before Over and over again you
made the boys sing It
There are scores Of such moving Songs,
but why dwell On them more2 The even